NEXTAR

Not to be confused with Nexstar.

NEXTAR (from NEC Next　Generation　Star) is a Low Earth orbit Earth observation satellite bus designed and manufactured by NEC Space Systems of Japan.^[1][2] This three axis stabilized platform has a bus dry mass of 250 kg (550 lb), it can carry payloads up to 250 kg (550 lb) and 600 W. It uses tri-junction GaAs has an expected life between 3 and 5 years.^[1]

NEXTAR NX-300L

Manufacturer	NEC Space Systems
Country of origin	Japan
Applications	Earth observation
Specifications
Spacecraft type	Earth observation
Dry mass	250 kg (550 lb)
Payload capacity	up to 250 kg (550 lb)
Dimensions	950 mm × 950 mm × 950 mm (37 in × 37 in × 37 in) (W×D×H)
Power	Up to 600 W
Batteries	Li-ion
Regime	Low Earth orbit
Design life	3 to 5 years
Production
Status	In Production

Its telemetry and control subsystem includes S band and X band channels.^[1]

Platform models

As of 2014, there are three different models of the NEXTAR standardized platform. All feature a common core of features like using the SpaceWire communications protocol, the SpaceCube2 on-board computer and autonomous control functions. The different models are:^[3]

• NX-300L: Low Earth orbit platform for small observation satellites in the 300 to 500 kg (660 to 1,100 lb) range. It was born out of the ASNARO 1 work and is used mainly for Earth observation applications.^[3][4]
• NX-1500L: Low Earth orbit platform for medium observation satellites in the 1,000 to 1,500 kg (2,200 to 3,300 lb) range. It began with the work on GCOM-W and is used mainly for Earth observation applications.^[3][4]
• NX-G: Geosynchronous orbit platform for small communication satellites in the 1.5 to 3 t (1.7 to 3.3 tons) range. Based on the work of the WINDS satellite, it will be used mainly for communications applications.^[3][4]

List of satellites

Satellites using the NEXTAR platform.^[1]

See also

• DS2000 - Mitsubishi Electric's standard satellite bus
• Star Bus – Another comparable satellite bus made by Orbital ATK.