With the number of satellites in orbit greatly increasing each year, it is critical to thoroughly understand the space environment and define the dangers that it can present to spacecraft. OHB Hellas is glad to be part of ReTiMo, a small satellite mission led by Democritus University of Thrace and proposed to ESA, with its main goal being the monitoring of space weather.
Satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) are exposed to energetic particles that impact their normal operation, creating upsets such as Single Event Effects (SEEs) that disrupt the nominal function of on-board electronics. Moreover, said particles induce surface charging that can affect hardware and also cause degradation of solar cells. ReTiMo aims to provide valuable data regarding spacecraft anomalies, advancing space weather monitoring and operational awareness in the LEO radiation environment.
The mission has been selected by ESA to be funded for a phase 0 feasibility study. Greek space systems engineers in OHB Hellas are responsible for delivering the mission concept definition, analysis, cost and schedule. The whole team is looking forward to the successful completion of the project.