BIRD (Bispectral and Infrared Remote Detection) is a

satellite A satellite or an artificial satellite is an object, typically a spacecraft, placed into orbit around a celestial body. They have a variety of uses, including communication relay, weather forecasting, navigation ( GPS), broadcasting, scient ...

launched by

ISRO The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO ) is India's national space agency, headquartered in Bengaluru, Karnataka. It serves as the principal research and development arm of the Department of Space (DoS), overseen by the Prime Minister o ...

in 2001 for DLR. This small (92 kg) boxlike system, with

solar panels A solar panel is a device that converts sunlight into electricity by using photovoltaic (PV) cells. PV cells are made of materials that produce excited electrons when exposed to light. These electrons flow through a circuit and produce direct ...

and two collectors on stub wings, has remarkable fire-detection qualities. It hosts a two-channel infrared sensor system in combination with a Wide-Angle Optoelectronic Stereo Scanner (WAOSS). It also features a neuronal network classificator in orbit to reduce downlink bandwidth and cost. The unique combination of a stereo camera and two infrared cameras gives the opportunity to acquire: * More precise information about leaf mass and photosynthesis is needed for the early diagnosis of vegetation conditions and changes. * Real-time discrimination between smoke and water clouds The attitude and control system of the BIRD satellite was reused in the TET-1 satellite.

Publications

A BIRD satellite architecture (in German) (pdf)
O. Maibaum, T. Terzibaschian, "Lessons learned from the Object-Oriented Design of the BIRD Attitude Control System Software", 16th IFAC Symposium on Automatic Control in Aerospace (ACA'2004), ACA'2004 Preprints (Vol.I), S. 156-161, St.Petersburg, 14–18 June 2004

References

Satellites orbiting Earth Spacecraft launched in 2001 Satellites of Germany {{Europe-spacecraft-stub

Publications

See also

References