Flight Results from the BIRD Onboard Naviagtion System

Abstract

The BIRD small satellite, developed by the German Aerospace Center (DLR), has succesfully been launched on October 22, 2001 aboard an Indian PSLV-C3 rocket, Injecting the satellite into a Sunsynchronous orbit at 568 km altitude. The BIRD (Bi-Sprectral Infra-Red Detection) primary mission objectives comprise the test of a new generation of infrared array sensors as well as the detection and scientific investigation of hot spots, like forest fires, volcanic activities, or burning oil wells. As part of its technological objectives, the mission supports an autonomous thematic onboard data processing using a neural network classification and real-time discrimination between smoke and clouds. Moreover, the BIRD satellite is equipped with a GPS-based autonomous navigation system which provides real-time onboard orbit determination as wess as orbit and event prediction capabilities.