HORACIO

Quick facts

Overview

Summary

Mission Capabilities

HORACIO carries a single instrument, the Integrated Standard Imager for Microsatellites (iSIM)-90. This compact, high-resolution optical camera captures VNIR (Visible and Near Infrared) and SWIR (Shortwave Infrared) imagery for infrastructure monitoring, greenhouse gas imaging and agricultural surveillance. SATLANTIS, a multinational corporation specialising in CubeSats and Microsatellites, designed HORACIO with agility in mind, featuring a highly manoeuvrable microsatellite design and onboard image processing capabilities.

Performance Specifications

The iSIM-90 imager has a Ground Sample Distance (GSD) of 2 m, with a swath width of 13 km for panchromatic (PAN) and VNIR bands, and 16.5 km for SWIR bands. Images are taken across 10 spectral bands, with four in the visible spectrum and six in the infrared.

HORACIO operates in a sun synchronous orbit with an altitude between 588.8 km - 598.0 km, an inclination of 97.78° and an orbit period of 96.50 minutes.

Space and Hardware Components

HORACIO  is a 16U CubeSat that measures 20 cm x 20 cm x 40 cm, with a maximum launch weight of 36 kg. It sits on a M16P satellite  bus, manufactured by Kongsberg NanoAvionics. The satellite bus incorporates a field emission electric propulsion system that provides 0.1 mN - 0.3 mN of propulsion. Additionally, the bus houses an onboard data processing unit, SPOCK, a communications system for relaying data to ground stations, and an onboard power unit which contains a battery with 161 watt-hour capacity and a total allocated battery usage of 43 W.

Overview

HORACIO is the sixth Earth observation mission of the Spanish company SATLANTIS, launched on March 4, 2024. It carries a high resolution camera that provides simultaneous coverage in the visible and near infrared spectra. The mission aims to provide imagery for a wide range of applications, such as infrastructure surveillance, greenhouse gas emission monitoring, aiding food security through agricultural imaging, as well as providing coastline and border monitoring. SATLANTIS is a multinational corporation that specialises in high resolution CubeSats and Microsatellites, and provides satellite hardware, software and services. SATLANTIS designed the spacecraft and ground systems with agility and flexibility in mind, using a highly manoeuvrable microsatellite design with onboard image processing unit to easily cater to image requests. 1) 2) 6)

Spacecraft

HORACIO is a 16U CubeSat measuring 20 cm x 20 cm x 40 cm, with an M16P satellite bus manufactured by Kongsberg NanoAvionics. The bus has an available payload mass of 22 kg, with a maximum spacecraft mass of 36 kg. An onboard battery power system generates 161 watt-hours, with available payload power of 25 W and maximum bus power, which dictates the total allocated battery usage, of 43 W. The satellite bus contains an onboard field emission electric propulsion system, a type of ion thruster that generates thrust by accelerating and emitting ions. However, due to the limited thrust provided by this system, 0.1 mN - 0.3 mN for the M16P bus, it is  primarily used for minor attitude control, rather than larger scale orbit adjustments. The CubeSat bus has an Absolute Knowledge Error of 4.31° and an Absolute Performance Error of 4.40°. 6) 8)

HORACIO’s onboard processing unit, SPOCK, is designed to enhance the efficiency and capability of satellite data handling and processing. The unit has a 30 Gbit/second data rate, which is capable of processing up to 52 images per second. This optimises the satellite’s use of downlink bandwidth and ensures timely availability of processed data for end-users. The SPOCK unit employs a high-performance Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) architecture combined with artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms to process data in real-time. The FPGA-based design allows for reprogrammability and adaptability, which is crucial for handling various types of data and processing tasks. This setup includes functionalities such as data acquisition, selection, compression, and storage, which are all performed onboard. The unit is capable of handling data throughput up to 3 Tera Operations per Second (TOPS), heightening processing efficiency of  complex datasets. 2) 3) 6) 7)

Launch

HORACIO was successfully launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon-9 on March 4, 2024, from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, United States at 23:05 CET. 2) 3) 10)

The Transporter-10 mission carried 53 other payloads, including MethaneSat and Veery-0E. HORACIO operates in a sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of 588.8 - 598.0 km, with an inclination of 97.78° and an orbital period of 96.497 minutes.

Mission Status

• July 2024: HORACIO captures high resolution imagery 600 km above Port-Saint-Louis-Du-Rhône, France. The image focuses on an enhanced region overlooking a shipping container yard, highlighting the observational capability of HORACIO for applications such as shipping, water quality, and marine ecosystem monitoring.

• March 4, 2024: HORACIO successfully launched from the Vandenberg Space Force Base, United States, onboard SpaceX’s Transporter-10 mission. 2)

Sensor Complement

iSIM-90

HORACIO carries a single imaging instrument, the Integrated Standard Imager for Microsatellites (iSIM) - 90. The compact optical imager supports high-resolution Panchromatic (PAN), Visible and Near Infrared (VNIR) and Shortwave Infrared (SWIR) observations. The iSIM-90 imager provides a Ground Sample Distance (GSD) of 2 m across 10 bands, 4 visible and 6 infrared, with a swath width of 13 km for PAN and VNIR bands and 16.5 km for SWIR bands. The instrument’s 2 m GSD can be improved by a factor of 2.5, using the Ultra-High-Resolution algorithm developed by SATLANTIS, enabled by the SPOCK onboard processing unit. iSIM-90 weighs approximately 4 kg, with power consumption of 17 W, with additional power use for heating. 3) 5) 7) 9)

Ground Segment

The mission control and data processing centre for the HORACIO mission is located in Bilbao, Spain, and utilises a cloud-based software architecture for data handling. The HORACIO satellite is capable of uplink and downlink in both S-band and Ultra-High Frequency (UHF). In S-band, it has an uplink speed of up to 1 Mbps, transmitting at frequencies 2025 MHz - 2110 MHz, while for UHF transmissions is has a uplink and downlink speed of up to 1.6 kbps between 401 MHz - 402 MHz. 3) 8)

References  

1) “HORACIO.” Gunter's Space Page, 21 March 2024, URL: https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/horacio.htm

2) “HORACIO´s Launch – Satlantis.” Satlantis, 4 March 2024, URL: https://www.satlantis.com/horaciolaunch/

3) “HORACIO successfully launched – Satlantis.” Satlantis, 4 March 2024, URL: https://www.satlantis.com/horacio-successfully-launched/

4) “NanoAvionics built satellites expand two constellations with upcoming SpaceX Transporter-10 mission.” NanoAvionics, 4 March 2024, URL: https://nanoavionics.com/news/nanoavionics-built-satellites-expand-two-constellations-with-upcoming-spacex-transporter-10-mission/

5) “On cutting edge satellite camera technologies and misconceptions in NewSpace - with SATLANTIS | satsearch blog.” Blog, 29 April 2021, URL: https://blog.satsearch.co/2021-04-29-on-cutting-edge-satellite-camera-technologies-and-misconceptions-in-newspace-with-satlantis

6) “SATLANTIS launches HORACIO, its sixth mission and third full-solution satellite for Infrared and Visible Earth Observation.” HEGAN- Basque Aerospace Cluster, 3 June 2024, URL: https://www.hegan.com/Corporativa/MostrarNoticia.aspx?C7yOogmVDdIoh6Kslvh62346789fnw90785678d90785678dT.

7) “SATLANTIS Launches HORACIO, Its Sixth Mission and Third Full-Solution Satellite for Infrared and Visible Earth Observation - UF Innovate.” UF Innovate, 20 March 2024, URL: https://innovate.research.ufl.edu/2024/03/20/satlantis-horatio-launch/

8) “16U CubeSat / Nanosatellite M16P.” NanoAvionics, URL: https://nanoavionics.com/small-satellite-buses/16u-cubesat-nanosatellite-m16p/

9) “Space Cameras – Satlantis - iSIM optical payloads.” Satlantis, URL: https://www.satlantis.com/space-cameras/

10) Weltman, Abbey. “SpaceX Launches 53 Satellites in First Rideshare Mission of 2024.” Via Satellite, 5 March 2024, URL: https://www.satellitetoday.com/launch/2024/03/05/spacex-launches-53-satellites-in-first-rideshare-mission-of-2024/