Mission NASA Athena Epic (Economical Payload Integration Cost) is a test launch of an innovative scaled spacecraft for future missions. A small satellite platform distributes resources between utility loads, taking on routine functions, that reduces costs and accelerates preparation for startup.
Mission's partners are noaa (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) and the US Space Force, and the industrial partner is NovaWurks, which provided the spacecraft with the Hyper-Integrated Satlet platform (HISat). HISat is a modular component, similar to constructors, which form larger SensorCraft structures. These frameworks share resources between multiple workloads, adapting to different sizes and shapes, which provides design flexibility, economical access to space and maneuverability between orbits.
Athena sensory load, developed by NASA's Langley Research Center in Virginia, consists of an optical module, calibration module and new sensor electronics, built from spare parts of the CERES mission (Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System), which monitors the Earth's radiation balance.
Unlike traditional satellites, which can be the size of a school bus and contain numerous devices with their own control systems, power and redundancy for reliability, The mini-fridge-sized SensorCraft significantly lowers costs, from billions to millions of dollars per mission. This approach provides greater redundancy and simplifies the workload, using HISat processors to control functions, such as heaters.
Athena EPIC is scheduled for launch 22 in July together with the TRACERS mission on the SpaceX Falcon rocket 9 from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California. TRACERS.
Source: https://www.nasa.gov