Spacecraft bus

SWOT spacecraft bus

The SWOT spacecraft bus provides electrical power to the satellite, controls its attitude, handles payload data and sends them to ground via an X-band link, and performs thermal control functions. Its thrusters control the satellite’s orbit and re-entry at the end of its life. 

Particular attention has been paid to micro-vibrations so as not to affect interferometric measurements.

The avionics draw on the heritage of a generic product line developed by Thales Alenia Space and optimized through CNES’s ISIS product line for satellite command/control.

A high-performance 4-Tbit mass memory enables high-speed acquisition and storage of data from KaRIn for transmission via the X-band telemetry link.

A 30-m2 solar array provides power to the satellite in all solar illumination conditions, compensating for orbital drift.