The NewSpace approach of utilizing CubeSats and smaller satellites for complex LEO missions that once were reserved only for bigger platform, paired with the requirement of enduring reliability and quality assurance on batches of tens of satellites, is paving the way for the use of commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) components in micro-satellite missions. The recent global supply chain issues and extended lead times in the procurement of micro-controllers, memories and passive electronic components, caused by the pandemic and factories shutdowns, have resulted in a forced procurement diversification of several key elements, even in partially assembled products.

GAUSS has been designing, manufacturing, and launching Small Satellites since early 2000.

Its tenth satellite, UNISAT-7, was launched by a Soyuz-Fregat LV on March 22nd, 2021. Thanks to the vast experience gained on the application of commercial components in all the subsystems developed by the company, the typical overall costs for a complete platform are substantially lower compared to competitors, while retaining similar reliability.

UNISAT-7, developed using lean-satellite methodologies, included more than 28 independent subsystems with their own telemetry, and most of them were developed in-house using ground COTS components; no space-grade products were employed, to save on overall mission costs. Some systems were devised from the start using open-source hardware, to expedite the prototyping process, while having the benefit of using readily available software, generally included with these platforms. Raspberry embedded devices were employed on the flight model for two remote sensing systems, to test how such systems, duly adapted to sustain space conditions, may perform and show reliability similar to commercial space systems worth thousand times the value.

All systems have been activated and successfully verified for an entire year in LEO. They were hardened for vacuum, extreme temperatures, radiation, and launch stresses using common items found in general hardware stores.

This work will delve into the open-source/COTS components used, the process employed to strengthen them, and the programmed flight firmware routines for maximizing embedded devices’ reliability in space.

NewSpace 将 CubeSat 和更小的卫星用于复杂的 LEO任务的方法，这些任务曾经只保留给更大的平台，再加上对数十颗卫星的批次的持久可靠性和质量保证的要求，正在为商业化的使用铺平道路-微型卫星任务中的现成 (COTS) 组件。最近全球供应链问题以及由大流行和工厂停工导致的微控制器、存储器和无源电子元件采购的交货时间延长，导致几个关键要素的采购被迫多样化，即​​使是部分组装的产品也是如此。

自 2000 年初以来，高斯一直在设计、制造和发射小型卫星。

其第十颗卫星 UNISAT-7 于 2021 年 3 月 22 日由 Soyuz-Fregat LV 发射。由于在公司开发的所有子系统中应用商业组件的丰富经验，完整的典型总成本平台比竞争对手低得多，同时保持相似的可靠性。

UNISAT-7 是使用精益卫星方法开发的，包括超过 28 个独立的子系统和自己的遥测技术，其中大部分是使用地面 COTS 组件在内部开发的；没有使用太空级产品，以节省总体任务成本。一些系统从一开始就使用开源硬件设计，以加快原型制作过程，同时受益于使用现成的软件，这些软件通常包含在这些平台中。Raspberry 嵌入式设备被用于两个遥感系统的飞行模型，以测试这些系统如何适当适应维持空间条件，如何执行和显示类似于价值数千倍的商业空间系统的可靠性。

所有系统都已在 LEO 中激活并成功验证了整整一年。使用一般五金店中常见的物品，它们针对真空、极端温度、辐射和发射应力进行了硬化处理。

这项工作将深入研究所使用的开源/COTS 组件、用于加强它们的过程，以及用于最大限度地提高嵌入式设备在太空中的可靠性的编程飞行固件例程。