X-SAT Micro-satellite

This is a developmental project undertaken by CREST (Centre For Research in Satellite Technologies) with participation from various schools in NTU, as well as partners such as CRISP (Centre for Remote Imaging, Sensing and Processing, NUS), and overseas collaborators (SaTReCi, ISRO and DLR).

The X-SAT project objectives are:

• To develop a low cost micro-satellite bus capable of performing remote sensing operation in near real-time scenarios

• To build-up country capability (resources and facilities) in satellite engineering

• To promote academic interest for R&D in this area

X-SAT satellite
X-SAT integrated with the launcher
At the launch pad in India
Fun Facts​​
My nameX-SAT (eXperimental Satellite)
Birthday20 April 2011 in Space
What is my weight?105 kg
What size am I?0.8m height, 0.6m x 0.6m
How fast am I flying?25,200 km/h (An F15 travels at 2,655km/h)
How high am I flying?817km above earth surface (An Airbus A380 flies at 13km)
How long do I take to go around the earth once?100 minutes
How many times do I travel around the earth in a day?14.2 times
Where do I get power?High efficiency solar panels, 247W.
I use my rechargeable battery if I am in Earth’s shadow.
Does anyone talk to me? How often?Every morning, the NTU ground station calls me between 10am to 12 noon when I pass above Singapore. My temperature, sensors, etc are checked. I will be given tasks to do, like checking for forest fire, etc.

The First Singapore Island satellite Image captured by X-SAT

The First Singapore Island satellite Image captured by X-SAT

This image was captured on 11 May 2011 with a resolution of 12m.
A multi-spectrum (red, green and near infra-red) camera is used. The white puffs are the clouds. The black puffs to the left of the clouds are their shadows. This photo is taken in the morning so the clouds’ shadows appear westward.

Above images are the detailed views from the Singapore Island image. Vegetation such as grasses & trees are detected by the near infrared camera. They appear as light and dark red respectively in the pictures.

Can you locate Singapore EXPO, East Coast lagoon, Bedok reservoir, and the MRT stations?

Can you spot the V-shape building in NTU? That is the National Institute of Education.

The is Singapore Central Business District (CBD).
Can you spot the Esplanade or the Marina Bay Sands?
On lower right corner, can you spot the ships and its direction of travel?

Can you spot the 3 triangles on the above picture? They are the Pyramids of Giza at Cairo.

This picture shows that there was a big forest fire at Sumatra, on 18 September 2011.