Advantages of satellite platforms:
- Cost-effective
- Shorter pre-launch preparation time
- Increased lifespan
The technology increases the availability of commercial satellite services dramatically by providing space for multiple payloads on a satellite bus.
Dragonfly Aerospace currently offers two satellite platforms with different payload placement options and continues to expand its range.
What is a satellite bus?
A satellite bus maintains all the service systems of serial satellites connected to it, which can be both geostationary satellites and spacecraft positioned in low Earth orbits. Typically, a satellite bus platform includes:
- Structures and trusses to accommodate payload;
- Solar panels or batteries to provide power supply;
- Optical sensors, angular velocity metres, and flywheels to control movement, orientation, and stabilisation;
- On-board computer and antennas for systems control and telemetry service data transmission;
- Thermoregulation system to remove excess heat from service systems and the payload module;
- Hall effect engine to adjust payload latitude and longitude;
- Apogee engine for deployment from GTO to GSO (for heavy geostationary satellites).
- Depending on the number and type of satellites served, platforms are categorised into:
- Lightweight (weighing up to 2 tons with a payload power up to 6 kW)
- Medium (up to 5 tons and 14 kW)
- Heavyweight (5 tons and 15 kW or more).
One of the most important parameters of a satellite bus is the ratio of payload to total spacecraft mass. The lighter the platform, the more payload it can deliver to a given orbit, which, in turn, ensures efficient mission completion.
What is a satellite bus used for?
- Reducing satellite design costs due to serial production by sharing the production costs among all satellites in the series.
- Increasing payload reliability through repeated payload and systems testing.
- Reducing satellite production time by two to three times and securing a manufacturer's warranty for the production period.
- Increasing satellite service life in orbit.
With no restrictions on the payload type, satellite buses are effective in ensuring the functionality of communication, Earth observation, geolocation, and meteorological satellites, regardless of the placement orbit.
Dragonfly Aerospace offers lightweight satellite bus platforms for Earth observation using proprietary DG optics of the following types:
- Cubesat imagers – Gecko, Mantis, Chameleon, Chameleon SWIR, Caiman, and Komodo
- MicroSatellite high-res imagers – DragonEye and Raptor
Our cameras provide precise spatial resolution Earth imaging and mapping with a coverage of 11-80 km and an image accuracy of 0.7 to 39 m.
Why choose Dragonfly satellite platforms?
- Unprecedented quality of the satellite and all its components
- Reliable and uninterrupted operation on Dragonfly Bus platforms for 5 and 8 years
- Fully automated AOCS
- High data transfer speed
- Fast recording and data storage
- Individual approach to each client as well as flexible pricing
