MINISAT-01: Hybrid satellite for science and technology Original Research Article

The MINISAT-01 is a good example of a small hybrid space mission for science and technology. The MINISAT-01 main goal was to prove the Spanish industrial capability to develop a space mission including flight hardware, ground segment support, launch and operations. MINISAT-01 science was addressed to perform astronomical observations and microgravity experiments. The Payload has also a hybrid character. It is a combination of a previously flown experiment on fluid mechanics in microgravity (CPLM), a fully developed astronomical far-ultraviolet spectroscope (EURD) and a demonstrator of technology for a gamma-ray imagers (LEGRI). A small experiment to deploy systems in space was also included (ETRV). After almost three years of operation, MINISAT-01 has provided very useful data in the far-ultraviolet region of the spectra and highly valuable data for the development of gamma-ray imagers based on CdZnTe detector technology.