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→Meaning of Payload
== Meaning of Payload ==
The question that comes first to mind when hearing about a satellite is that - what "What does it do? " Payload is essentially the answer to this question. It refers to the actual function of the satellite in space. In other words it is the purpose the satellite is built for. Most satellite teams have a payload subsystem that works on deciding this purpose and the methodology of achieving this aim. Once decided, the payload puts requirements on other aspects of the satellite. It decides what power will be required, the size of the satellite, which attitude control mechanism should be used etc. The payload affects almost everything required to build a satellite. For example, Pratham had ‘Total Electron Count (TEC) measurement in the ionosphere ’ as its payload. <br />
Usually the bigger and more advanced satellites built by ISRO, NASA or some other space agency are given a payload around which the teams have to build a satellite. To illustrate, consider that a country wants to build a telecommunication network using satellites, say for broadcasting channels on television. This is a predefined payload given to the satellite building agency and the agency can go forward to build the satellite according to the requirements. In other words, they have a purpose for which they have to build a satellite. This is not the case in most student satellite projects. <br />
What happens in a typical student satellite project is that the team wants to build a satellite and they have to decide what their payload should be. This can be a very tricky task. The payload should not be so complex to implement that it goes beyond the team’s capacity. It should be relevant to the scientific community or have some larger social good. It should also not be so trivial such that it doesn’t get the team members excited about it. It should also be kept in mind that apart from implementing the payload, the satellite has to perform several other functions that are equally important for it to be a success. You have to ensure that the control mechanism works well, you have to make sure that the communication works well etc. The payload should be compatible with all these while being the heart of the satellite project.