BackForward Satellite Programme: Project for On-Board Autonomy 

Programme details
Programme description
  • Series of minisatellite technology demonstration missions
  • Framed in the ESA's General Support Technology Programme (GSTP), with the objective to address issues of on-board operational autonomy of a generic platform.
  • The platforms are actively stabilised over 3 axes.
  • The design life time of the satellites is 2.5 years.
  • Sunsynchronous orbits with various ECT, depending on the specific mission.
  • See detailed description at http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Technology/Proba_Missions.
Data circulation
  • Data downloading and mission management distributed between satellite and ground stations on the basis of automatic procedures.  Main mission management centre in Redu (Belgium).
  • Data of Earth Observation interest managed by the ESA/ESRIN Earthnet service of Frascati (Rome) as Third Party Mission.
Agencies ESA
Programme lifetime 2001 - 2030
Associated satellites and instruments

Note: red tag => no longer operational , green tag => operational , blue tag => planned