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Abstract In February 2013, the first Austrian nanosatellite BRITE-Austria/TUGSAT‑1 was launched into orbit to observe brightness variations of massive luminous stars. Although mission originally planned last only two years, BRITE-Austria has been providing scientific data at a high quality standard for more than eight years. The natural degradation systems on board over time as well impact radi...

The satellite industry is undergoing a transition toward " smallsat " engineering. Small satellites are becoming more attractive to customers as a method of decreasing cost. As the launch costs remain relatively constant, the industry is turning towards nano–technology, such as microelectromechanical systems, and distributed satellite systems to perform the same missions that once required supe...

In recent years, many imaging sensors for small satellites have adopted CMOS active pixel sensors. The Aptina MT9P031 in particular, has seen many adopters. This paper presents lessons learned from our experience integrating this detector with the Sinclair Interplanetary S3S Star Tracker. We present practical advice for handling and assembly and discuss strategies for maximizing image quality o...