Perusat

Airbus Defence and Space has completed the integration of PerúSAT-1, Peru’s first Earth observation satellite.

Built within a period of less than two years, PerúSAT-1 is based on Airbus Defence and Space’s AstroBus-S platform and will observe Earth through a silicon carbide optical instrument system at a 70cm resolution.

In 2014, the Peruvian Government had ordered the PerúSAT-1 satellite for its national space agency, CONIDA.

The assembly integration and test (AIT) phase of the satellite was done in around eight months.

The platform construction phase, satellite construction, and technical and operational system validation of PerúSAT-1 were conducted in five months, respectively.

Airbus Defence and Space noted that a new and more integrated working organisation known as ‘Projects Factory’ has been created in its space system business unit.

"A new and more integrated working organisation known as ‘Projects Factory’ has been created in its space system business unit."

Projects Factory has helped reducing the development and construction times for satellites up to 500kg, as well as optimises their costs and schedule delivery.

In addition, Airbus Defence and Space and the European Space Agency (ESA) had agreed to begin a joint pilot project phase to prepare the operation and utilisation of a new external payload platform called Bartolomeo on the International Space Station (ISS) laboratory Columbus.

The Bartolomeo platform is planned to be fixed into an end-to-end service designed to provide fast, cost-efficient and reliable access to the ISS for private and institutional users on commercial basis.

The Bartolomeo all-in-one payload mission service is also intended to serve several customers, including Earth observation, technology demonstrators, astrophysics, heliophysics, material science and new space flight applications.

Image: Airbus Defence and Space builds PerúSAT-1 satellite within a period of less than two years. Photo: courtesy of Airbus DS.