Spacecraft design considerations for small satellite remote sensing

The idea of adapting existing small satellite technology for remote sensing purposes is discussed. The major design problems and constraints influencing the design of a small low-cost remote sensing satellite bus are identified using the subsystem approach. Key design areas include the improvement of battery technology and the development of a deployable solar array, attitude control assemblies, on-board data processing/storage, and ground station data acquisition. Although the eventual satellite would also have to be somewhat larger, more powerful and, above all, more sophisticated than the previous small satellites, this is considered to be a natural progression of research in this area