What Is a Minisatellite?

According to the quality of satellites, satellites smaller than 1000 kg are usually called small satellites in general, among which 500-1000 kg satellites are called small satellites, 100-500 kg satellites are called micro satellites, and 10-100 kg Microsatellites, nanosatellites smaller than 10 kg.

Small satellite

Since the 1950s, space technology has continued to develop, and artificial earth satellites have developed into communication, meteorology, navigation, resources and environment, military reconnaissance, scientific research and other series according to the application field, and have developed in the direction of high performance and high integration. With the comprehensive integration of satellite functions, the quality of satellites continues to increase, and the rocket's carrying capacity continues to improve, providing a technical basis for the development of large satellites.

With the continuous development of satellite technology and applications, while it is required to reduce satellite costs and risks, there is an urgent need to accelerate the satellite development and development cycle. Especially for single mission dedicated satellites and satellite networking, it is even more necessary to invest in small, fast-acting satellite technology. So small satellite technology came into being.

Satellites weighing less than 500 kilograms and satellites costing hundreds of thousands to tens of millions of dollars are small satellites. It is divided into four levels: 500 kg to 100 kg are small satellites; 100 kg to 10 kg are micro satellites; 10 kg to 1 kg are nano satellites; and less than 1 kg are chip satellites.

Compared with large satellites, small satellites are advanced, fast, cheap, and reliable.

Small satellites are not just simple and small, but are the application of highly integrated technology and automation technology, especially the rapid development of computers, to achieve miniaturization of on-board control and processing computers. Small satellites can quickly realize the entire process from design, manufacturing, launch, and on-orbit operation, generally less than twelve months. A small satellite includes a launch price of about 30 million yuan, which is not only cheap but also less risky. The life of small satellites is generally greater than ten years.

Modern small satellites are very versatile. In civil applications, it can be applied in various fields such as communication, ground observation, space remote sensing, meteorological observation, marine exploration, and scientific research. Among them, the use of small satellites for mobile communication has become a hotspot in today's development, and "Iridium Star" and "Global Star" are typical examples. Small satellites also play an important role in the military because they can quickly

At 11:59 Beijing time on April 18, 2004, at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, the "Long March 2C" launch vehicle successfully delivered the "Experimental Satellite 1" independently developed by Harbin Institute of Technology to space ^[1] , At the same time, it also carried the "Naxing-1" experimental satellite developed by Aerospace Tsinghua Satellite Technology Co., Ltd., which marked an important breakthrough in China's small satellite development technology. "Experimental Satellite" is China's first

For the first time, God VII used a companion to shoot himself

The school took the lead in developing a small satellite with clear application tasks independently developed by the school.

"Test Satellite No. 1" is China's first transmission-type three-dimensional mapping satellite with a weight of 204 kg. It was jointly developed by Harbin Institute of Technology, China Academy of Space Technology, Changchun Institute of Optics and Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Xi'an Institute of Surveying and Mapping. Photogrammetry, geographical environment monitoring and scientific experiment of mapping. This satellite has adopted many cutting-edge technologies of micro-satellites and explored new ways for the development of micro-satellite technology in China.

At 23:59 on April 18, 2004, the "Test Satellite One" jointly developed by Harbin Institute of Technology, China Aerospace Science and Technology Group's China Space Technology Research Institute, the Chinese Academy of Sciences Changchun Institute of Optical Technology, and the Xi'an Institute of Surveying and Mapping was launched in Xichang. The base was successfully launched by the "Long March" No. 2 C carrier rocket. The satellite was operating normally and has already begun a test mission in space.

After the rocket ignited on time for more than 10 minutes, it released the "Test Satellite One"; after 30 seconds, it released the "Natstar One". The measurement and control data transmitted from the Xi'an Satellite Measurement and Control Center showed that the two scientific experimental small satellites "Test Satellite-1" and "Naxing-1" have accurately entered their predetermined orbits. Han Jie, Dean of Harbin Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, is from Bazhong, Sichuan. After the successful launch, he firmly held our reporter's hand and said, "I'm very excited! I hope more Sichuan fellows will join our team of astronauts!"

"Naxing-1" is a nano-type satellite used for high-tech exploration experiments and weighs less than 25 kg. It was developed and used by Tsinghua University and Aerospace Tsinghua Satellite Technology Co., Ltd.

In September 2008, China s Shenqi took the spacecraft s exterior view for the first time in space through a companion star (small satellite).