FireBird
The FireBird mission is a two-satellite constellation mission. The primary mission goal is the monitoring of high temperature events on Earth (e.g. forest fires) through high-resolution IR-sensors.
The German Space Operations Center (GSOC) provides the mission operations in all mission phases. GSOC is responsible for spacecraft control and monitoring, mission planning, orbit and attitude determination and control, identification and handling of anomalies, providing spacecraft telemetry to external users as well as training and simulation for the flight operations team.
The space segment consists of two spacecrafts: TET (Technology Experimental Platform) and BIROS (Bi-spectral InfraRed Optical System).
The TET satellite was in a polar orbit since July 2012 and has successfully completed its initial technology mission. It was built by OHB (formerly Kayser-Threde) in Munich and AstroFeinwerktechnik in Berlin. TET was used to carry out experiments for on-orbit verification of new innovative satellite technologies for industry and scientific institutes. The satellite bus is based on the BIRD satellite and has an improved DLR infrared camera for Earth observation on board. Adjustments made to carry out the experiments included, but are not limited to: a. the Payload Supply System (NVS) - a system that connects the various payloads to the bus and controls and supports experiment operation.
BIROS is additionally equipped with a propulsion system for active orbit control. The satellite was successfully launched on June 22, 2016 from the Satish Dhawan Space Center, India. Both satellites are equipped with a multi-spectral camera system as primary payload. Furthermore the BIROS satellite as a validation platform for new technology experiments. These include autonomous approach navigation, novel reaction wheels for greater agility of a satellite, an optical space-to-ground link for high data rates, autonomous on-board mission planning, and on-board image analysis software.
| | TET | BIROS |
|---|
Launch Date | 22 July 2012 | 22 June 2016 |
Re-Entry | 18 Nov 2022 (incinerated) | |
Orbit Altitude | 430 km | 500 km |
Orbital Position | Polar SS | 97,6° |
Mass | 120 kg | 130 kg |
Dimensions | 88 cm × 65 cm × 55 cm | 83 cm x 54 cm x 62 cm |
Launch Pad | Baikonur | Sriharikota |
Launch Vehicle | Soyuz / Fregat | PSLV |
Control Center | DLR / GSOC | DLR / GSOC |
Ground Stations
(LEOP) | Weilheim, Spitzbergen, Saskatoon, Saint-Hubert | Weilheim, Spitzbergen, Saskatoon, Saint-Hubert, Inuvik, O'Higgins |
Ground Stations
(Routine Operations) | Weilheim, Neustrelitz,
optional O'Higgins | Weilheim, Neustrelitz, Spitzbergen
optional O'Higgins |
