A 6U CubeSat Platform for Low Earth Remote Sensing: DEWASAT-2 Mission Concept and Analysis

Abstract

This paper presents an in-depth analysis of DEWASAT-2, a 6U CubeSat designed for low Earth remote sensing applications. DEWASAT-2 is equipped with two payloads: a high-resolution camera for Earth observation and a spectrometer for detecting greenhouse gases. This paper describes the mission analysis and design of DEWASAT-2 as well as the link budget, power budget, and data budget. Additionally, the paper includes simulations and plots that illustrate the access times, lifetime, and other important parameters of the CubeSat. The outcomes presented in this article emphasise that DEWASAT-2 will contribute to fulfilling and enhancing various use cases of the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) network such as weather monitoring and forecasting and the detection of seawater salinity.

Keywords

• remote sensing
• low Earth orbit
• greenhouse gases
• CubeSat
• spectrometer
• DEWASAT-2