Utilizing four critical segments to bring you satellite monitoring of your fixed and mobile assets » SPACE SEGMENT   LAUNCH SEGMENT   GROUND SEGMENT   USER SEGMENT		WE'VE BROUGHT THE COSTS OF SPACECRAFT DESIGN DOWN TO EARTH Aprize Satellite's proprietary spacecraft design reduces the construction and launch cost for a Little LEO satellite constellation by almost an order of magnitude. While others have been quoting an estimated cost of $350 to $600 million for the construction and launch of a Little LEO constellation of 24 to 48 satellites, Aprize can deploy a comparable system for $60 million. This significant cost reduction is the direct result of a unique system architecture that eliminates the need for an active satellite attitude control system and precise orbital station, using compressed gas, fuel and/or thrusters. The elimination of these heavy components results in a sizable reduction in the mechanical structure, mass and satellite power requirements. The initial Aprize system will include six communication satellites in low-Earth orbits. These satellites circle the earth 14 times each day, receiving data signals from all the active user equipment, and polling those from which data is specifically requested. Each satellite stores the data it receives until a Regional Satellite Node (RSN) is within view, at which time the satellite transmits the data to the RSN. After the data relay market is sufficiently developed, up to 42 more satellites will be deployed into similar orbits. These additional satellites will increase the data relay capacity, system redundancy and global coverage. Aprize's satellites are miniature spacecraft that are carefully designed and optimized for data relay with very low power consumption. Excluding antennas, each satellite is a mere eight-inch cube weighing less than 25 pounds. Despite this small size, each satellite's communications receivers are as sensitive as satellites that are ten times its size. Each satellite contains ten radio receivers, two power-agile transmitters and up to twelve megabytes of solid-state data storage. The radios used for communications operate in the UHF frequency band authorized by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) for Non-Voice, Non-Geostationery Mobile Satellite Services (NVNG MSS). The small physical size of a spacecraft limits the amount of power generation that is possible with a limited solar panel area. Through the use of high-efficiency Gallium Arsenide solar panels, low-power circuit designs and microelectronic components, Aprize as able to reduce the total power consumption of the spacecraft Bus to less than one watt. By operating the satellite's high-power transmitter only during those times when it is actually communicating with User Terminals, it is possible to extract the needed power from six nickel cadmium batteries, and then recharge the batteries during the non-operating portion of the satellite's orbit. Using this strategy, each satellite can collect data from more than 100,000 worldwide User Terminals daily. Painstaking engineering design and the elimination of non-essential functions from the satellite's operation have dramatically reduced the size, weight and cost of our Little LEO spacecraft … and put them well within your reach for all your tracking and monitoring needs today.
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