Meteorite Space Vehicle Bus
ESPA Class Small Spacecraft Bus
METEORITE is an ESPA Class Small Spacecraft Bus product family used for a variety of missions in LEO including High LEO (1000 to 1200 km). METEORITE is ideal for pathfinder constellation missions or other disaggregated mission types. METEORITE leverages the same core avionics from Moog’s Space Vehicle family that have been demonstrated in missions from LEO to the Moon. The green propulsion system is ideal for rideshare or dedicated small launch vehicle missions and provides enough capability for deorbit from High LEO. The relatively high thrust can be used for collision avoidance or other rapid orbit changes. The simple and robust all aluminum structure provides radiation shielding and can support a range of payload configurations.
Key Features
- Avionics leveraging Moog’s BRE440™ Rad-Hard CPU
- LEO up to 1200 km with 2-5 year life
- Flexible flight software is payload and mission configurable
- Green propulsion system for ease of launch
- 3-Axis stabilized platform with reaction wheels and torque rods
- Single string but layered GNC sensor suite provides resiliency
- Modular power system can be expanded as needed
- ESPA or dedicated small launch compatible
Specifications
| Characteristic | Performance / interfaces |
Orbit |
500 to 1200 km |
| Mission Life | 2-5 years (depends on orbit) |
| Radiation | 25.5 kRad total dose with 0.200” Al shielding |
| Radiation Effects | Availability due to SEU of >99% over 1 year |
| Example Payload Power (Orbit and Mission Dependant) |
~150 W OAP Payload Power ~300 W Peak Payload Power for 50% of orbit |
| Bus Mass | 120 kg Bus Dry Mass |
| Bus Volume | 22” x 28” x 23.65” height (or radial direction if on ESPA) |
| Orbital Position Knowledge | <4 m |
| Attitude Knowledge Telemetry Accuracy | <40 arc-sec (1 sigma) |
| Pointing Accuracy | <60 arc-sec (1 sigma) |
| Attitude (Pointing) Stability/Jitter | Jitter < 10 arc-sec |
| Velocity Accuracy | 0.1 m/s |
| Maximum Slew Rate | 2.5 deg/sec |
| Maximum Slew Acceleration | 0.3 deg/sec2 (point-to-point) |
| Delta-V | >175 m/s (with 200 kg dry mass) |
| Payload Interfaces (Data) | 2 x SpaceWire, 4xDiscretes, 1 x GPS 1PPS (via LVDS) |
| Payload Interfaces (Power) | 28 [25/33] VDC Unregulated Bus Voltage (multiple 1.2 A switches) |
| Payload Interfaces (Mechanical) | 22 in x 28 in “flat deck” and can be up to 30 in height for ESPA launch or greater for dedicated small launch vehicle |
| Payload Mass | 100 kg – Can be greater but Spacecraft will exceed 220 kg ESPA Class |
Resources
Literature
Datasheets, Brochures and Catalogs
Infographics
Videos
Meteor and Meteorite Spacecraft Buses
Related Industries
Space
Moog has designed and manufactured components and systems for satellites and launch vehicles for more than 60 years.
Defense
Moog is recognized by military forces around the world for its industry-leading solutions, which include counter-unmanned aerial systems (C-UAS), fast ammunition handling, precise missile steering, weapon stores management, turreted weapon systems and quiet undersea actuation.