PRIMA: A new, competitive small satellite platform
Galeazzi ; Claudio ; - ASI Sponsor
Jan - 2000

journal : Acta Astronautica

Issue : 2
type: Article Journal

Abstract
ASI, the Italian Space Agency, is going to finance a developing of a small satellite platforms production line called PRIMA (Piattaforma Riconfigurabile Italiana Multi-Applicativa) with Alenia Aerospazio partnership as Prime Contractor and sub-contractors preferably chosen within the Italian Space Industries. The main objective of the program is to develop a multi-mission, easily adaptable Platform for LEO orbits, allowing rapid, efficient and low cost bus for applicative and scientific missions. The Italian national space plan foresees for the enf of 2001 the build up of the Skymed/Cosmo constellation as applicative Earth observation program plus a number of small scientific spacecraft with a rate of 2 missions each three years. To fulfil these schedules, the PRIMA platform should complete its development and qualification program in order to be ready for the first unit (protoqualification flight) to interface the first payload (Science or Applicative). The intrinsic modularity of PRIMA should allow it to adapt itself to a large variety of missions in LEO orbits with minor modifications. The design will be conducted in order to get an advanced Platform able to meet a large set of missions, payloads and launcher specifications. The platform will be completed by a ground control centre adapted to the monitoring of PRIMA based satellites. PRIMA thus offers a very attractive alternative to large-scale missions in terms of costs and completion time. The paper will describe the technical aspects of PRIMA Platform, with particular emphasis put onto its flexibility and reconfigurability for different missions. The System and S/S architectures will also be presented and defined in view of selected mission cases. The AIV/AIT aspects will be discussed, with a discussion of the applicability of Globalstar™ approaches, facility and heritage. Finally, a brief overview of PRIMA first applications /SkyMed/COSMO and David) will be given.

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