Satellite

The CoRot satellite is composed of:

• a PROTEUS platform (Plateforme Reconfigurable pour l'Observation, pour les Télécommunications et les Usages Scientifiques). This bus is designed for 500 kg class satellites, operating in low Earth orbit. CoRot is the third mission to use this platform and the associated generic ground control segment after Jason-1 and Calipso.

• a payload which is made up of an off axis telescope, a wide field camera operating in the visible, an equipment bay hosting analogical and digital electronics and a flight software programme in charge of the aperture photometry processing and the delivery of angle error measurement data to the platform (fine pointing mode).

CoRot Satellite Main Characteristics   Mass   630 kg at launch Payload mass 300 kg Length 4100 mm Diameter 1984 mm Power 530 W Pointing accuracy 0.5 arcsec Telemetry 1.5 Gbit/day Mass memory capacity 2 Gbit Delta V 90 m/s Mission duration 2.5 years

© Thales Alenia Space/JL Bazile 2006