A prototype of NanoAvionics 2U CubeSat design. Photo: NanoAvionics.

NanoAvionics has signed a turnkey mission contract with Rupercorp, based in Argentina, to supply its Earth Observation (EO) demonstration mission with a 2U CubeSat as a precursor for a succeeding constellation. The CubeSat will launch during the first half of 2018. The mission is regarded as a technology demonstration for the commercial constellation based on NanoAvionics’ M6P platform with “green” chemical propulsion system EPSS C1K, to be launched starting in late 2019.

For the scope of this project, NanoAvionics will provide a 2U platform containing an Attitude Determination and Control System (ADCS) system along with critical payload systems to be tested using CubeSat bus, which was flight proven during the LituanicaSat 2 mission. The company is also responsible for the mission software and payload integration, testing and qualification in its new facilities.

The purpose of the demonstrator is to take initial low-resolution sample pictures of agricultural activities over certain territories; hence, the satellite tasking is one of the most critical functions of the mission. According to Rupercorp, the remote-sensing imagery gathered by the subsequent constellation will have a wide range of uses — from agriculture management and crops health monitoring to tracking biodiversity trends in certain areas.