The Design of a Small Satellite for Earth Observation

The concept of the Teaching Company Scheme Satellite (TuCSAT), has been developed to meet the requirements of the Earth observation user community for inexpensive and flexible opportunities to launch remote sensing instruments into low earth orbit (LEO). This paper describes the satellite design process, together with the philosophy behind the selection of a baseline mission. The satellite is shown to demonstrate the ability to meet a wide range of requirements within a strict low mass and low cost philosophy, while making use of currently available technology in order to achieve the design aims.