OUFTI-Next Nanosatellite: Feasibility Study and Mission Assessment

Abstract

The University of Liege is convinced that CubeSats are particularly well suited for Earth observation from space. CubeSats are cheap nanosatellites which can be duplicated to create a constellation. These multiple CubeSats are redundant and have a high rate of revisit compared to classical satellites. Therefore, the University is developing a project which objective is to detect hydric stress in agricultural felds. It would permit to manage more efficiently water resources through irrigation and evaluate yielding of crops. To this end, a technology demonstrator called OUFTI-Next must first be developed. The objective of this thesis is first to assess the legitimacy and usefulness of the mission. Then, a feasibility study of OUFTI-Next is carried out. Different analysis are performed. They cover several aspects such as lifetime, constellation, orbits, data and link budgets... At the end, certain points which must be carefully watched out are highlighted.