A miniature imaging payload for nanosatellites

Visible light imagery is one of the most common data products of remote sensing satellites and is of particular importance for Earth-based disaster response and management, national defense, and numerous Earth science studies. However, size, mass, and power constraints impose severe limitations on payload designs, especially imaging systems whose fields of view and resolutions are dictated primarily by their physical dimensions. In this paper, the capabilities of multiple platforms are investigated for use in small satellites. Based on power consumption, processing speed, interface adaptability, and reliability in extreme conditions, three platforms were chosen for further investigation: the BeagleBone Black, the Raspberry Pi 1 B+, and the BeagleBoard-xM. This paper focuses primarily on planned development of the Raspberry Pi 1 into a functioning imaging payload system.