The Future of the Microsatellite Program in Canada

The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) began an initiative to develop a microsatellite bus for generic application with the release of an RFP in August 2004. Phase A for this program is now completed and demonstrates, a multimission adaptable satellite bus that will be capable of satisfying at least three particular missions. The Near Earth Object Surveillance Satellite (NEOSSat), a joint CSA-DRDC (Defense Research and Development Canada) program, is scheduled as the first mission to be launched nominally in the first quarter of 2008. The second mission is nominally expected to launch two years later, in 2010, and will contain a radar altimeter payload whose objective is to measure the height of waves in the oceans. The third mission is expected to launch another two years later, in 2012, and is expected to be a technology demonstration mission to provide a dedicated satellite to space qualify advanced newly developed technology. The design for a microsatellite bus to satisfy the requirements for all three missions is presented. The design centers on a set of modular avionics that can be used as required for the various missions, housed in a set of aluminum trays that form a tray stack as the primary structure of the satellite