TPA-3 Satellite

Improve monitoring of the quality of water in and around Aotearoa New Zealand for researchers, decision makers and the public at large.

• Miniaturised spacecraft
• Novel deployable imaging technologies
• Responsive mission operations
• Tasking optimization through on-board cloud detection

Rather than attempting to perform large scale image capture, Clear Shores aims to perform precisely targeted imagery, such that the spacecraft resources and sizing can be significantly smaller than most existing platforms.

The proposed pilot mission is based on a 12U CubeSat form factor incorporating a novel deployable Optical Front End (OFE) to provide a long focal length within a small launch volume.

Whilst the spacecraft is planned to largely be integrated at Te Pūnaha Ātea – Space Institute from existing COTS subsystems on the international market, the mission will showcase domestic capabilities from industry suppliers, particularly in Attitude Determination and Control (ADAC) and orbit maintenance. The larger moment of inertia than standard for this class of spacecraft and requirement for rapid and stable slew maneuvers make for a demanding control challenge.