Nano
Satellites
Standardised, batch-produced, flight-proven constellation-grade nanosatellites that provide high payload mass fraction, low integration burden, low managerial overhead, and a rapid route to orbit.
Satellite Classes & Mission Envelope
Satellite missions — not bare satellite buses. Baseline pricing includes the spacecraft platform, payload integration support, testing, storage, spectrum filing, launch licence, commissioning, and baseline ground-station network access. Launch, customer payload, insurance, optional upgrades, third-party pass-through costs, and non-standard mission-specific requirements are priced separately.
ORB-16
£350,000
£8,000/month
6 months
16U
≤ 16U
≤ 27.1kg
60W (continuous), 2kW (peak)
upgradeable to 154W (continuous)
6GB/day
upgradeable to 1TB/day
S-band, Ka-band, & 3rd-party
ORB-8
£350,000
£8,000/month
6 months
8U
≤ 6.5U
≤ 9.8kg
60W (continuous), 2kW (peak)
upgradeable to 154W (continuous)
6GB/day
upgradeable to 1TB/day
S-band, Ka-band, & 3rd-party
¹ Lead-time is highly dependent on the Customer. Once the configuration of the Payload within the Satellite Platform is frozen, lead-time for delivery of the Flight Unit is typically 2-3 months. Of the dozen+ nanosatellite flight missions executed by OrbAstro, the average lead-time between contract signature and successful completion of in-orbit commissioning has been ~12 months for Pilot missions, and ~8 months for follow-on missions.
² The 8U-class and 16U-class Platforms can be modified to 6U-class and 12U-class respectively for a flat fee of £1,000. Power, mass, and volume available will reduce accordingly. No change to respective launch fees.
³ OrbAstro satellites have access to a distributed S-band, Ka-band, and third-party ground stations typically providing up to 280 passes and 2,000 contact minutes per week, enabling high-rate downlink, lower latency, faster recovery, and greater operational resilience for missions.
Baseline Mission Delivery Price:
Baseline Operations Package:
Lead-Time¹:
Form Factor:
Payload Volume²:
Payload Mass:
Payload Power:
Baseline Data Return:
Ground Segment³:
Includes:
Baseline Satellite Specifications
ORB-16
7.9kg
Critical subsystems dual redundant or better
upgradable
Zynq Ultrascale+ MPSoC (5EG) with 4GB LPDDR4 RAM
144Wh
expandable to 576Wh
0.1º (3σ)
upgradeable to 0.01º
<0.01º
upgradeable to <0.001º
0.06°/h bias stability, 0.008°/h repeatability, 0.002°/√h ARW
5º/s
500m/s
72W
expandable to 168W
1Mbps, S-Band (omni-directional)
500Mbps, Ka-band
expandable to 2Gbps
0.1Mbps, Ka-band
expandable to 0.5Mbps
AES-256 encryption, RSA-4096 auth.
12+ years LEO, 5 years MEO, 10+ years GEO
ORB-8
5.2kg
Critical subsystems dual redundant or better
upgradable
Zynq Ultrascale+ MPSoC (5EG) with 4GB LPDDR4 RAM
144Wh
expandable to 288Wh
0.1º (3σ)
upgradeable to 0.01º
<0.01º
upgradeable to <0.001º
0.06°/h bias stability, 0.008°/h repeatability, 0.002°/√h ARW
5º/s
500m/s
72W
expandable to 168W
1Mbps, S-Band (omni-directional)
500Mbps, Ka-band
expandable to 2Gbps
0.1Mbps, Ka-band
expandable to 0.5Mbps
AES-256 encryption, RSA-4096 auth.
12+ years LEO, 5 years MEO, 10+ years GEO
Platform Mass (Wet):
Redundancy¹:
Compute:
Battery Storage:
Pointing Accuracy²:
Pointing Knowledge:
3-Axis Optical Gyro³:
Slew Rate (max.):
Delta-V⁴:
Power Generation:
TT&C:
Data Downlink⁵:
Inter-Sat Link⁶:
Encryption & Security:
Mission Lifetime⁷:
¹ Redundant subsystems include: EPS, S-band TT&C, magnetorquers, ADCS sensors (except star-tracker & 3-axis optical gyro). Additional redundancy available through High Performance Satellite Upgrade option.
² Achieved with 3x large reaction wheels, 3x small reaction wheels, 6x magnetorquers, 2x star-trackers, 3-axis optical gyros, and standard ADCS sensors.
³ Per axis, 10 s, 1σ, ambient.
⁴ Electric propulsion system utilising water-based propellant.
⁵ Ground link data rates quoted for typical LEO ranges using standard OrbAstro ground terminals; interoperable with third-party ground networks (including AWS, KSAT, LeafSpace, etc.).
⁶ Assumes 2,000km range between two OrbAstro nanosatellites.
⁷ EDAC-protected memory (1-bit correction per 4-32 bits, depending on subsystem) and hardware/software SEU mitigation throughout, including clock and current monitoring. Memory and power switching devices are the primary radiation life-limiting components, followed by solar cells and reaction wheels depending on orbital and mission parameters. Developed in collaboration with ESA and aligned with ESA mission assurance practices. Estimated mission lifetime: 12+ years in LEO (500km), 5 years in MEO, and 10+ years in GEO.
Payload Specifications
ORB-16
≤ 16U
≤ 27.1kg
14W (cont.), 2kW (peak)
upgradeable to 154W (continuous)
Unregulated VBAT, 28V, 12V, 5V, 3.3V
1TB (NVMe SSD)
expandable to 16TB
4× RS422, 4× CAN, 4× I2C,
8× LVDS (1.2Gbps each), 4× Gigabit transceivers (32Gbps each).
ORB-8
≤ 6.5U
≤ 9.8kg
14W (cont.), 2kW (peak)
upgradeable to 154W (continuous)
Unregulated VBAT, 28V, 12V, 5V, 3.3V
1TB (NVMe SSD)
expandable to 16TB
4× RS422, 4× CAN, 4× I2C,
8× LVDS (1.2Gbps each), 4× Gigabit transceivers (32Gbps each).
Payload Volume:
Payload Mass:
Payload Power:
Regulated Payload Power Bus:
Data Storage:
Data Interfaces:
High-Speed Data Interfaces:
Baseline Mission Delivery Service
In-Orbit Commissioning: we lead Satellite Platform commissioning and support the Customer with Payload commissioning.
Constellation-Grade Nanosatellite Platform.
Flat-Sat for Payload electrical interfacing & software testing.
Mission Control System for mission rehearsal and pre-build day-in-the-life simulations.
Payload Integration Support: standardised payload electrical, mechanical, & software interfaces minimise NRE & integration risk.
Satellite Flight Acceptance Testing in accordance with the requirements of the Launch Provider.
Launch Permit: LEO, along with debris assessment support.
Spectrum Filing: S-band uplink, downlink. Ka-band downlink & ISL.
Secure on-site Satellite storage & maintenance prior to shipment for launch.
Day-in-the-life testing of Satellite flight unit.
Telemetry monitoring, command interfaces, and ground-segment access support day-to-day operations.
Access to platform software for automated pointing, power, communications, and attitude control.
Mission Operations reporting tracks health, activity, remaining life, and disposal confidence.
Anomaly-response support covers safe mode, loss of contact, cyber, and regulatory issues.
OrbAstro managed conjunction response, collision avoidance, and regulatory compliance.
Decommissioning support includes disposal planning and controlled end-of-life execution where feasible.
Optional Extras
High Performance Satellite Upgrade
ORB-16
+£150,000
0.01º (3σ)
<0.001º (3σ)
2Gbps downlink & 0.5Mbps ISL
(Ka-band transceiver upgrade)
288Wh
8TB (NVMe SSD)
All subsystem dual-redundant or better
(except Ka-band system)
ORB-8
+£150,000
0.01º (3σ)
<0.001º (3σ)
2Gbps downlink & 0.5Mbps ISL
(Ka-band transceiver upgrade)
288Wh
8TB (NVMe SSD)
All subsystem dual-redundant or better
(except Ka-band system)
Price:
Pointing Accuracy:
Pointing Knowledge:
Comms:
EPS:
Payload Data Storage:
Redundancy:
+15% Total Service Price (ex. launch)
OrbAstro offers an in-orbit performance warranty on the satellite platform and associated platform services. If the platform is lost within the agreed orbital envelope during its first year on orbit, we will replace it and re-perform the covered service scope. The warranty is limited to the OrbAstro platform itself and excludes payloads, launch, ground systems, regulatory issues, and external in-orbit hazards.
Satellite Platform In-Orbit Performance Warranty
Launch Procurement & Management
OrbAstro procurement and management of launch services, and associated documentation through a 3rd-party rideshare aggregator and/or launch provider. Price includes separation ring and is dependent on provider/orbit selected.
Fee:
ORB-8
+£200,000
ORB-16
+£375,000
Dual-Winged Deployable Solar Panels
(Power shown = total satellite solar generation)
ORB-16
Baseline
120W
+£50,000
168W
+£75,000
ORB-8
Baseline
120W
+£50,000
168W
+£75,000
Each wing has:
1 Panel:
2 Panels:
3 Panels:
EPS Battery
(Capacity shown = total satellite battery capacity)
Upgrade 1:
Upgrade 2:
ORB-8
288Wh
+£20,000
N/A
ORB-16
288Wh
+£20,000
576Wh
+£35,000
Satellite EQM Chassis
(For Payload fit-check, harness check, etc.)
Bare Chassis:
Chassis & Shear Panels:
ORB-8
+£12,000
+£16,000
ORB-16
+£15,000
+£23,000
Additional Onboard Data Storage
+£20,000 (NVMe SSD)
+£35,000 (NVMe SSD)
8TB:
16TB:
Additional Onboard Computer for Payload
+£12,000 (Xilinx Ultrascale+ MPSoC (5EG) with 4GB LPDDR and 1TB storage)
+£45,000 (Xilinx Ultrascale+ MPSoC (9/11/15EG) with up to 96GB DDR & 1TB storage)
Telos-40:
Telos-60:
Mission Control & Operations Service
Baseline Operations Package (mandatory)
£8,000/month
S-band Ground-Link (up to 1GB/day, up to 4 links/day, 95%+ availability)
Ka-band Ground-Link (up to 5GB/day, up to 2 links/day, 95%+ availability)
Mission Control System: Satellite, Mission, & Constellation Operations
OrbAstro-managed Space Traffic Management
4 hours technical support per month
Data consumed for Satellite Platform operations is up to 20MB/day, and up to 200MB/day for commissioning. Note: constraints are for uplink + downlink.
Tier 1: Up to 1GB/day, up to 8 contacts/day
Tier 2: Up to 1.5GB/day, up to 12 contacts/day
Tier 3: Up to 2GB/day, up to 16 contacts/day
1: +£4,000/month
2: +£6,000/month
3: +£8,000/month
1: +£9,000/month
2: +£12,000/month
3: +£20,000/month
4: +£35,000/month
5: +£110,000/month
6: +£200,000/month
Tier 1: Up to 10GB/day, up to 4 contacts/day
Tier 2: Up to 25GB/day, up to 6 contacts/day
Tier 3: Up to 50GB/day, up to 8 contacts/day
Tier 4: Up to 100GB/day, up to 12 contacts/day
Tier 5: Up to 500GB/day, up to 20 contacts/day
Tier 6: Up to 1TB/day, up to 30 contacts/day
OrbAstro-managed Mission Operations
+£4,000/month
OrbAstro-managed Constellation Operations
+£3,000/month (per satellite)
Additional 3rd-party Ground Stations
+£25,000 setup
+£2,000/month
In addition to utilisation OrbAstro's Ground Station Network, integration of customer-arranged ground-link providers such as AWS, KSAT, or LeafSpace, including OrbAstro SDR setup, ongoing hardware/software support, and 4 hours of technical support per month.
Up to 30 person-hours per month of OrbAstro-managed mission planning, command support, telemetry monitoring, anomaly triage, and routine reporting. Mission Control System access, baseline ground links, and space traffic management remain included in the baseline package.
OrbAstro-managed fleet operations for multi-satellite missions utilising Mission Control System. Intended for coordinated planning, commanding, and repeatable operational workflows as you scale from one spacecraft to many.
Command & Control Capacity Upgrade (S-band)
High-Rate Downlink Capacity Upgrade (Ka-band)
Discuss your mission
HQ ADDRESS
Thames Court, Goring, Oxfordshire, RG8 9AQ, United Kingdom
CONTACT US
hello@orbastro.com