Launch of CNES small satellites : lessons learned and perspectives
- Paper number
IAC-06-B5.5.03
- Author
Mr. Pierre W. Bousquet, Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES), France
- Coauthor
Mr. Joël Dejoie, Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES), France
- Coauthor
Mr. Vincent Dubourg, Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES), France
- Year
2006
- Abstract
CNES is currently running two complementary families of small spacecrafts : - the Myriade micro-satellites, each weighing under 150 Kg, and affording quick, low-cost space access. Myriade makes space research more accessible to the scientific community, and can also be used for technological demonstrations and potential future applications. - the Proteus mini-satellites, which weigh around 500 Kg a piece, and provide a versatile small satellite bus able to handle various payloads for scientific or application missions Six Myriade satellites have already been launched at the time of writing, and 8 are under development. One Proteus satellite was launched at the end of 2001, 2 are scheduled for launch in 2006, and 2 more are currently being developed. This paper will first present the various launchers used for the Myriade and Proteus spacecrafts presently in orbit. The launch configuration on Ariane 4 of earlier micro-spacecrafts in the 1990s will also be briefly discussed. We will then reflect on the lessons learned from this extensive range of launch experiences, which include piggy-back configurations on Ariane 4 and 5, Russian launches and US launches. Our own launcher choices for coming missions will then be argumented, with a strong emphasis on European solutions, in line with the decisions taken by the Council of Ministers of the European Space Agency in December 2005 in Berlin. Finally, we will discuss the emergence of formation flying missions, and small LEO constellations, which might influence launch systems in the future. The contents of this paper correspond to a synthesis of past launch experiences and prospective launch solutions of small CNES’ spacecrafts not previously presented at a conference. The participation of the main author in the 2006 IAC has been budgeted by CNES.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
IAC-06-B5.5.03.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).
To get the manuscript, please contact IAF Secretariat.