Earth and Space Remote Sensing with Nanosatellites

William Blackwell is currently an assistant leader of the Sensor Technology and System Applications Group at the MIT Lincoln Laboratory, Lexington, MA. Professor Kerri Cahoy holds a joint appointment as an MIT faculty member in the Aeronautics and Astronautics Department and the Earth and Planetary Sciences Department.

Foundations of Spaceborne Remote Sensing: Challenges and Opportunities. Physical foundations of remote sensing from space. The quest for resolution: spectral, spatial, temporal and radiometric. A brief survey of the state of the art. Nanosatellite advantages. Ultracompact Observation Systems. Microwave radiometers. GNSS/GPS radio occultation. Infrared imaging spectrometers. UV and X-ray sensors. Mission Analysis and Planning. Orbits, trajectories and aerodynamics. Space environment. Launch vehicles/services. Constellation architectures. Nanosatellite Design and Testing. Guidance and control. Onboard propulsion. Power systems. Communications systems. Thermal control. Command and control. Structural design and analysis. Payload design and integration. Qualification and acceptance testing. Overview of Ground Operations and Data Exploitation. Mission operations and monitoring. Ground segment. Sensor calibration and validation. Geophysical parameter retrieval. A look to the future.