Development of a Compact Space Imaging Module for Nano- and Pico- Multisatellite Earth Observation Systems

This paper introduces the concept and prototype of EO-NANO, a compact space imaging module designed for nano-and picosatellite Earth Observation (EO) systems.The module features a hybrid architecture that integrates a Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 (RP CM4) as the main processor and a Raspberry Pi Pico (RP2040) microcontroller for auxiliary control and data transfer.Key hardware features include a multiplexing solution that accommodates up to four camera interfaces and a shared SD card mechanism to enhance fault tolerance and power efficiency.The primary objective of this work is to develop an integrated hardware and software system that simplifies and standardizes the integration of ERS payloads into small satellite platforms, thereby making space imaging more accessible and affordable.