³Cat-3
A multispectral 6U CubeSat
The ³Cat-3 (read “cube-cat-three”) MOTS is a study conducted for the Cartographic and Geologic Institute of Catalonia (ICGC) aimed at analyzing the feasibility of a small-satellite mission with a multispectral imaging payload. Apart from its low mass and volume, the ³Cat-3 development is expected to leverage on the small-satellite philosophy, and to push its cost and development time to the minimum thanks to the integration of standardized platforms and subsystems, developed at the NanoSat Lab.
| Spacecraft class | 6-Unit CubeSat. |
| Total mass | ~10 kg. |
| Mission status | Phase A: preliminary analysis. |
| Launch date (tentative) | 2020. |
| Launcher details | To Be Determined. |
| Launch sponsor |
Institut Cartogràfic I Geològic de Catalunya (ICGC), Institut d’Estudis Espacials de Catalunya (IEEC). |
System characteristics (planned)
- On board computer:
- ARM Cortex A5 @ 500 MHz.
- Embedded RTOS Linux (Xenomai)
- Communications subsystem:
- UHF Half duplex. Uplink and downling @ 9600 bps.
- High-speed S-band downlink (>4Mbps).
- Scientific payload:
- Optical image for 4-5 different bands in the VNIR: 440-510 nm, 520-590 nm, 620-680 nm, 690-730 nm and 850-890 nm
- Swath between 30 – 50 Km
- GSD between 5 – 10 m
- SNR in all bands around 35-40 dB
- MTF of the optic system over 20 lp/mm in all bands
- Digitalization 12 bits/pixel
- Orbit details:
- Expected average time gap 3 days or less.
- Expected revisit time 7 to 10 days.