BIRD - A Microsatellite for Hot Spot Detection

The BIRD mission of the German Aerospace Centre shall demonstrate the scientific and technological value and the technical and programmatic feasibility of a remote sensing small satellite mission under low budget constraints. The payload -a new generation of cooled infrared detectors- is adapted to the mission objective - the investigation of hot spots caused by forest fires or volcanic activities completed by the diagnosis of vegetation conditions and changes. BIRD -the Bispectral Infra-Red Detector- is a three-axis stabilised spacecraft within a volume of 0.21 m3 and a mass of 88 kg. In flight configuration with one fixed and two deployed solar panels, providing 40 W average and 200 W peak power, the spacecraft dimensions are 620x 1600x 620 mm3 • Although compatible to several launchers due to the highly compact design, the launch is scheduled for mid 2000 as a piggy-back payload. To fit in this time scale a modular design was chosen for parallel development, manufacturing and integration of all functional segments. The article gives an overview of the mission objectives and some of the main design aspects as well as shows the status of work of the space segment

Quality Assurance of Spectral Ultraviolet Measurements in Europe Through the Development of a Transportable Unit (QASUME)

QASUME is a European Commission funded project that aims to develop and test a transportable unit for providing quality assurance to UV spectroradiometric measurements conducted in Europe. The comparisons will be performed at the home sites of the instruments, thus avoiding the risk of transporting instruments to participate in intercomparison campaigns. Spectral measurements obtained at each of the stations will be compared, following detailed and objective comparison protocols, against collocated measurements performed by a thoroughly tested and validated travelling unit. The transportable unit comprises a spectroradiometer, its calibrator with a set of calibration lamps traceable to the sources of different Standards Laboratories, and devices for determining the slit function and the angular response of the local spectroradiometers. The unit will be transported by road to about 25 UV stations over a period of about two years. The spectroradiometer of the transportable unit is compared in an intercomparison campaign with six instruments to establish a relation, which would then be used as a reference for its calibration over the period of its regular operation at the European stations. Different weather patterns (from clear skies to heavy rain) were present during the campaign, allowing the performance of the spectroradiometers to be evaluated under unfavourable conditions (as may be experienced at home sites) as well as the more desirable dry conditions. Measurements in the laboratory revealed that the calibration standards of the spectroradiometers differ by up to 10%. The evaluation is completed through comparisons with the same six instruments at their homes sites

The DLR Small Satellite Mission BIRD

For hot spot events as forest and vegetation fires, volcanic activity or burning oil spills and coal seam a dedicated space instrumentation does not exist. Sensors are used now for the observation of these events have some drawbacks because they are not designed for the hot spot investigation. For the near future missions with a new generation of cooled infrared array sensors are planned. The BIRD (Bispectral Infrared Detection) mission will answer a lot of technological questions related to the operations of the infrared sensors in space. An other primary mission objective consists in the investigation of vegetation fires from space by means of these infrared sensors. New concepts of operations and new methods of the data evaluation of hot spots will be demonstrated by the BIRD mission. Last but not least new methods and knowledge in the remote sensing and evaluation of vegetation condition and changes from space will be developed within the BIRD mission. The BIRD mission is a small satellite mission with technological and scientific objectives

Die DLR-Kleinsatellitenmission BIRD

Dieser Beitrag beschreibt die DLR-Kleinsatellitenmission BIRD (Bispectral Infrared Detection). Die BIRD-Mission ist zur Detektierung von Hochtemperaturereignissen (Vegetationsbrände, Vulkanausbrüche) und zu deren Erforschung aus dem All mit Hilfe neuentwickelter Infrarot-Sensoren bestimmt. Diese neuartigen gekühlten Infrarotsensoren sind für den Einsatz auf Kleinsatelliten zur Erdfernerkundung besonders geeignet. Im Rahmen der BIRD-Mission wird ein Zweikanal-Infrarotsensorsystem entwickelt und eingesetzt. Mit diesem System wurde ein zweikanaliges VIS/NIR-Sensorsystem zur speziellen Fernerkundung der Vegetation kombiniert. Das Sensorsystem und die Datenverarbeitungsalgorithmen werden im Verlauf von Flugexperimenten getestet. Einige Ergebnisse dieser Flugexperimente werden in dem Beitrag dargelegt. Eine Besonderheit der Mission besteht in den Beschränkungen, die eine Implementierung dieser Nutzlast auf einem Mikrosatelliten mit sich bringt. Um die Startkosten nicht als den größten Kostentreiber der Mission zu haben, muß die Gesamtmassedes Satelliten einschließlich Nutzlast und Startadapter unter ca. 100 kg liegen. Zur Realisierung der besonderen Anforderungen von Nutzlast und Missionskonzept an den Satellitenbus wurden viele Neuentwicklungen auf Komponentenebene durchgeführt. Der Beitrag beschreibt kurz den 3-Achsen-stabilisierten Satelliten, seine Grundmodi, die Missionsarchitektur und die Modellphilosophie. Die BIRD-Mission befindet sich derzeit in Phase C/D und wird im Sommer 2000 startbereit sein

The DLR Small Satellite Mission BIRD

The paper describes the DLR small satellite mission BIRD. The BIRD mission is dedicated to hot spot detection and investigation from space by means of new developed infrared array sensors. They are suitable for Earth remote sensing with small satellites. A dedicated two-channel cooled infrared sensor system is developed for hot spot detection and investigation from space. It is combined with a two-channel VIS/NIR sensor system for special questions of the remote sensing of vegetation. The sensor system and data processing algorithms are tested by airborne experiments. Results of the airborne experiments are pointed out in the paper. A specialty of this mission consists in the constraint to implement this payload on a micro satellite suitable for a piggyback launch. So the launch is not a main cost driver as for other small satellite missions with dedicated launchers. The mass of the complete satellite including payload and launch adapter has to be less than 100 kg. To meet the particular requirements of the payload on the spacecraft bus a lot of new developments on component level are done. The paper describes the 3-axis stabilized satellite, the basic spacecraft modes, the mission architecture and the model philosophy within strict design-to-cost constraints

The BIRD mission is completed for launch with the PSLV-C3 in 2001

DLR has a longstanding experience in the Earth observation. BIRD is the first complete satellite with payload which has been developed and built by DLR. The main BIRD payload is a bi-spectral IR pushbroom sensor dedicated to recognise and analyse high temperature events (HTE) such as forest fires, coal seam fires and volcanic activities on Earth surface. The design-to-cost mission BIRD is to demonstrate new and compact infrared imaging sensor technologies as well as small satellite technologies for a micro-satellite with a total mass less than 100 kg. The BIRD satellite and payload have been completed. BIRD is scheduled for a piggy back launch together with an Indian remote sensing satellite in the middle of 2001

TERASAT - A DLR 1 Thz Small Satellite for Astronomical Applications

Berlin 271196

TERASAT - A DLR 1 THz Small Satellite for Astronomical Applications

Berlin 200197

Demonstration of Small Satellite Technologies by the Bird Mission

The first satellites at the beginning of the space age were small satellites. Primarily because of the fact that the launch capacity was small. Later on the launchers and satellites grew, and today a lot of big missions with a high complexity are in space. These missions serve the science, the military and defense, commercial and operational users as well as public and private interests. Today’s technology allows the supplement of the big missions by small satellite missions. By exploring new technologies and methods small satellites can prepare new experiments and technologies for big missions or solve complementary questions. Small satellites have several advantages, e. g. - extremely smaller budgets, - shorter development and manufacturing time, - more dedicated mission objectives, - smaller user communities, - implementation of new technologies with higher risks. Small satellites have to meet a big challenge: to answer high performance requirements by means of small equipment and especially of small budgets. Out of all aspects the cost aspect is one of the most important driver for small satellite missions. Usually, the largest part of the total mission costs are the spacecraft costs (user segment excluded). They will be followed by the launch cost (20-50 % of the total costs) and cost for ground segment including operations (up to 15 %) [1]. And of the spacecraft the attitude control system is usually the most expensive subsystem. This general experience with satellites is also valid for small satellites, for instance mini-satellites with a total mass up to 500 kg and micro-satellites with a total mass between 30 and about 130 kg. With regard to the mentioned cost drivers the group of the micro-satellites seems to be the most appropriate solution to fulfill the challenging mission objectives under lowbudget constraints because of: 1. feasibility of launch as piggy-back or as auxiliary payload (launch costs lower than for shared launch or dedicated launch – necessary for mini-satellites), 2. feasibility of high performance payloads for micro-satellites, 3. feasibility of high performance spacecraft busses. The suppositions 2 and 3 can be sufficiently accomplished under low-budget constraints only by using: - state-of-the-art technologies, - a mixed strategy in the definition of the quality level of the EEE parts and components, - a dedicated quality assurance plan, - a risc management system, - extensive redundancy strategies, - extensive tests especially on system level, - large designs margins (over-design), - robust design principles. To keep the costs within the low-budget frame (in comparison to big missions) the demonstration of new and not space2 qualified technologies for the spacecraft and especially for the attitude subsystem is one key point in fulfilling high performance mission requirements. Taking this into account the DLR micro-satellite mission BIRD has to demonstrate a high performance capability of spacecraft bus by using and testing new technologies basing on a mixed parts and components qualification level. The technology experiments of BIRD shall demonstrate the limits and the advantages of using new developed components, methods, algorithms and technologies