Objective

To establish a business case for Nano and Pico Satellite missions which will make space-based earth observation and global communications truly affordable and available “on demand”. This will be achieved via a revolutionary class of Nano and Pico satellites that will drastically lower the cost of space missions and increase the frequency of the launches. CANEUS NPS has the following salient features:

• CANEUS NPS sub-systems are MEMS and Nano Technology enabled.
• CANEUS NPS is the world’s only Nano-Pico-Satellite developer with a novel, multifunctional architecture, based on integrating important spacecraft functions rather than separate sub-systems. This is unique feature will allow significant reductions in spacecraft mass, size and power consumption.
• CANEUS NPS takes on the entire end-to-end development, from mission design, fabrication, assembly and testing, to launch and ground operations.
• CANEUS NPS offer its customers a low-cost, rapid means of access to space missions.

Figure 1.0 The multifunctional MicroLink-1 spacecraft developed by the Angstrom Aerospace Corporation (AAC) is the baseline spacecraft design for CANEUS NPS nanosatellite missions NPS-1 and NPS-2.

CANEUS NPS will offer several options for in-flight validation depending on the required complexity. A standardized sounding rocket module will be used very low cost validation of micro-fluidic components and micro-propulsion systems. Micro/Nano systems with longer term needs, but with low spacecraft bus requirements will be tested using a scaled down Micro-Link 1 platform based on the CubeSat or similar form factor. Together with the complete Micro-Link 1 spacecraft used for extensive testing of demanding MNT systems a fully fledged business model for flight validation of MNT devices can be addressed.