Science & Tech · Space · 4 hrs ago
Modular satellite design aims to speed up European mini-constellations
German company constellr is building satellites to measure temperatures from space for uses such as agriculture and urban planning.
Its HiVE constellation is being developed with Danish manufacturer Space Inventor, but the sensors’ size, weight and power needs were still changing during the design process.
A fixed satellite structure could force the instruments to fit the spacecraft, or require costly redesigns when the instruments change.
Space Inventor adapted its BIG CAT 600 platform to constellr’s needs instead of requiring the payload to fit a standard design.
Its BIG CAT platforms use replaceable modules to accommodate changing requirements, such as more power or improved pointing and communications.
Space Inventor says it makes nearly all components in-house, allowing it to make some changes in about one week rather than the roughly six weeks an outside supplier might take.
This approach gives smaller satellite groups more room to update their technology as they build later spacecraft, though no next step for the constellr project is specified.
Space Inventor says its modular satellite design can help operators adapt small spacecraft as payload requirements change.
The Danish manufacturer adapted its BIG CAT 600 satellite bus for constellr’s HiVE thermal-imaging constellation.
The approach uses interchangeable satellite modules instead of a fixed, standardized bus.
Space Inventor says it can make some changes in about one week, compared with about six weeks through an outside supplier.
Mini-constellations typically contain a few satellites to a few dozen and target specific geographies or capabilities.
- Who
- Space Inventor, a Danish satellite manufacturer, and constellr, a European thermal-imagery company.
- What
- Space Inventor adapted its BIG CAT 600 bus to changing requirements for constellr’s HiVE satellites.
- When
- Not stated.
- Where
- Space Inventor manufactures nearly all its components in Aalborg, Denmark; constellr is based in Munich.
- Why
- Payload requirements were still evolving, and a modular design can accommodate changes without extensive spacecraft redesigns.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
constellr’s HiVE payload requirements, including size, weight and power, were still evolving.
Space Inventor adapted its BIG CAT 600 bus for constellr’s needs.
- Constellr constellation
- HiVE, or High-precision Versatile Ecosphere
- Adapted satellite bus
- BIG CAT 600
- Space Inventor factory
- Aalborg, Denmark
- In-house change time
- Roughly one week
- Outside supplier estimate
- About six weeks
What people are saying
We needed a platform built around the payload, not the other way around.
The standardization is in the satellite modules, not in the bus.
Because we make everything in house, we can easily add new modules to facilitate changing requirements, very fast.