OPS-SAT ORIOLE Spacecraft

In-Orbit Demonstration (IOD) of a hybrid optical communication and thermal infrared camera as the main payload on a 12U OPS-SAT satellite.

Estonia’s first commercial satellite. The project will embark an innovative optical payload that can perform high speed space to ground optical communication when passing over a ground station and be switched to thermal infrared imaging at other times. This will be the first step of a process that will help lead to a commercial Estonian space sector.

This collaborative effort includes C3S Electronics Development LLC (Hungary), Spaceit OÜ (Estonia), and Golbriak Space OÜ (Estonia). The mission seeks to demonstrate the full duplex optical telecommunication capabilities from space to ground, with potential expansion to space-to-space communication. The mission will demonstrate a potentially disruptive protocol, allowing operations at extremely low power levels.

Additionally, it will showcase Earth observation capabilities in thermal infrared wavelengths using the optics of the telecommunication payload. A central objective is to achieve seamless optical and radio communication and switching between ground stations, facilitated by advanced mission control systems, to enable near real-time high-speed radio communications. The project also aims to establish heritage in the design, manufacturing, and operation of a 12U satellite, scaling up structural solutions for future endeavours. By developing a versatile satellite platform both for Optical communication and EO services and enhancing payload interface module complexity, the mission seeks to increase versatility and expand potential applications. 25% of the mission time will be made available for experiments organized by the OPS-SAT Space Lab. The mission is targeting an early 2026 launch date.

OPS-SAT ORIOLE satellite has three payloads: Golbriak Space's ERMESAI+ space terminal (SCI), an S/X-band transceiver (HSCOM) and the satellite tracking OWL module of C3S. The HSCOM and OWL are in the payload category because they are connected to the platform via the IPC, and these are mission dependent subsystems. But these are also the main parts of the satellite platform, and provides the necessary services for the mission.

In addition to the hardware components, the software used for operations includes the comprehensive mission operations platform Spaceit MCS. For testing and validating of various functions, a closed virtual environment called the Space Cyber Range is used.

• MCS - Spaceit
• PLATFORM - C3S
• PAYLOAD - Golbriak Space