First Triton-X satellite

The first satellite developed under the Triton-X multi-mission platform programme for low Earth orbit is on its way to be integrated onto the launcher for its inaugural flight.

Developed under an ESA Partnership Project with LuxSpace, the small satellite – called Triton-X Genesis – will demonstrate the performances of newly developed and highly innovative elements including: the avionics architecture that embeds a high-performance on-board computer; a telecommunications system that will enable to command, control and monitor the satellite; and a star tracker that provides high pointing accuracy of the satellite.

The satellite was built in less than 10 months using generic off-the-shelf building blocks, high-performance field programmable gate arrays and micro-controllers.

Tailored to be compatible with the new generation small launchers, rideshare and hosted payload mission architectures, Triton-X Genesis is due to be launched on board a SpaceX Falcon 9 in October.

The Triton-X platform can accommodate payloads up to 90 kg for a wide range of applications including telecommunications, Earth observation, situational awareness and in-orbit demonstration and validation.

Six ESA member states have subscribed to Triton-X Partnership Project. The programme is led by LuxSpace in Luxembourg together with six industrial partners and ten suppliers in Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany, Portugal, Switzerland, and across Europe.

Triton-X is a new competitive and multi-mission European small satellite platform product line currently under development as part of ESA’s programme of Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems (ARTES). It is designed to give low-cost and fast-track access to space for both commercial and institutional applications in low Earth orbit.