The Institute of Space Systems (IRS) at the University of Stuttgart participated in the design, development, and construction of an orbital satellite. Students and faculty were involved in everything from hardware to software used in a satellite that operates once in space. Very recently, as part of this program, the first satellite to be completed, 'Flying Laptop,' was launched.

After entering orbit, Flying Laptop will participate in Earth observation and space weather monitoring. However, more importantly, it is to enhance the quality of university education through direct satellite development project experience, including all infrastructure necessary to support the mission and all systems to demonstrate orbital validation of satellite operations.

During the development process of Flying Laptop, over 120 student theses and over 20 doctoral dissertations were mobilized, and after the launch, students who participated in this project have been involved in the satellite's operations at the institute's own ground station.

OnSemiconductor's KAI-1003 image sensor was adopted in the Multi-Spectral Imaging Camera System (MICS), the primary payload of this satellite. This system consists of three cameras operating in different spectral bands such as green (530 – 580 nm), red (620 – 670 nm), and near-infrared (835 – 885 nm), providing highly detailed spectral information about observed objects either individually or in combination.

When selecting the image sensor to be used in this system, the following various characteristics were essential to confirm and adopt. The project team required (1) an area array imager capable of capturing an entire image at once, (2) very high sensitivity providing excellent signal-to-noise ratio, (3) good sensitivity in the target spectral band, and (4) an electronic shutter.

The KAI-1003, with 1 megapixel large 12.8 µm pixels per element, 170 ke full well capacity, and 72 dB dynamic range, meets all these requirements and continues to function properly since its adoption in this system.

Because it takes several weeks after launch before the satellite system becomes fully operational, the timing for Flying Laptop's camera system to capture and transmit its first image is expected to be possible only after August. However, the satellite has already been updating its launch progress through Twitter and plans to continue sharing the satellite's mission progress thereafter.