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³Cat-3

A multispectral 6U CubeSat


Render of the 3Cat-3 / MOTS

 

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.

 

Logos of participating entities in 3Cat-3

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.