The SSTL-X50 series

Next-Generation Missions

SSTL-X50 SSTL-X50 SSTL-X50 SSTL-X50

EarthMapper TrueColor Precision Platform
Surrey Satellite Technology
is the worlds leading small
satellite manufacturer
SSTL is a pioneering space company and world leader in designing,
manufacturing and operating high-performance satellites.
Surrey has over 200 years on-orbit experience gained through more than 40 satellites completed
over the past 30 years delivering telecommunications, navigation, and remote sensing solutions to
our international customers.

Surrey prides itself on providing satellite missions from first concept through to on-orbit operations.
We specialize in adapting advanced terrestrial technologies and processes to the harsh
environment of space, continually developing satellite technology and delivering high-performance,
cost-effective missions.

Introducing the X-Series Missions

Applications | Innovation | Value
For more than 30 years Surrey has been committted to
providing low-cost access to space for commercial, civil,
and scientific Earth observation applications. The new
range of X-Series spacecraft brings the benefits of even
shorter schedules from order to orbit, reduced fixed-price
cost, and enhanced systems capabilities and quality.
Scalable Architecture
Core platform services such as power, structure,
processing, communications, and high-precision
attitude control are scaled to meet any mission:
Flexible low-cost structural design developed for
rapid assembly, integration, and test
Automated batch avionics manufacturing and test

Miniaturized subsystems, components, and high-

Many Missions: One Design density technology

A single system architecture and technology designed to

meet all mission applications and requirements across
the entire range. Common performance available on all
platforms and missions:
Dual redundant systems
Data storage up to Terabytes capacity
Data bus transfer rates of Gigabits per second
Onboard real-time processing of Giga-instructions
per second
World Leading Engineering
High performance at low risk is delivered through the
application of experience, processes, and techniques
proven over 40 successful missions. Know-how unique
to Surrey, such as application of technologies drawn from
the industrial, automotive, and aerospace industries, is
combined with cutting-edge manufacturing and test.
The result is the most advanced and cost-effective small
satellite range in production.

High speed X-Band downlink

Innovating at Every Level
Next-Generation Technology
Baselining Surreys flight-proven heritage, X-Series
technology will be applied across the entire range of
systems, missions, and user applications.
Enabling User Applications
Surrey missions have a proven track record of enabling
applications previously considered unfeasible. The
X-Series spacecraft will enable even more applications for
commercial, scientific, and civil applications, by driving
down mission costs, reducing delivery timescales, and
providing, as standard, high performance and capacity.
Highly Adaptable
Surreys next-generation satellites will continue to deliver
highly adaptable missions supporting a wide variety
of user requirements and will provide industry-leading
payload accommodation supported by high-performance
platform systems.
Consistent Performance
X-Series technology is designed to provide consistent and
dependable mission performance. Advanced manufacturing
and automated test are used to evaluate satellite systems
during the assembly phases. The compact, highly
integrated design incorporates fully dual redundant
subsystems, while flight-proven operational safety and
recovery mechanisms ensure high mission availability.
 SSTL-X50 EarthMapper

Image Product Generation Always on Imaging System

Throughput (all bands) 130 million km2 in less than 5 A global imaging system providing full coverage of
days (one satellite) Earths land area in 5 days. Flown as a constellation
Data Products Radiometrically and of 5 spacecraft, EarthMapper can image the entire
geometrically calibrated global land mass every day. EarthMapper has a
Spectral Bands Commercial quality large volume of data storage and power generation
Red, green, near infrared capacity with high downlink availability. The
Ground Sample 22 m spacecraft builds on our heritage design offering
Distance (GSD) advanced capability at low risk.
Swath 600 km
SNR All bands >100:1
Raw Digitization 814 bits Applications
Suitable for a wide variety of commercial, environmental,
and security applications. EarthMapper continuously
Satellite images the sunlit land mass and is particularly suited
to applications requiring a high temporal revisit rate.
Reference Orbit 686 km, SSO, 10:30am LTAN
Design Lifetime 5 to 7 years Typical examples include:
Redundancy Dual redundant systems Mapping
Mass 50 kg Agricultural monitoring
Compression Ratio Lossless up to 2.5:1 Flood monitoring
Lossy 4:1 or higher
Water quality
Data Storage 256 Gbytes
Downlink 80160 Mbits per second Disaster management
National and urban mapping

(The Pearl-Qatar, Doha, Qatar, UK-DMC2, image copyright 2011 DMCii). The image above has been
captured from a 22 m GSD EarthMapper payload in-orbit operating on the Surrey mission UK-DMC2
 SSTL-X50 TrueColor

Image Product Generation Enhanced True Color Imaging

Throughput (all bands) 3.6 million km2 per day An imaging system designed for EO applications
requiring many spectral bands and a wide imaging swath,
Data Products Radiometrically and
geometrically calibrated giving exceptional imagery in both quality, quantity, and
Spectral Bands Commercial quality resolution. The combination of spectral bands provide
true color imaging with enhanced information density,
Blue 450515 nm
broadening the end users range of applications. The
Green 525605 nm
compact optical design provides industry leading
Red 630690 nm
performance and is ideal for customers seeking to exploit
NIR 774900 nm
the ever expanding EO application market.
SWIR 15501750 nm
Ground Sample 15 m (visible, NIR bands)
Distance (GSD) 30 m (SWIR band) Applications
(Higher resolution option available)
Swath 440 km (all bands) Suitable for a wide variety of commercial, civil, and
SNR All bands >100:1 security applications. Typical examples include:
Raw Digitization 814 bits Mapping
Vegetation mapping
Satellite High accuracy land cover assessments
Flood monitoring
Reference Orbit 703 km, SSO, 10:30am LTAN
Water quality
Design Lifetime 5 to 7 years
Redundancy Dual redundant systems Disaster management
Mass 75 kg National and urban mapping
Compression Ratio Lossless up to 2.5:1 Geological mapping
Lossy 4:1 or higher
Data Storage 256 Gbytes
Downlink 80160 Mbits per second

(Three Gorges Dam, China, copyright 2003 SSTL & ESA). The image above has been captured from a
Surrey-manufactured CHRIS payload (17 m GSD) in-orbit operating on the ESA mission PROBA
 SSTL-X50 Precision

Image Product Generation High-Resolution Earth Observation

Throughput (all bands) 280,000 km2 per day A compact next-generation satellite capable of high
resolution in panchromatic and multispectral wavebands.
Data Products Radiometrically and
geometrically calibrated Designed with advanced detector, mirror, and optical
Spectral Bands Commercial quality assemblies, Surrey can offer a highly compact and
panchromatic multispectral: capable imaging mission. The agility of the platform allows
red, green, blue an effective field of regard of 400 km. Ideally suited to a
Ground Sample PAN: 3 m constellation of satellites, the users of the system would
Distance (GSD) Multispectral: 6 m have a high temporal and spatial imaging system.
Single image or video mode
Satellite Agility +/- 20 deg roll
Swath 24 km (all bands at Nadir) Applications
Field of Regard 400 km
Suitable for a wide variety of commercial, civil and
SNR All bands >100:1
security applications. Typical examples include:
Raw Digitization 814 bits
High accuracy land cover assessments
Satellite Global high-resolution situational awareness
Disaster management
Reference Orbit 550 km, SSO, 10:30am LTAN High-resolution mapping
Design Lifetime 5 to 7 years Agricultural monitoring
Redundancy Dual redundant systems
Flood monitoring
Mass 60 kg
Water quality
Compression Ratio Lossless up to 2.5:1
Lossy 4:1 or higher Geological mapping
Data Storage 256 Gbytes Vegetation mapping
Downlink 80160 Mbits per second

(Manhattan, United States, NigeriaSat-2, image copyright 2012 NASRDA). The image above has been
captured from a Surrey-manufactured 5 m GSD payload, operating in-orbit on the NigeriaSat-2 mission

Figure shows the volume
available for payload
instruments on the
SSTL-X50 Platform
SSTL-X50 Platform
Payload Accommodation and Services
Payload Instrument Mass Up to 45 kg
Volume Width 530 mm, Depth 430 mm,
Height 400 mm
Payload Field of View Unobstructed field of view for
payloads is possible
Payload Orbit Average 35 W
Power*
Payload Peak Power* 85 W
Platform Services
Redundancy Dual redundant systems
High Speed Data Gigabit per second payload data
Interface bus direct to data storage and/or
high speed downlink
Telemetry, CAN bus standard
Telecommand Customer defined interfaces
Data Interface supported
Attitude Error Knowledge: 10 arcseconds
Control: 0.07 degrees
Rate stability: 18 arcseconds/sec
Attitude Modes Primary: Earth referenced
Secondary: Inertial reference
platforms available
Supported Orbits Low-Earth orbit altitudes at sun
synchronous inclinations
Non-sun synchronous inclination
platforms available
Platform Lifetime 5 to 7 years
Platform Mass Total platform and payload mass
up to 75 kg supported
530m
m
43
0m
m
m
400m
Platforms for any mission
The SSTL-X50 Series Platform is designed to meet a wide
range of payload and mission requirements. Mechanically
and electrically flexible to support any mission, the
platform supports a very wide range of orbit altitudes and
inclinations. A significant percentage of the platform mass,
volume and power is available to the payload. Payloads
have access to Gigabit per second data buses, real-time
processing, TeraByte storage capacities and downlink
over high speed X-Band systems. The highly agile 3-axis
stabilized satellite also supports a propulsion system with
GPS orbit navigation.
Applications
Suitable for a wide variety of payloads and missions
including:
High- and medium-resolution imaging
Thermal imaging
Multispectral and hyperspectral imaging
Atmospheric and Earth science
Space science
Astronomy
Technology demonstration
Communications
AIS, ADS-B, and asset tracking
*This can be increased with the addition of deployable solar arrays.
 Surrey Satellite Technology US LLC
345 Inverness Drive South, Suite 100
Englewood, Colorado 80112

303.790.0653 | info@surreysatellite.com | www.surreysatellite.com