IEEE - Aerospace and Electronic Systems - October 2019 - 58

Smaller Satellites, Larger Constellations: Trends and Design Issues for Earth Observation Systems

Figure 10.
EP module main outputs.

6 kg for VIS, 5 kg for TIR, and 11 kg for SAR, values
compatible with the 200 kg total mass target for the spacecraft platform.

REFERENCES
[1] "Satellite-based Earth observation: Market prospects to
2026," Euroconsult Rep. Brochure, Oct. 2017. [Online].
Available: http://www.euroconsult-ec.com/research/satellitebased-earth-observation-2017-brochure.pdf

CONCLUSION
The constellation design tool that we briefly outlined
does not take into account important factors such as the
ease of integration of the EP system on a given platform,
or the actual cost of the subsystems at a given moment in
time. Nevertheless, it allows for a rather accurate assessment of the implications of different choices, making it
possible for the mission architect to explore the design
space in a quick and comprehensive way, and to finetune a specific constellation project: An exercise that
involves numerous iterations with minimal changes to
the design parameters.
Satellite remote sensing today is more vital than ever.
The shift toward the new space paradigm-smaller satellites, larger constellations-is bringing unprecedented
business opportunities, at both global and local level, to
both established companies and newcomer start-ups. At
the same time, the enhanced pervasive EO capabilities of
next-generation constellations will enable new viable and
sustainable ways to fulfill the expectations of societal benefits for the world population at large. As for the scientific
community, we can safely affirm that, in spite of the considerable level of sophistication of present systems, there
is still ample room for innovation in a variety of technical
domains: from spacecraft technologies to launchers, to
sensors, to telecommunications, to data fusion, and AI.
The question is: Will we be up to the challenge?

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ACKNOWLEDGMENT

ture and technology aspects," Ad Hoc Netw., vol. 81,

The authors would like to thank the contributions of
H. Raiji, S. Gregucci, and Dr. P. Pergola.
58

IEEE A&E SYSTEMS MAGAZINE

pp. 160-173, Dec. 2018. [Online]. Available: https://doi.
org/10.1016/j.adhoc.2018.07.017

OCTOBER 2019

http://www.euroconsult-ec.com/research/satellite-based-earth-observation-2017-brochure.pdf http://www.euroconsult-ec.com/research/satellite-based-earth-observation-2017-brochure.pdf https://www.doi.org/10.1016/j.biosystemseng.2012.08.009 https://www.doi.org/10.1016/j.biosystemseng.2012.08.009 https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/dem/monitor/content/big-data-earth-observation https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/dem/monitor/content/big-data-earth-observation https://www.doi.org/10.1016/j.adhoc.2018.07.017 https://www.doi.org/10.1016/j.adhoc.2018.07.017

IEEE - Aerospace and Electronic Systems - October 2019

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