A Nanosatellite Constellation for Astronomy and Geoscience Research – Design concepts
Nestor Javier Hernandez MarcanoA nanosat constellation is a satellite network in LEO (Low Earth Orbit) formed by man-made satellites of dimensions in the centimeter range and masses between 1 – 10 Kg. These networks appear as a low-cost alternative to conventional satellites, since their costs of deployment permit researchers to perform studies of scientific phenomena in a less complex and faster manner. We will discuss the case of Aarhus University’s first proposal of a nanosatellite constellation where we will review orbital and communicational aspects of a constellation that aims to report events in: (i) geoscience such as Earth imaging and (ii) astronomy such as outer space event detection.
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