In-Orbit Performance of the Narrowband Intersatellite Mission S-NET

Abstract

This article presents the long-term in-orbit performance of the narrowband nanosatellite mission S-NET, which is operating in orbit for 3.5 years. The mission consists of four nanosatellites á 9 kg and has been successfully deployed in Feb. 2018 to demonstrate multi-point crosslink for a distance up to 400 km at 100 kpbs. The main payload is a miniaturized SDR (software defined radio) with 0.5 W Tx power and adaptive coding and modulation scheme. The orbit performance e.g. link budget, differential drag control and radiation tolerance are presented. The results confirm that these nanosatellites are technically and economically feasible as a space-based IoT communication backhaul.