Available technologies for small satellites

Abstract This paper presents a survey of low-cost technologies which either have been used in the past for small satellite missions, or which are currently being used, or which are planned for use in the future. It is recognised that such a survey cannot be comprehensive because of the large number of missions involved, but the paper does include a representative cross-section of missions to illustrate how different countries and groups have tackled the technological problems involved, with the emphasis very much on low-cost techniques. Unusual or innovative technologies that have been used on past missions are covered in the paper by summarising the technologies used on the United Kingdom's AMPTE-UKS; Germany's AMPTE-IRM; Sweden's VIKING; and the University of Surrey's UoSAT series of micro-satellites. Current or recent missions include: Portugal's PoSAT-1 micro-satellite; Germany's BREMSAT; and the UK's STRV-1A and STRV-1B. Future missions summarised in the paper include: South Africa's GREENSAT; Pakistan's BADR-B micro-satellite; Denmark's ORSTED mini-satellite; Israel's TECHSAT; and the USA's MICROLAB. The paper goes on to suggest areas where technological developments are still needed to enable or enhance future missions.