Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd
Encyclopedia
Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd, or SSTL, is a spin-off company of the University of Surrey
, now fully owned by EADS Astrium
, that builds and operates small satellites. Its satellites began as amateur radio
satellites known by the UoSAT (University of Surrey SATELLITE) name or by an OSCAR
(Orbital Satellite Carrying Amateur Radio) designation. SSTL cooperates with the University's Surrey Space Centre, which does research into satellite
and space
topics.
Recently SSTL has moved into remote sensing
services with the launch of the Disaster Monitoring Constellation
(DMC) and an associated child company, DMC International Imaging
. SSTL also adopted the Internet Protocol
for the DMC satellites it builds and operates, migrating from use of the AX.25
protocol popular in amateur radio
. The CLEO Cisco router in Low Earth Orbit, on board the UK-DMC satellite
along with a network of payloads, takes advantage of this adoption of the Internet Protocol. The UK-DMC satellite also carries a payload investigating GPS reflectometry
. SSTL is also developing a new Geostationary Minisatellite Platform-Transfer orbit variant (GMP-T) aimed at the telecommunications market under the brand name SSTL-900.
SSTL works with the UK Space Agency
(UKSA) and takes on a number of tasks for the UKSA that would be done in-house by a traditional large government space agency. The University sold a 10% share of SSTL to SpaceX
in January 2005. It then agreed to sell its majority share (roughly 80% of the capital) to EADS Astrium
in April 2008. In August 2008 SSTL opened a US subsidiary.
SSTL was awarded the Queen's Award for Technological Achievement in 1998, and the Queen's Award for Enterprise in 2005. In 2006 SSTL won the Times Higher Education Supplement award for outstanding contribution to innovation and technology.
In 2009 SSTL ranked 89 out of the 997 companies that took part in the Sunday Times Top 100 companies to work for.
GMP (Geostationary Minisatellite Platform)
SAPPHIRE
EarthCARE
STRaND-1
SSTL-150
SSTL-300
SSTL-900
University of Surrey
The University of Surrey is a university located within the county town of Guildford, Surrey in the South East of England. It received its charter on 9 September 1966, and was previously situated near Battersea Park in south-west London. The institution was known as Battersea College of Technology...
, now fully owned by EADS Astrium
EADS Astrium
Astrium Satellites is one of the three business units of Astrium, a subsidiary of EADS. It is a European space manufacturer involved in the manufacture of spacecraft used for science, Earth observation and telecommunication, as well as the equipment and subsystems used therein and related ground...
, that builds and operates small satellites. Its satellites began as amateur radio
Amateur radio
Amateur radio is the use of designated radio frequency spectrum for purposes of private recreation, non-commercial exchange of messages, wireless experimentation, self-training, and emergency communication...
satellites known by the UoSAT (University of Surrey SATELLITE) name or by an OSCAR
OSCAR
OSCAR is an acronym for Orbiting Satellite Carrying Amateur Radio. OSCAR series satellites use amateur radio frequencies to facilitate communication between amateur radio stations. These satellites can be used for free by licensed amateur radio operators for voice and data communications...
(Orbital Satellite Carrying Amateur Radio) designation. SSTL cooperates with the University's Surrey Space Centre, which does research into satellite
Satellite
In the context of spaceflight, a satellite is an object which has been placed into orbit by human endeavour. Such objects are sometimes called artificial satellites to distinguish them from natural satellites such as the Moon....
and space
Outer space
Outer space is the void that exists between celestial bodies, including the Earth. It is not completely empty, but consists of a hard vacuum containing a low density of particles: predominantly a plasma of hydrogen and helium, as well as electromagnetic radiation, magnetic fields, and neutrinos....
topics.
Recently SSTL has moved into remote sensing
Remote sensing
Remote sensing is the acquisition of information about an object or phenomenon, without making physical contact with the object. In modern usage, the term generally refers to the use of aerial sensor technologies to detect and classify objects on Earth by means of propagated signals Remote sensing...
services with the launch of the Disaster Monitoring Constellation
Disaster Monitoring Constellation
The Disaster Monitoring Constellation consists of a number of remote sensing satellites constructed by Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd and operated for the Algerian, Nigerian, Turkish, British and Chinese governments by DMC International Imaging...
(DMC) and an associated child company, DMC International Imaging
DMC International Imaging
DMC International Imaging is the company that manages the Disaster Monitoring Constellation for the International Charter for Space and Major Disasters. It also sells satellite imaging services under contract. DMCII is a wholly owned subsidiary of Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd...
. SSTL also adopted the Internet Protocol
Internet Protocol
The Internet Protocol is the principal communications protocol used for relaying datagrams across an internetwork using the Internet Protocol Suite...
for the DMC satellites it builds and operates, migrating from use of the AX.25
AX.25
AX.25 is a data link layer protocol derived from the X.25 protocol suite and designed for use by amateur radio operators. It is used extensively on amateur packet radio networks....
protocol popular in amateur radio
Amateur radio
Amateur radio is the use of designated radio frequency spectrum for purposes of private recreation, non-commercial exchange of messages, wireless experimentation, self-training, and emergency communication...
. The CLEO Cisco router in Low Earth Orbit, on board the UK-DMC satellite
UK-DMC
The UK-DMC satellite is one of a number of satellites in the Disaster Monitoring Constellation . It was built by Surrey Satellite Technology, who operate it via DMC International Imaging on behalf of the UK Space Agency...
along with a network of payloads, takes advantage of this adoption of the Internet Protocol. The UK-DMC satellite also carries a payload investigating GPS reflectometry
GNSS reflectometry
GNSS reflectometry involves making measurements from the reflections from the Earth of navigation signals from Global Navigation Satellite Systems such as GPS. It is also known as GPS reflectometry....
. SSTL is also developing a new Geostationary Minisatellite Platform-Transfer orbit variant (GMP-T) aimed at the telecommunications market under the brand name SSTL-900.
SSTL works with the UK Space Agency
UK Space Agency
The UK Space Agency is a United Kingdom government agency responsible for its civil space programme. It was established on 1 April 2010 to replace the British National Space Centre and took over responsibility for government policy and key budgets for space and represents the UK in all negotiations...
(UKSA) and takes on a number of tasks for the UKSA that would be done in-house by a traditional large government space agency. The University sold a 10% share of SSTL to SpaceX
SpaceX
Space Exploration Technologies Corporation, or more popularly and informally known as SpaceX, is an American space transport company that operates out of Hawthorne, California...
in January 2005. It then agreed to sell its majority share (roughly 80% of the capital) to EADS Astrium
EADS Astrium
Astrium Satellites is one of the three business units of Astrium, a subsidiary of EADS. It is a European space manufacturer involved in the manufacture of spacecraft used for science, Earth observation and telecommunication, as well as the equipment and subsystems used therein and related ground...
in April 2008. In August 2008 SSTL opened a US subsidiary.
SSTL was awarded the Queen's Award for Technological Achievement in 1998, and the Queen's Award for Enterprise in 2005. In 2006 SSTL won the Times Higher Education Supplement award for outstanding contribution to innovation and technology.
In 2009 SSTL ranked 89 out of the 997 companies that took part in the Sunday Times Top 100 companies to work for.
Recent satellites and launches
- Five RapidEyeRapidEyeRapidEye AG is a German geospatial information provider focused on assisting in management decision-making through services based on their own Earth observation imagery. The company owns a five satellite constellation producing 5 meter resolution imagery that was designed and implemented by ...
satellites, successfully launched from BaikonurBaikonur CosmodromeThe Baikonur Cosmodrome , also called Tyuratam, is the world's first and largest operational space launch facility. It is located in the desert steppe of Kazakhstan, about east of the Aral Sea, north of the Syr Darya river, near Tyuratam railway station, at 90 meters above sea level...
on 29 August 2008. - UK-DMC 2UK-DMC 2UK-DMC 2 is a British Earth imaging satellite which is operated by DMC International Imaging. It was constructed by Surrey Satellite Technology, based on the SSTL-100 satellite bus. It is part of Britain's contribution to the Disaster Monitoring Constellation, which is coordinated by DMC...
and Deimos-1Deimos-1Deimos-1 is a Spanish Earth imaging satellite which is operated by Deimos Imaging. It was constructed by Surrey Satellite Technology, based on the SSTL-100 satellite bus. Deimos Imaging commercializes its imagery directly but also has distribution agreements with other entities like Astrium GEO and...
were launched on a Dnepr-1 rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on 29 July 2009. - NigeriaSat-2 and NX satellites, successfully launched on 17 August 2011.
Satellites under construction
VNIIEM- Customer: NPP VNIIEM (Russia)
- Mission objective: Earth observation for agricultural and environmental monitoring
- 3 satellite platforms
GMP (Geostationary Minisatellite Platform)
- Customer: European Space AgencyEuropean Space AgencyThe European Space Agency , established in 1975, is an intergovernmental organisation dedicated to the exploration of space, currently with 18 member states...
& British National Space CentreBritish National Space CentreThe British National Space Centre was a British government body that coordinated civil space activities for the UK. It was replaced on 1 April 2010 by the UK Space Agency.-Structure:... - Mission objective: Geostationary communications satellite platform baselined for a variety of missions including C, Ku, X-band
- Satellite platform: SSTL-900
SAPPHIRE
- Customer: MacDonald Dettwiler & Associates (MDA)
- Mission objective: To provide a satellite-based Resident Space Object (RSO) observing service that will provide accurate tracking data on deep space orbiting objects. SAPPHIRE will feature a space-based data collection platform for continuous surveillance of manmade objects in medium to high Earth orbits (6,000 to 40,000 km). The data collected will be processed by a ground-based system and the results will be used to update the U.S. Satellite Catalogue that is used by both NORAD and Canada to provide space situational awareness.
- Satellite platform: SSTL-150
EarthCARE
EarthCARE
EARTHCARE is a planned space mission by the European and Japanese space agencies. In May 2008 ESA signed a contract worth €263 million with EADS subsidiary Astrium. As the prime contractor, Astrium is responsible for the satellite’s design, development and integration...
- Customer: Astrium GmbH
- Mission objective: As part of the Earth Observation Envelope Programme (EOEP) led by ESA to cover primary research objectives, the EarthCARE mission will be the third Earth Explorer Core Mission. The mission will be implemented in collaboration with Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency who will provide one of the core instruments. The EarthCARE mission has been specifically defined with the basic objective of improving the understanding of cloud-aerosol-radiation interactions so as to include them correctly and reliably in climate and numerical weather predictionNumerical weather predictionNumerical weather prediction uses mathematical models of the atmosphere and oceans to predict the weather based on current weather conditions. Though first attempted in the 1920s, it was not until the advent of computer simulation in the 1950s that numerical weather predictions produced realistic...
models. EarthCARE will meet these objectives by measuring simultaneously the vertical structure and horizontal distribution of cloud and aerosol fields together with outgoing radiation over all climate zones. SSTL's role in this mission is to provide a Multi Spectral Imager (MSI) Instrument by development, manufacturing, testing and operations support during Phase B/C/D/E1.
- SSTL will provide the platform and services for the Russian Kanopus-B remote-sensing satellite.
- SSTL has contracted to build GIOVE-A2GIOVEGIOVE, or Galileo In-Orbit Validation Element, is the name for each satellite in a series being built for the European Space Agency to test technology in orbit for the Galileo positioning system.Giove is the Italian word for "Jupiter"...
for the European Space AgencyEuropean Space AgencyThe European Space Agency , established in 1975, is an intergovernmental organisation dedicated to the exploration of space, currently with 18 member states...
. - SSTL will build the MoonLITEMoonLITEThe Moon Lightweight Interior and Telecoms Experiment , is a proposed British space mission to explore the Moon and develop techniques for future space exploration. If funded, it will be built by a consortium of UK industry likely including Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd, and it is planned to be...
spacecraft if funding is secured
STRaND-1
- Surrey Training, Research and Nanosatellite Development 1 intends to launch several new technologies for space applications and demonstration including the use of Android (operating system) open source operating system on a SmartphoneSmartphoneA smartphone is a high-end mobile phone built on a mobile computing platform, with more advanced computing ability and connectivity than a contemporary feature phone. The first smartphones were devices that mainly combined the functions of a personal digital assistant and a mobile phone or camera...
.
Platforms
SSTL-100- SSTL 100 was used in Disaster Monitoring ConstellationDisaster Monitoring ConstellationThe Disaster Monitoring Constellation consists of a number of remote sensing satellites constructed by Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd and operated for the Algerian, Nigerian, Turkish, British and Chinese governments by DMC International Imaging...
(DMC). The SSTL-100 provides the core capability to carry a wide range of payloads. Active variants include SSTL-100i 32 (1st generation DMC) and SSTL-100i 22 (2nd generation DMC).
SSTL-150
- An SSTL-100 platform with substantially improved payload capacity, improved propulsion and added high attitude agility. Active variants include SSTL-150i 4 Agile (Beijing-1),SSTL-150i 2.5 Agile and SSTL-150 RapidEye.
SSTL-300
- SSTL 300 was designed for highly demanding applications. Very flexible configuration, capable of supporting a large spectrum of implementations, payloads and structural configurations. Current variants are optimised for optical EO (from 2.5m to sub 1m resolutions), SAR and science EO payloads. Active variants include SSTL-300i 2.5 Agile, SSTL-300i 1.0 Agile, SSTL-300i UHR, SSTL-300L and SSTL-300r.
SSTL-900
- Low-cost communications, versatile, navigation and exploration platform. The SSTL-900 is designed for MEOMeoMayo or Meo or Mewati is a prominent Muslim Rajput tribe from North-Western India. A considerable number of Meos migrated to Pakistan after independence in 1947 and now they are estimated to be over 12 million. In Pakistan, Meos have lost their distinct group identity and cultural traditions and...
, GEOGeosynchronous orbitA geosynchronous orbit is an orbit around the Earth with an orbital period that matches the Earth's sidereal rotation period...
, HEOHigh Earth orbitA High Earth Orbit is a geocentric orbit whose apogee lies above that of a geosynchronous orbit .Highly Elliptical Orbits are a subset of High Earth Orbits.-Examples of satellites in High Earth Orbit:...
and interplanetary orbits. Flight heritage achieved as Europe’s first Galileo satellite, GIOVE-A.
See also
- Aerospace industry in the United Kingdom
- UoSAT-2UO-11UO-11 is an amateur satellite built at the University of Surrey and launched into orbit on 1 March 1984. It remains orbital and active, though unstable with irregular periods of transmission. The satellite was still heard transmitting telemetry in December 2010, more than twenty-six years after...
- UoSAT-12
- UK-DMCUK-DMCThe UK-DMC satellite is one of a number of satellites in the Disaster Monitoring Constellation . It was built by Surrey Satellite Technology, who operate it via DMC International Imaging on behalf of the UK Space Agency...
- UK-DMC 2UK-DMC 2UK-DMC 2 is a British Earth imaging satellite which is operated by DMC International Imaging. It was constructed by Surrey Satellite Technology, based on the SSTL-100 satellite bus. It is part of Britain's contribution to the Disaster Monitoring Constellation, which is coordinated by DMC...
- Deimos-1Deimos-1Deimos-1 is a Spanish Earth imaging satellite which is operated by Deimos Imaging. It was constructed by Surrey Satellite Technology, based on the SSTL-100 satellite bus. Deimos Imaging commercializes its imagery directly but also has distribution agreements with other entities like Astrium GEO and...
- Snap-1 nanosatelliteSnap-1 nanosatelliteA Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd/Surrey Space Centre, 6.5kg nanosatellite launched on the 28 June 2000 on a Cosmos-3M rocket from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia.COSPAR ID: 2000-033C-References:* *...
- FASat-Alfa and BravoFASat-AlfaFASat-Alfa was to become the first Chilean satellite, and was constructed under a Technology Transfer Program between the Chilean Air Force and Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd of the United Kingdom. The primary goal of the Program was to obtain for Chile the basic scientific and technological...