DEFIANT Small Satellite Bus
SFL Missions (Space Flight Laboratory)
Flight-proven 20–35 kg 27U-format bus for HawkEye 360, NorSat-4, and DND Grey Jay missions. Up to 30 kg payload, S/X-Band comms, multiple propulsion options.
Typed specifications21 values
Discloses 3 of 7 fields engineers filter by in this category (category median 3).
- Mass
- 20–35 kg product page
- Envelope (L×W×H)
- 36 x 36 x 45 cm (scalable) DEFIANT volume · datasheet p.1
- TRL
- 9 product page
- Max payload mass
- 30 kg max · DEFIANT payload mass up to 30 kg · datasheet p.1
- Payload volume
- 26 L max · DEFIANT payload volume up to 26 dm3 · datasheet p.1
- Power available to payload
- 215 W max · peak; DEFIANT payload power (orbit energy up to 76 Wh/orbit);… · datasheet p.1
- Power generation (orbit average)
- 50–100 W peak · product page
- Attitude control
- 3-axis stabilised ACS modes: 3-axis inertial, nadir, target tracking · datasheet p.1
- Pointing accuracy
- 0 ° ACS performance with gyro, star tracker and reaction wheels; … · datasheet p.1 2 ° ACS performance with magnetometer, sun sensor, reaction wheel… | 0.003 ° ACS performance with star tracker and three reaction wheels; …
- Propulsion
- optional DEFIANT column · datasheet p.1
- Payload data downlink rate
- 120 000 kbps max · DEFIANT downlink up to 120 Mbps (band not stated) · datasheet p.1
- Radio band
- UHF product page VHF | S | X
- Subsystems included
- GNSS receiver navigation: GPS, 5-10 m · datasheet p.1
- Max satellite wet mass
- 50 kg max · caption under table: "DEFIANT – up to 50 kg" · datasheet p.1 20–60 kg DEFIANT column, satellite mass 20-60 kg (example specs)
- Deployables (as printed)
- Articulated solar arrays available footnote (4) to payload power row · datasheet p.1
Each value is typed with its unit and measurement condition and cites the datasheet page it was taken from. Nothing is guessed: a field that is absent here has not been published by the manufacturer. machine-extracted ✓ checked by NewSpace Market ✓ manufacturer confirmed by the manufacturer.
As published by the supplier13 lines, in the manufacturer's own wording
- Mass
- 20–35 kg
- Dimensions
- 300 × 300 × 400–450 mm (27U form factor)
- Payload mass
- Up to 30 kg
- Payload volume
- 11,000 cm³
- Peak power
- 50–100 W (body + 2 deployable solar wings)
- Payload power
- 45 W @ 40% duty cycle min; 65 W max
- Pointing accuracy (mag)
- ~2°
- Pointing accuracy (star tracker)
- 10–60 arcsec
- Propulsion options
- Cold gas, resistojet, monopropellant, iodine electric
- Communications
- UHF/VHF/S-Band/X-Band; 32 kbps–50 Mbps downlink
- GPS navigation
- 5–10 m accuracy
- TRL
- 9 (flight-proven)
- Notable missions
- NorSat-4, NorSat-TD, HawkEye 360, DND Grey Jay
About
The DEFIANT is SFL’s medium-small satellite bus, bridging the gap between nanosatellites and larger platforms. At 20–35 kg in a 300×300×400-450 mm (27U) form factor, DEFIANT supports demanding Earth observation, RF geolocation, maritime surveillance, and defence missions with a robust payload capacity of up to 30 kg and 11,000 cm³ of payload volume.
Attitude control options span passive (magnetic + fine sun sensors + reaction wheels, ~2° accuracy) to precision (star tracker, 10–60 arcsec), and propulsion options include cold gas, resistojet, monopropellant, and iodine electric. Communications are configurable across UHF/VHF, S-Band, and X-Band at 32 kbps to 50 Mbps downlink. Flight missions include NorSat-4 (AIS + low-light Arctic imaging, January 2025), NorSat-TD (ion propulsion + laser comms demo), HawkEye 360 RF-geolocation cluster, and DND Grey Jay surveillance satellite.
Documentation
Need the full ICD, test reports or a specific revision? Ask the supplier directly.