Microsatellite Structure Solutions: Highly Integrated, Modular Design of BIRD

Kurzfassung

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 as indicators for influences on the natural environment. The spacecraft bus is based on a modular structure concept which allows simultaneous engineering of bus and payload as well as the replacement of sections to establish new system characteristics. The article focuses on the design aspects of the microsatellite structure and its subsystems and their technology.