ERPSat-1 scientific pico satellite development

ERPSat-1 project study and development has started since January 2009 in the Research Group on Intelligent Machines Laboratory in the National School of Engineers of Sfax, Tunisia. This interdisciplinary project incorporates electrical, telecommunication and mechanical engineering, as well as computer science and physics. ERPSat-1 objectives could be distinguished as educational objectives and Scientific and research objectives. Therefore, we would like to design a Tunisian pico satellite for remote sensing which could be helpful for forest fire detection, cartography and providing communication in non covered areas in Tunisia. In this paper, we present the mission analyses of ERPSat-1, the extended architecture of its design especially the communication, the electrical power, the attitude determination and control and the image capturing subsystems. These modules are characterized by their very low power consumption.