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A distant, partly-shadowed Earth, as viewed from a 6 000 km-altitude orbit. This unusual image was acquired using an extremely miniaturised camera about the size of the edge of a 20 cent coin \u2013 a miniscule technology experiment aboard ESA\u2019s shoebox-sized TRISAT-R CubeSat.<\/p>\n
TRISAT-R project manager Iztok Kramberger of the University of Maribor explains: \u201cThis tiny camera measuring less than two cubic millimetres in size took a picture of an object measuring approximately one trillion cubic kilometres \u2013 our beautiful planet Earth \u2013 from thousands of kilometres away.\u201d<\/p>\n
A CubeSat made from three standardised 10-cm boxes, TRISAT-R is Slovenia\u2019s second space mission, which flew on Europe\u2019s inaugural Vega-C launch last year to the relatively inhospitable environment of medium-Earth orbit, at 6000 km up. The mission\u2019s orbital path takes it right through the heart of the ionosphere \u2013 an electrically active layer of Earth\u2019s atmosphere \u2013 as well as the\u00a0inner Van Allen radiation belt.<\/p>\n
This allows TRISAT-R to test a suite of radiation-detection payloads. In addition, the TRISAT-R team embarked a pair of tiny cameras, with lenses made from clear borosilicate glass to provide limited radiation resistance, mounted directly onto 320×320 pixel image sensors. See one here.<\/p>\n
Dr. Kramberger adds: \u201cThe resulting picture of Earth is very low resolution as these highly miniaturised cameras were not intended to perform terrestrial imaging, plus TRISAT-R satellite employs magnetorquers for its attitude control, so that precision pointing is difficult to achieve.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur main interest has been in capturing examples of the \u2018Black Sun effect\u2019 \u2013 commonplace in terrestrial digital imaging, where over-saturation of pixels can cause very bright areas to appear dark. We have succeeded in these investigations, but have also been lucky enough to acquire images like these.\u201d<\/p>\n
ESA supported the manufacturing, assembly and testing of TRISAT-R through the \u2018Fly\u2019 element of its General Support Technology Programmme, opening up in-orbit demonstration opportunities for European companies.<\/p>\n
Located in its unique and challenging orbit, TRISAT-R\u2019s commissioning phase is due to conclude later this month, encompassing 16 months of successful in-orbit operations.<\/p>\n
Are you involved with CubeSat and small satellites, or want to know more about how their use is transforming the space sector? Sign up for next year\u2019s 4S Small Satellites Systems and Services Symposium. Jointly organised by ESA and French space agency CNES, this latest symposium in the long-running series will take place in Palma de Mallorca on 26-31 May 2024.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n