CubeSat constellation study for Earth observation mission over Sharjah city, United Arab Emirates

Abdulrahman Sulaiman; Tarifa Alkaabi; Ahmed Altunaiji; Fatima Alketbi; Antonios Manousakis; Hamid H. K. AlNaimiy

doi:10.1117/12.3013376

7 June 2024 CubeSat constellation study for Earth observation mission over Sharjah city, United Arab Emirates

Abdulrahman Sulaiman, Tarifa Alkaabi, Ahmed Altunaiji, Fatima Alketbi, Antonios Manousakis, Hamid H. K. AlNaimiy

Proceedings Volume 13030, Image Sensing Technologies: Materials, Devices, Systems, and Applications XI; 130300D (2024) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3013376
Event: SPIE Defense + Commercial Sensing, 2024, National Harbor, Maryland, United States

Conference Poster

Abstract

The Sharjah Academy for Astronomy, Space Sciences, and Technology (SAASST) is developing an Earth observation mission called Sharjah-Sat-2, a 6-U CubeSat with a high-resolution hyperspectral camera and 5 meters Ground Sampling Distance (GSD). The mission's main goal is to deliver reliable information for applications in remote sensing and sustainable urban development projects. Frequently, a group of satellites working together, rather than one satellite, are needed for space missions. Thus, implementing a satellite constellation is essential to enhance the reliability and latency of the collected data. Several factors influence the selection of the number of satellites, so a constellation of tens, hundreds, or even thousands of satellites can be implemented depending on the type and requirements of the mission. Few satellites are needed for educational and scientific missions, while for commercial purposes, hundreds would not be enough. By varying the number of satellites in the constellation (4, 8, and 12 satellites), three different CubeSat constellation scenarios were simulated using Systems Tool Kit (STK) software designating Sharjah-Sat-2 as the reference satellite in the constellation. This paper focused on the STK simulation analysis, emphasizing how crucial constellation configurations play in optimizing Earth observation mission performance, including the pass frequency, area coverage, revisit time, and image latency. In summary, the results show that larger constellations offer greater coverage, more frequent visits to the targeted area, and greater imaging potential.

(2024) Published by SPIE. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.

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Abdulrahman Sulaiman, Tarifa Alkaabi, Ahmed Altunaiji, Fatima Alketbi, Antonios Manousakis, and Hamid H. K. AlNaimiy "CubeSat constellation study for Earth observation mission over Sharjah city, United Arab Emirates", Proc. SPIE 13030, Image Sensing Technologies: Materials, Devices, Systems, and Applications XI, 130300D (7 June 2024); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3013376

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