The i-INSPIRE satellite: a university pico-satellite project

Abstract

The i-INSPIRE satellite is the result of a collaborative project at the University of Sydney, across the science and engineering faculties. The satellite is a compact tube-shaped pico-satellite with a mass of less than 0.75 kg. i-INSPIRE carries three science instruments - a photonic spectrograph, a radiation counter and an imaging camera, and will be launched to a 310km polar orbit in late 2012 or early 2013. Here we describe the satellite and its subsystems (including the science instruments and the communication system) as well as the ground station, pre-launch tests, and the proposed launch itself. i-INSPIRE will be Australia's first fully university operated pico-satellite.