It is widely recognized that small satellites (smallsats) have inherent mission limitations, principally due to restrictions on mass, size, pointing accuracy, and available power. Consequently, to be successful, a supplier of remote sensing (RS) smallsats needs to have a thorough understanding of the end-users requirements. Furthermore, it is critical that users regularly interact with the smallsat technical team during all of the design activities. In concert with the supplier, the potential user must clearly define operational requirements such as revisit times, latency, mission duration, the quantity and quality of data, the sophistication of ground stations and the level of user control over the data processing and distribution. To further understand the requirements of Canadian and international RS data users, Spar Aerospace has conducted a number of studies in the last two years. These studies have specifically addressed the fields of ice monitoring, forestry, agriculture and land management.

Date Published: 16 September 1993
PDF: 5 pages
Proc. SPIE 1940, Small Satellite Technology and Applications III, (16 September 1993); doi: 10.1117/12.156644

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 1940:
Small Satellite Technology and Applications III
Brian J. Horais, Editor(s)