Mission Control Centre at SSTL

Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd was formed in 1985 as an independent commercial company, wholly owned by the University of Surrey. Its objective was to exploit the academic research within the University's Surrey Space Centre (where it is based) to develop and market cost-effective small satellites for rapid and affordable commercial access to space.

Over the last 20 years, SSTL, in conjunction with the University of Surrey, has been responsible for 18 launched small satellite missions. Of these, 15 are still operational and monitored, maintained or controlled from SSTL's mission operations and control centre; a further 6 missions are currently preparing for launch or in progress. These unique achievements and investments maintain SSTL at the forefront of small satellite technology and applications.

Mission Control Centre is located at 51 deg N, 1 deg W at the Surrey Space Centre. It deals with an average of 160 satellite passes per day as it carries out its responsibilities for the command and control of the 15 microsatellites. At its heart is a tracking computer running custom written tracking software. This computer has a GPS receiver for precise time keeping, and uses a priority-based set of rules to assign each half of the ground station to the satellites in view.

SSTL has been responsible for many pioneering applications of small satellites and small satellite technology:

  • 1984 - UoSAT-2 carried the first civilian digital store and forward payload.
  • 1990 - UoSAT-3 and 4 introduced a new modular microsatellite design.
  • 1991 - UoSAT-5 returned the first useable remote sensing imagery from a 50kg microsatellite.
  • 1993 - PoSAT-1 demonstrated the first on board orbit determination and the first microsatellite to fly a GPS receiver, as well as a pioneering star camera design and advanced Earth imaging system.
  • 1996 - SSTL engineers recovered the CERISE mission following an in-orbit collision which resulted in the loss of the spacecraft boom.
  • 1998 - FaSAT-Bravo carried a novel Ozone Layer Monitoring Experiment on SSTL's latest microsatellite platform, and TMSAT demonstrated the first small satellite multi-spectral Earth imaging system amongst a range of advanced small satellite technologies.

SSTL is able to respond to rapid build missions entirely in-house. It has considerable experience with highly successful microsatellite technology transfer and training programmes - involving Korea, Portugal, Pakistan, Chile, South Africa, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and now China. These intensive and in-depth programmes have enabled emerging space nations to take their first steps into space, with relatively low cost and risk, by capitalising on the unique combination of academic and commercial activities available at Surrey.

 

SSTL corporate videoan introduction to the construction and use of the microsatellites built at SSTL.

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Surrey Space Centre videolearn more about the work of the Surrey Space Centre.

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