BIRD - A Microsatellite for Hot Spot Detection

Abstract

The BIRD mission of the German Aerospace Center 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 Dectector - is a three-axis stabilised spacecraft within a volume of 0.21 m³ and a mass of 83 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 620 x 1600 x 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 desing 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.