Current Innovations from Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd

Flexible and Intelligent Payload Chain

SSTL is leading a consortium that includes the University of Surrey and Craft Prospect Limited to develop and demonstrate new capabilities for SSTL’s Flexible & Intelligent Payload Chain (FIPC) solution. The FIPC’s advanced hardware architecture enables a new intelligent and adaptive data downlink and a state-of-the-art framework for software defined onboard data processing to realise a payload chain capable of handling the throughput rates of future small Earth Observation satellites. The framework enables processing applications which include data calibration and image compression to Machine Learning (ML) for image classification and information extraction towards greater satellite autonomy.

The FIPC solution is supported by the ESA InCubed programme.

PRESS RELEASE

Self-aligning deployable space telescope

SSTL, the University of Oxford and the Surrey Space Centre have been awarded National Space Technology Programme funding to develop a novel self-aligning deployable space telescope, designed for sub 1 metre ground sample imaging requirements in a small launch volume spacecraft. The demonstrator telescope will release from stowed launch configuration, deploy to full length, and autonomously align ready for in-orbit acquisition.

PRESS RELEASE

Low cost Mid-Wave Infra-Red Imager

Leonardo and Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd have been awarded funding from the UK’s Centre for Earth Observation Instrumentation (CEOI) to develop a new detector assembly for a low cost, world-leading Mid-Wave Infra-Red (MWIR) imager. The MWIR imager will be designed to achieve 3.5m GSD and to fit into a small and low cost agile platform with a launch mass of approximately 130kg to address the future demands of the evolving Earth Observation constellations market.

PRESS RELEASE

Disruptive SmallSat SAR Payload

SSTL and Oxford Space Systems have been awarded NSTP funding to develop an innovative and stowage-efficient Synthetic Aperture Radar payload.

The innovative SAR payload will be exclusively developed in the UK and will comprise of a highly stowage-efficient deployable antenna from Oxford Space Systems and a high bandwidth radar instrument and RF system from SSTL.

Successful completion of the project will enable the antenna to be flown on a future demonstration technology mission from SSTL, targeted for a 2021 launch.

Press Release

Precision Multispectral Imager

SSTL is manufacturing a new very high resolution imager that delivers high quality imagery and high area coverage for pan-sharpened colour mapping and surveillance applications. The Precision imager is a compact design that utilises a novel sensor and innovative opto-mechanical techniques to achieve a swath of >9.5km and a GSD in panchromatic channel of 0.6m native. The PAN channel is used to sharpen four 1.2m GSD multi-spectral channels and through post-processing sub 0.5m GSD is achievable. Precision’s detector is a novel CMOS-in-CCD architecture resulting in low power consumption and read noise and time delay and integration capability. Teledyne e2V is providing the state-of-the-art TDI CMOS sensor.

SSTL is building the imager as part of ESA’s InCubed programme.

CONSTAR MISSION PLANNING SYSTEM

CONSTAR is a user-friendly and efficient Mission Planning System (MPS) product designed to achieve the maximum possible value from the large satellite constellations being launched over the next 10 years.

Designed by SSTL in conjunction with Satellite Applications Catapult, CONSTAR utilises constellations of satellites to provide intelligence for hundreds of applications which will reduce costs and increase efficiency and value. This is particularly relevant to customers dealing with critical scenarios such as disaster management, working in challenging environmental conditions (cloud cover, sand storms), or those with businesses based on rapid imaging tasking and requiring fast download.

CONSTAR case study