PROBA-2 Mission facts and figures

PROBA-2 Spacecraft (image ESA)
  • ESA Mission
  • Launch: 2 November 2009
  • Orbit: LEO Sun-synchronous
  • Altitude: 725 km
  • Spacecraft mass: 127 kg
  • Technology demonstrations
  • Science payload for solar observation and plasma measurement

X-CAM micro-camera for PROBA-2

Micro-Cameras & Space Exploration has delivered a Digital Space Micro-Camera and electronics for the PROBA-2 Mission of the European Space Agency.

X-CAM (center) and its electronic box (top-right) mounted on the spacecraft (credits ESA)

The X-CAM is a powerful micro-camera with advanced features, equipped with wide-angle optics.

The instrument features are :

  • Field of view: 100°
  • 16 bits A/D conversion
  • Embedded lossless image compression
  • Autoexposure capability
  • Multiple images storage capacity
  • Local temperature measurement
  • 10 Mbits/s data rate
  • Power consumption: 1.8 W
  • Camera mass with bracket: 221 g
  • Dedicated electronics for data handling and power management