Surveyor
3U CubeSat · Multi-Payload Autonomous Mission Platform
Technical Overview
The Surveyor is a 3U CubeSat (10×10×34 cm) purpose-built for dual-payload missions: a primary multi-spectral imager and a mission-specific custom slot that operators configure for their use case (AIS, SIGINT, IoT relay, RF spectrum sensing). Pit Boss+ neuromorphic AI (Patent #2) runs full on-board autonomy for up to 72 hours without ground contact — classifying imagery, managing the power budget, and routing data to the correct downlink. SOLARI phonon receiver panels (Patent #3) allow the Surveyor to harvest power beamed from a companion Sovereign 6U satellite or dedicated ground SOLARI transmitter, extending operational life in eclipse.
Subsystem Blueprints
Structure
- ·10×10×34 cm 3U PC/104+ frame
- ·6061-T6 primary structure
- ·Deployable solar panel hinges (±Y)
- ·2U payload volume, 1U bus volume
- ·Melanin-polymer exterior coating (Patent #1)
- ·Mass budget: 0.65 kg structural
Three-unit structure is three 1U frames stacked and secured by 4 continuous rails (12 mm × 3 mm aluminium angle). Rail machining: Xometry.com or local CNC shop (tolerance ±0.1 mm). Top 1U = payload bay with removable endcap for payload integration. Middle 1U = avionics (OBC, COMMS, ADCS, EPS). Bottom 1U = battery pack + SOLARI receiver panel array (Patent #3). Deployable solar panels: Tectus Systems or custom fiberglass hinges with torsion springs, Z-fold configuration, release via burn wire.
Electrical Power System (EPS)
- ·4× deployable GaAs solar panels (Z-fold, ±Y faces)
- ·45 W peak generation (deployed)
- ·Li-ion 6S1P pack (22.2V, 10 Ah = 222 Wh)
- ·MPPT charge controller (LT3652)
- ·SOLARI phonon harvest port (Patent #3)
- ·Average orbit power: 8 W
Deployed solar panels: 4× panels, each 80×80 mm, Azur Space 3G30C cells (European fab, US-sold through Aerojet Resellers). Deployed area: 0.064 m², peak 45 W at 1 AU. Battery: 6× Samsung 50E 21700 cells in 6S1P (22.2V nominal, 222 Wh). BMS: custom STM32-based with Coulomb counting and SOH estimation. SOLARI port: 8× PVDF piezoelectric pads (30×30 mm each) integrated in bottom endcap, wired to resonant energy harvesting circuit (LTC3588-1 IC). Harvesting target: 0.5–2.0 W from SOLARI beam.
On-Board Computer (OBC)
- ·Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 (1.8 GHz quad-core)
- ·4 GB RAM, 32 GB eMMC
- ·BrainChip AKD1500 (Patent #2) — neuromorphic AI
- ·72-hour autonomous operations capability
- ·Radiation-tolerant EDAC in software
- ·Linux + real-time patch (PREEMPT_RT)
Primary OBC: Raspberry Pi CM4 (1.8 GHz Cortex-A72, 4 GB LPDDR4, 32 GB eMMC). Radiation mitigation: software EDAC, scrubbing every 10 minutes, watchdog reboot. OS: Raspberry Pi OS Lite with PREEMPT_RT kernel patch for deterministic timing. BrainChip AKD1500 co-processor via PCIe: runs on-board multi-spectral classification (detect cloud cover, change events, vessel signatures) at 0.3 W. 72-hour autonomy: stored rule tree for power management, attitude, and data routing — no uplink required. Secondary OBC: STM32H7 as a watchdog and low-power standby controller.
Communications (COMMS)
- ·UHF 437 MHz TNC-AX.25 (command uplnk)
- ·S-Band 2.4 GHz patch antenna (downlink)
- ·1 Mbps S-Band downlink rate
- ·4W RF output (amplified)
- ·SatNOGS compatible (UHF)
- ·Dedicated S-Band ground station (operator-provided or Leaf Space)
Two-radio architecture: (1) UHF TNC (Silicon Labs Si4463, 0.5W) for command uplink and telemetry — compatible with amateur SatNOGS network, (2) S-Band patch antenna (2.4 GHz, 4W, Endurosat S-Band Transceiver Gen3) for high-rate image downlink at 1 Mbps. Downlink scheduling: Pit Boss+ plans downlink windows based on predicted ground station contact using on-board SGP4 propagator (no GPS required — TLE updated weekly via UHF uplink). Data volume: at 1 Mbps over 3× 8-min passes/day = ~144 MB/day downlink capacity.
ADCS
- ·3× reaction wheels (Sinclair Interplanetary RW-0.01)
- ·3-axis magnetorquers (momentum dump)
- ·CubeADCS (CubeSpace) with star tracker
- ·GPS receiver (uBlox ZED-F9P)
- ·Pointing accuracy: ±0.5°
- ·Slew rate: 3°/sec max
Reaction wheels: 3× Sinclair Interplanetary RW-0.01 (0.35 mN·m·s, 0.5 W each). Alternatively: Hyperion Technologies RW210 (Netherlands, US-sold). Magnetorquers for momentum dumping. Star tracker: CubeADCS 3-axis (CubeSpace, South Africa / US-sold) provides ±0.01° knowledge. GPS: uBlox ZED-F9P on NovAtel board for precise orbit determination. Control law: quaternion feedback with momentum wheel speed management. Autonomy: on-board IGRF magnetic field model + SGP4 propagator for GPS-independent operation.
Payload — Multi-Spectral Imager
- ·4-band imager: RGB + NIR (850 nm)
- ·Sony IMX455 sensor (61 MP, BSI)
- ·100 mm EFL lens (f/4)
- ·GSD: 2.5 m at 500 km
- ·Swath: 25 km
- ·Custom sensor slot: AIS / IoT / RF (operator configured)
Primary payload: Sony IMX455 61MP BSI CMOS sensor with 4-band filter wheel (R, G, B, NIR at 850 nm). Lens: 100 mm EFL, f/4, custom coated (Jenoptik USA, Rochester NY). At 500 km altitude: GSD = 2.5 m/pixel, swath = 25 km, coastal survey in one pass. Secondary slot (1U): operator-configurable — examples: (a) Exact Earth AIS receiver for vessel tracking, (b) Satcom Direct L-band IoT modem, (c) custom PCB for academic payload. Mechanical interface: 96×90 mm PC/104 mounting, 10W power budget, CAN or UART data interface to OBC.
Bill of Materials — US Domestic Suppliers
| PART | SPEC | SUPPLIER | LOCATION | EST. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aluminium 6061-T6 rails and panels (3 kg) | CNC machined 3U frame | Xometry.com (domestic CNC) | Multiple US states | $180 |
| Azur Space 3G30C solar cells (×16) | 28% efficiency, space-rated | Aerojet Rocketdyne (US reseller) | Redmond, WA | $2,400 |
| Samsung 50E 21700 Li-ion cells (×6) | 5,000 mAh, –40°C operation | Mouser Electronics | Mansfield, TX | $90 |
| Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 | 4 GB RAM, 32 GB eMMC, WiFi | DigiKey | US distribution | $75 |
| BrainChip AKD1500 neuromorphic chip | Pit Boss+ Patent #2 | BrainChip Inc | Aliso Viejo, CA | $150 |
| Endurosat S-Band Transceiver Gen3 | 2.4 GHz, 4W, 1 Mbps | Endurosat (US distribution) | US | $4,500 |
| Si4463 UHF radio IC (+ PA stage) | 437 MHz, 0.5W command link | Silicon Labs / DigiKey | Austin, TX | $30 |
| CubeADCS 3-axis star tracker + RW set | CubeSpace 3-axis, ±0.01° knowledge | CubeSpace (US distribution) | US | $12,000 |
| Sony IMX455 61MP sensor module | BSI CMOS, 4-band imaging | Imaging Source / US reseller | US | $800 |
| 100 mm EFL imaging lens | f/4, space-qualified coatings | Jenoptik USA | Rochester, NY | $2,200 |
| PVDF piezo pads for SOLARI (×8) | Patent #3 energy harvest layer | Measurement Specialties / TE Connectivity | Hampton, VA | $160 |
| Deployable solar panel hinges (×4) | Torsion spring, Kapton flex PCB | Tectus Systems / custom | US | $600 |
| PCB fabrication (5-layer, ×4 boards) | OBC + EPS + COMMS + ADCS | Advanced Circuits | Aurora, CO | $1,200 |
| uBlox ZED-F9P GNSS receiver | RTK GPS, –40°C rated | DigiKey | US distribution | $200 |
| LTC3588-1 piezo energy harvesting IC | SOLARI receiver circuit | Analog Devices / DigiKey | Wilmington, MA | $15 |
Patent Heritage & Global IP Landscape
Assembly & Build Sequence
Star tracker + reaction wheel set (CubeSpace): 8–10 week lead. Imaging lens (Jenoptik USA): 6 weeks. S-Band transceiver (Endurosat): 6 weeks. Order these immediately; all other components arrive in 2–4 weeks.
Upload 3U rail drawings to Xometry.com. Specify 4 continuous rails from single aluminium bar (no joints = better vibration path). Side panels: 2 mm thick. After machining, apply melanin-polymer coating per Scout procedure. Allow 48 hours cure before assembly.
Spot-weld 6S1P battery pack. Assemble BMS board. Attach deployable solar panel substrate (Kapton-backed PCB with solar cells pre-bonded). Test full EPS board-level: charge from bench solar simulator, discharge through 8W load, verify MPPT tracking efficiency >90%.
Flash Raspberry Pi CM4 with custom Linux image. Install FreeRTOS tasks for telemetry, payload control, and scheduling. Configure BrainChip AKD1500 via PCIe with pre-trained classification model (cloud cover, vessel, land cover). Benchmark: verify AKD1500 runs inference in <5 ms at <0.3W.
Mount reaction wheels in orthogonal brackets (3D-printed ABS jig for alignment). Mount magnetorquers on panels. Wire star tracker via RS-422 to OBC. Integrate GPS module. Perform open-loop spin-up test of each reaction wheel: verify speed vs torque curve.
Install Sony IMX455 module in top 1U payload bay. Align optical axis to ±0.1° of spacecraft –Z axis (nadir). Bond lens to endcap with RTV-566. Install 4-band filter wheel (Thorlabs motorised FW102C, $750). Calibrate filter positions. Install secondary payload (operator-specific) in remaining 0.5U slot.
Bond 8× PVDF pads to bottom endcap interior surface using conductive epoxy. Wire to LTC3588-1 energy harvesting IC on EPS board. Test with piezo driver at 40 kHz bench test: verify >0.2V DC output per pad at 50 mW acoustic input.
Power from flight battery pack. Verify all subsystems boot in correct sequence. Command payload capture and downlink. Execute simulated SOLARI harvest test. Run 24-hour autonomy test: OBC executes full mission sequence without operator command. Log all telemetry for review.
Random vibration: 14.1 Grms per NASA GEVS (3 axes). Thermal vacuum: 8 cycles –20°C to +60°C at 10⁻⁵ Torr (outsource to ATA Engineering, San Diego CA or NTS Labs, MA). EMC: verify no RF emissions in UHF and S-Band guard bands. All tests pass before delivery to launch provider.
Investment Narrative
The Surveyor is the revenue engine of the Sovereign Orbital constellation. At $185,000 per unit with a 3-year mission life, the cost per gigabyte of imagery delivered is competitive with Planet Labs Flock — but with full operator ownership and no subscription lock-in.
The dual-payload architecture addresses three markets simultaneously: remote sensing (US GEOINT community, agricultural monitoring, maritime domain awareness), research (university and NOAA grant-funded missions), and private intelligence (corporate competitive intelligence, insurance loss assessment, infrastructure monitoring).
The Pit Boss+ 72-hour autonomous operations capability (Patent #2) is a direct answer to DARPA Blackjack requirements for resilient LEO operations without continuous ground contact. This makes every Surveyor sale a proof-of-concept for defense program alignment.
Target customer: any operator who currently pays $2,000/km² for satellite imagery through Maxar or Airbus — and would prefer to own the satellite. At $185,000 amortised over 3 years, the Surveyor costs $172/day of operations — less than one Maxar image order.