CanX 1

CanX 1 [UTIAS]

The CanX-1 (Canadian Advanced Nanospace eXperiments) PicoSatellite Mission is the first in a series of CubeSat Missions at the University of Toronto. The Canadian Advanced Nanospace eXperiments (CanX) promote the development and testing of low-cost space technologies and push the envelope of performance that can be achieved with small low-power devices. The first mission, CanX-1, will launch in mid 2003 and will demonstrate key enabling technologies for future missions including:

• A Powerful CubeSat Computer based on an Atmel ARM microprocessor.
• Triple-Junction GaAs Solar Cells with Peak Power Tracking
• CMOS imagers for observation and Star Tracking
• Active Magnetic Control including B-dot Detumbling and 3-axis stabilization

The satellite is a 10 cm cube, with a mass less than one kilogram. The satellite will generate about two Watts of peak power using direct energy conversion. More power will be available when peak power tracking is enabled.