NASA’s Fast Affordable Science and Technology Satellite (FASTSAT)
- Paper number
IAC-07-B4.6.07
- Author
Mr. Les Johnson, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)/Marshall Space Flight Center, United States
- Year
2007
- Abstract
NASA’s George C. Marshall Space Flight Center is developing a truly low-cost alternative for small satellite based science and exploration. The spacecraft, called FASTSAT (Fast Affordable Science and Technology SATellite ) is being built and tested this year and will be complete and ready for payload integration before the end of 2007. The bus will weigh no more than 140 kilograms, including a payload of approximately 50 kg. Made almost exclusively of commercial and off-the-shelf parts, integrated and tested at a NASA facility but with minimal programmatic and technical oversight, will allow the bus to be developed for under $5M utilizing full-cost accounting. The first generation FASTSAT bus is designed for earth-orbital applications with gravity-gradient stabilization. The bus will be covered with relatively low-efficiency silicon solar arrays to minimize cost and be mostly single-string in its functionality. It is being designed to be capable with most launch vehicles; tested in a range of conditions that should meet numerous launch providers’ requirements. This paper will summarize the form, fit and function of the FASTSAT and some of its potential mission applications.
- Abstract document