The ESEO spacecraft

ESEO is a microsatellite with a mass of 50 kg. Its main body is 66x33x33 cm in size, but considering the antennas placed on top and the payloads’ sensors protruding from the bottom its height is 107 cm. 

The ESEO configuration is characterized by the presence of three body-mounted solar panels and a radiator positioned on the face of the satellite always kept in the shadow (oriented towards deep space) by the on-board attitude control system.  

The ESEO project generated the SITAEL S-50 platform (50kg including the payload), the smallest within the current SITAEL products portfolio. The ESEO mission will validate in orbit the S-50 platformThe ESEO platform design is fully redundant, that is free of single points of failure.

The ESEO layout (exploded view) and subsystems are outlined in this document.

ESEO Prime Contractor

The prime contractor for the ESEO spacecraft is currently SITAEL S.p.A., which oversees ESEO’s development, integration, testing, and in-orbit commissioning by European university students. The company that originally awarded the contract as Prime in 2013 was ALMASpace. It was established in 2007 as a spin-off from the Microsatellites & Space Microsystems and Radio Science Laboratories of the University of Bologna, Italy, and became part of SITAEL group in 2015. ALMAspace was created to bring the results of its research activity in the field of space systems engineering into the market. Ten European universities (providing experiments and/or operating ground stations) are now working with the Prime Contractor to complete the development of the spacecraft.

For further information:

Piero Galeone, Head of the ESA Academy Unit
Piero.Galeone @ esa.int

Antonio De Luca, Satellite System engineer
Antonio.De.Luca @ esa.int