Thermal Design and On-Orbit Performance of the TopSat Camera

TopSat was launched on 27 October 2005 aboard a Kosmos 3M rocket from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Northern Russia. The mission is a collaboration between four UK organizations; RAL (Rutherford Appleton Laboratory), SSTL (Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd.), QinetiQ and Infoterra. Its objective is to demonstrate provision of rapid response high-resolution imagery to fixed and mobile ground stations using a low cost mini-satellite.

The Rutherford Appleton Laboratory was responsible for supplying the TopSat Camera. This is an innovative low-cost remote sensing imager capable of producing 2.5 meter resolution panchromatic imagery. This paper describes the thermal design and testing of the Camera that has been undertaken at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory and provides an assessment of its on-orbit thermal performance.