OPTOS (Optical Nanosatellite)

Demonstrate CubeSat platform technologies.

Demonstrate new technologies. Distributed OBDH (On-Board Data Handling) subsystem based on FPGAs (Floating Point Gate Arrays), and CPLDs (Complex Programmable Logic Devices), an optical wireless communication system (OBCom) with a reduced CAN (Controller Area Network) protocol is implemented, internal structure is based on composite materials.

In the summer of 2014, the commissioning phase was ended. During this phase, the Survival On Board Software (OBSW) was validated and the Nominal OBSW was activated and validated in orbit. 

Unfortunately, the activation of the tasks management related with attitude control failed. At this point, the satellite had been in orbit for more than 2 years. Therefore, the second phase of the APIS operation started at the end of January 2016 without attitude determination and control subsystem (ADCS).

he shutter was opened successfully and the first image was taken on February 5, 2016 over an area of the American state of Wyoming (Medicine Bow National Forest). The parameters of this image were 610 km orbit height, 324 × 347 pixels (Earth swath of 66 km × 71 km), 204 m resolution, and 2 ms integration time.

The communication with the OPTOS satellite was lost in September 19, 2016 after almost 3 years in orbit.

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