Space Missions

We have a number of experiences in design, development and operation of satellites.

ISSL OSS Project

In the ISSL OSS (Open-Source Software) project, we published several software for spacecraft research and development to contribute progress of space development. Currently, the following software is published in the GitHub.

  • Embedded software C2A (Command Centric Architecture)
  • Numerical simulator S2E (Spacecraft Simulation Environment)
  • Ground station software WINGS (Web-based Interface Ground-station Software)

Please check the GitHub page to see the details of each software.

ISSL 6U

The main goal is to develop a versatile and high-performance bus system for 6U CubeSats, which can be used for a variety of space missions. Our knowledge and experiences of past CubeSats and 50 kg class satellites are integrated. This 6U bus system has been adopted in the following two missions.

We will not only design and develop satellites for these specific missions, but also for the future projects. Softwares, development-aid tools, operation-support tools and versatile unit/bus are developed, which will also make the future projects more sophisticated and efficient.

ONGLAISAT

ONGLAISAT is a 6U satellite co-developed with TASA (Taiwan Space Agency). It combines a telescope developed by TASA with a 6U bus system developed by ISSL, aiming for high signal-to-noise ratio image capture using Time Delay Integration (TDI) technology as its mission. As of 2023, the development of the flight model is underway.

SPHERE-1 EYE (2023)

SPHERE-1 EYE is a 6U satellite launched as part of the STAR SPHERE project, a joint project by Sony Group Corporation, JAXA, and the University of Tokyo. Sony developed the mission camera, while ISSL was responsible for the development of the bus system. It was launched on January 3, 2023, and is currently operational.

EQUULEUS (2022)

The main mission of EQUULEUS is to demonstrate orbit control technology in the Sun-Earth-Moon system. By utilizing the gravity of the Sun and the Moon, it aims to efficiently navigate to the Lagrangian point of the Earth-Moon system (EML2, the L2 point on the far side of the Moon as seen from the Earth) with an orbit transfer capability that is feasible even for resource-constrained CubeSats. The satellite was launched on November 16, 2022, by NASA’s new Space Launch System (SLS) rocket.

EQUULEUS has three scientific missions. The first of which is PHOENIX (Plasmaspheric Helium ion Observation by Extreme Ultraviolet Light), to image the entire Earth’s magnetospheric plasma at a distance from the Earth. The second science mission is to observe the lunar impact flashes on the lunar surface. The second scientific mission is to observe the lunar impact flashes on the lunar backside. By using a high-speed camera to detect the fleeting flashes of light emitted by micrometeorites impacting the lunar surface at high speed, we can assess the size and frequency of the meteorites falling on the Moon, and assess the threats to future manned activities and infrastructure on the Moon. The third science mission is to assess the dust environment in cis-lunar space (the space between the Earth and the lunar orbit), using an integrated science and satellite bus instrument named CLOTH (Cis-Lunar Object detector within THermal insulation).

PROCYON (2014)

PROCYON is a micro-deep space probe launched on December 3, 2014, together with the asteroid probe Hayabusa2. It was developed mainly by our laboratory at the University of Tokyo, in collaboration with ISAS and other universities in Japan.

The main mission of PROCYON is to demonstrate the bus technology of a 50 kg class ultra-small deep space probe (to demonstrate that the necessary technologies for a probe, such as power supply, communication, attitude and orbit control, can function even in ultra-small size in deep space far from the Earth). In addition, as an advanced mission, we will demonstrate the world’s most efficient X-band communication amplifier, conduct high-precision orbit determination experiments, observe the geocorona from deep space, and demonstrate ultra-close flyby imaging technology for asteroids.

Nano-JASMINE

Nano-JASMINE is the first Japanese positional astronomical satellite, which aims to make a precise map of stars in our Galaxy. The satellite bus system is developed by the Nakasuka laboratory, and the telescope is developed by the JASMINE laboratory of NAOJ. The satellite is now waiting for launch.

PRISM (2009)

PRISM (nicknamed “Hitomi”) is a remote sensing satellite that deploys a soft-propagating boom in space to take images of the Earth with a resolution of 30 meters. It was launched on January 23, 2009 by H-2A rocket with other partner satellites, and successfully deployed the boom and took images with the main camera.