The first British nanosatellite will be sent to the orbit by Russian Kosmos-M3 launcher

Published: 5/18/2000

The UK's Surrey Space Centre, based at the University of Surrey, has finished its preparation for the launch of the first nanosatellite SNAP-1 (Surrey Nanosat Applications Project) produced by Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. (SSTL). The launch is scheduled for June 2000 and the Russian Kosmos-M3 launcher will launch the satellite into orbit from the military Plesetsk Cosmodrome in North West Russia. The reported cost of a Kosmos launcher is in the region of $12-15m, however, given that the payload can contain many micro- and nanosatellites, the cost can fall to $100,000 per unit. The launch services of the Kosmos launch vehicle are marketed by Russia's arms export agency Rosvooruzhenie. The SNAP-1 launch, with the help of Russian launchers, will be the second for SSTL's satellites. On 21st April 1999m, a British scientific UoSAT-12 satellite was successfully launched into orbit from Baikonur Cosmodrome by the first Russian-Ukrainian conversion launcher Dnepr, converted from an SS-18 IBCM. SNAP-1 is a highly integrated and sophisticated spacecraft weighing just 6kg with advanced microminiature GPS navigation, on-board computing, propulsion and attitude control technologies - all developed in the UK. SNAP-1's primary payload is a machine vision system capable of inspecting other spacecraft in orbit and the tiny spacecraft will use its propulsion and navigation systems to rendezvous after launch with another Surrey-built satellite, Tsinghua-1, in order to demonstrate orbital formation flying for the first time. This will lead the way to the development of micro-/nanosatellite swarms and constellations in orbit that are anticipated to revolutionise space exploration in the 21st century. Recent advances in the miniaturisation of electronic and mechanical technologies have made it possible to construct a new breed of tiny nanosatellites weighing less than 10kg and dramatically reducing the cost of access to space. This development, in the view of SSTL opens up many new possibilities for space exploration at low cost for a far wider community of scientists and businesses. SSTL has already launched 14 microsatellite missions and one minisatellite, with a further three microsatellites ready for launch this year including a vehicle called Tiungsat-1 due to be launched for a Malaysian customer in August using a Dnepr launch vehicle.

Article ID: 1787