OTB 2

OTB 2 [GA-EMS]

OTB-2 (Orbital Test Bed 2) is a small satellite operated by General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems Group (GA-EMS) to host several experiments from different customers.

General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems Group (GA-EMS) plans to fly dedicated satellites for hosted. These OTB (Orbital Test Bed) satellites provides the opportunity for Hosted Payload customers to benefit from reliable, low-risk access to orbit, to rapidly and cost-effectively space-qualify new technology, gain flight heritage, acquire mission experience, generate in-orbit data and provide mission continuity capability, without the need to procure a costly dedicated launch.

The largest hosted payload is NASA's MAIA (Multi-Angle Imager for Aerosols). The investigation will seek to understand how different types of air pollution affect human health. A state-of-the-art satellite instrument producing data that will be used in health studies to examine the health effects of various types of air pollution. MAIA contains a specialized digital camera that peers at how the Sun’s light reflects off of the Earth and its atmosphere. This is no ordinary camera, however. It uses a combination of observing techniques to capture information about a layer of air pollution. MAIA will be able to distinguish types of particulate matter (PM) based on how the particles reflect or absorb sunlight.