The OrbAstro 3U satellite platform includes engineering support with payload integration, flight-acceptance testing of the fully integrated satellite, and storage before shipment to the launch provider. Launch can be managed by OrbAstro and provided through a 3rd-party partner; price displayed is indicative of standard LEO/SSO orbit (does not include launch costs, are +£95,000). This product-line has been made possible through contracts with: ESA, UK Space Agency, UKRI Innovate UK, ESA Business Incubation Centre UK.

The first ORB-3 satellite platform with a commercial payload onboard is launching in Q2 2021 on a SpaceX Falcon 9. It will have all of the standard subsystems listed. Additionally, it will have deployable solar panels, both Telos-10 and Telos-40, and both S-band transceiver & Ka-band transmitter + antennas. OrbAstro currently has subsequent platforms booked for launch in late-2021 and mid-2022, both 6U variants (ORB-6). For the most part, subsystems on the 3U platforms are identical to those on the 6U platforms. The OrbAstro team has a long history of developing complex satellite subsystems, from concept to orbital operations.

The volumetric efficiency of the ORB family of satellite platforms has been enabled by the team compressing what is typically seven 1U-scale PCBs into a single 85x80mm board. This "satellite on a board" contains: the OBC, reaction wheel controls, magnetorquer controls, camera interfaces, star-tracker interfaces, all sensor interfaces, full SDR S-/X-band, GPS, optical data processing and control, and EPS.

The platform utilises an OrbAstro Telos-10 OBC. The OBC is based on Xilinx Ultrascale+ MPSoCs with ARM cortex A53 and R5 64-bit processing cores, 2GB LPDDR4, 64GB eMMC, 250GFLOP double precision FPU, software and hardware based mitigation for SEU and SEL. For exceptional data processing requirements, the onboard computer can be upgraded to an OrbAstro Telos-40 OBC for an additional £5,000 or Telos-45 for an additional £20,000. This gives two cores for payload operations on which customers can have their own software either Bare Metal or Linux. No further payload volume in consumed with this change, however power available for the payload will be reduced depending on how heavily this OBC is utilised.

The platform hosts a optical communications system for data relay through the Guardian Network. Subscription packages vary, but 500MB/day uplink/downlink with up to 24 links per day is the baseline. Service available from mid-2023. As a back-up, and until the Guardian Network becomes operational, the platform contains an S-band transceiver and antenna with a 50Mb/s typical data rate at 1,000km. All Guardian Network ground stations are capable of supporting S-band, X-band, and Ka-band links. Three associated ground stations will be operational by late 2021. The S-band transceiver can be complimented with a Ka-band transmitter and antenna for an additional £5,000. The transmitter typically provides an additional 200Mb/s downlink at 1,000km range. But power available to the payload is reduced depending on utilisation, and 0.15U payload volume is consumed. All Guardian Network ground stations are capable of supporting S-band, X-band, and Ka-band. Three associated ground stations will be operational by late 2021.

The ADCS is based on an array of reaction wheels, magnetorquers, dual star-tracker cameras, Earth and Sun cameras, magnetometers, gyroscopes, and GPS unit, with a relatively comprehensive level of redundancy built in. It provides accurate pointing control authority (< 0.1deg/s) and pointing knowledge (< 0.01deg/s) in both Solar and Eclipse phases. It provides high torque authority (40mNm) and momentum storage capacity (38mNms). This ability for agile steering/pointing enables the customer to increase the amount of useful data collected by their payload (i.e., by jumping between points of interest through the orbit rather than say maintaining a fixed NADIR-pointing angle). The overhead for this type of target-tracking operation is much compressed when coupled to the Guardian Network autonomous mission operations service.

A dual electric propulsion system is contained within the "tuna cans" of the platform. It provides a maximum thrust of 232μN and a delta-V of 0.46km/s (baselining a 10kg spacecraft). The unit enables accelerated deployment, accelerated RAAN drift, formation maintenance, station-keeping, collision avoidance, and active deorbit capabilities. The design is robust and reliable with independent thruster heads, multiple neutralisers, redundancy built into the integrated electronics, no pressurised tanks, and no moving parts.

The platform will utilise a 72Wh variant of the OrbAstro EPS technology. Utilisation of conventional lithium-ion chemistries for batteries are one of the primary causes of early decommissioning of nanosatellites, due to cycle lifetime and vulnerability to the thermal environment. OrbAstro uses an alternative cell chemistry suited to the LEO environment and satellite mission requirements. The battery can operate at an 85% depth of discharge over a period of 30,000 cycles at 2C. The maximum power consumption is 400W. The battery is robust to the thermal environment, with an operating temperature range of -200C to +600C with minimal impact on capacity and lifetime. An optional upgrade to increase power capacity of the battery to 144Wh is available for an additional £5,000, reducing payload volume available by 0.55U. This is achieved by adding an additional 72Wh battery.

As a baseline, platform mounted solar panels are provided on 3 long faces of the chassis, generating 12.5W orbital average, of which 8Wh average is available for payload operations, depending on mission requirements. An optional upgrade to increase power available to the payload to 43Wh is available for an additional £15,000. This is achieved with the addition of a deployable solar array (i.e., 3 additional 6U-faces worth of solar panels). No payload volume is consumed with this addition.