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A Survey of Cubesat Communication Systems: 2009–2012

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A Survey of Cubesat Communication Systems: 2009–2012 A Survey of CubeSat Communication Systems: 2009{2012 Bryan Klofas (KF6ZEO) SRI International [email protected] Kyle Leveque (KG6TXT) CubeSat Research, LLC. [email protected] April 2013 Abstract This paper is a short survey of the communication subsystems of CubeSats successfully launched into orbit between the Minotaur 1 launch in May 2009 and the ELaNa-6/NROL- 36 launch in September 2012. Detailed information about the radios, data rates, antennas, and ground stations is included. The transition from amateur satellite service to experimental service for US CubeSats is discussed. We make recommendations to increase the chance of communications success. 1 Contents 1 Introduction 4 2 United States Licensing Requirements4 3 Recommendations6 4 Satellite Comparison6 5 Satellite Detail 10 5.1 Minotaur-1......................................... 10 5.1.1 AeroCube-3..................................... 10 5.1.2 CP6......................................... 11 5.1.3 HawkSat-1..................................... 11 5.1.4 PharmaSat..................................... 11 5.2 ISILaunch 01/PSLV-C14.................................. 12 5.2.1 BEESAT-1..................................... 12 5.2.2 UWE-2....................................... 13 5.2.3 ITUpSAT1..................................... 13 5.2.4 SwissCube...................................... 13 5.3 H-IIA F17.......................................... 14 5.3.1 Hayato....................................... 14 5.3.2 Waseda-SAT2.................................... 15 5.3.3 Negai-Star...................................... 15 5.4 NLS-6/PSLV-C15...................................... 15 5.4.1 TIsat-1....................................... 16 5.4.2 StudSat....................................... 16 5.5 STP-S26........................................... 17 5.5.1 RAX-1........................................ 17 5.5.2 O/OREOS..................................... 18 5.5.3 NanoSail-D2.................................... 18 5.6 Falcon 9-002......................................... 19 5.6.1 Perseus (4)..................................... 19 5.6.2 QbX (2)....................................... 19 5.6.3 SMDC-ONE.................................... 20 5.6.4 Mayflower...................................... 20 5.7 ELaNa-1/Taurus XL.................................... 21 5.8 PSLV-C18.......................................... 22 5.8.1 Jugnu........................................ 22 5.9 ELaNa-3/NPP....................................... 22 5.9.1 AubieSat-1..................................... 23 5.9.2 DICE (2) *..................................... 23 5.9.3 HRBE........................................ 24 5.9.4 M-Cubed...................................... 25 5.9.5 RAX-2........................................ 25 5.10 Vega VV01......................................... 25 5.10.1 Xatcobeo...................................... 26 2 5.10.2 ROBUSTA..................................... 26 5.10.3 e-st@r........................................ 26 5.10.4 Goliat........................................ 27 5.10.5 PW-Sat....................................... 27 5.10.6 Masat-1....................................... 27 5.10.7 UniCubeSat-GG.................................. 28 5.11 ELaNa-6/NROL-36..................................... 28 5.11.1 SMDC-ONE (2).................................. 29 5.11.2 AeroCube-4 (3)................................... 29 5.11.3 Aeneas........................................ 30 5.11.4 CSSWE....................................... 30 5.11.5 CP5......................................... 30 5.11.6 CXBN........................................ 31 5.11.7 CINEMA...................................... 31 5.11.8 Re.......................................... 32 6 Conclusion 33 Bibliography 34 3 1 Introduction This paper is an update to an earlier survey of CubeSat Communications [1]. The current paper surveys the communications subsystems on CubeSats launched from May 2009 to September 2012, clearly showing that the communication system is one major limiting factor for CubeSats. Chapter 2 describes some of the licensing requirements for CubeSats built by US developers. Chapter 3 provides recommendations for new and existing CubeSat teams to increase their chances of a successful project. Chapter 4 is a condensed table of all the CubeSats described in Chapter 5 of this paper, which details the communication subsystems of the 49 CubeSats launched from May 2009 to September 2012. 2 United States Licensing Requirements As identified in 2002 [2,3], spectrum licensing takes the longest amount of time for CubeSat communications, often longer than building and testing the satellite. Until 2011, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) was content to let CubeSats use the amateur satellite service, even if they didn't follow all of the amateur radio regulations in Part 97. The CubeSat licensing issue was brought to the forefront during the launch of ELaNa-3/NPP in October 2011. For a variety of reasons, the FCC did not file the correct international notification paperwork with the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) for the CubeSats on this launch. Several days before launch, the ITU notified the FCC about this. The CubeSat teams scrambled to fill out all the paperwork, and all documents were submitted to the ITU before launch [5]. Due to this mix-up, the FCC became more active at the CubeSat Summer Workshop during the Small Satellite Conference in Logan, Utah, in August 2012. A representative from the FCC suggested that most CubeSat teams should get an experimental license instead of amateur, based on Section 97.113, which prohibits any type of payment to the licensee or control operators of the spacecraft [4]. FCC met in November 2012 with representatives from NASA, NRO, and the CubeSat commu- nity to prevent this licensing issue in the future. The results of this meeting are contained in FCC Public Notice DA-13-445A1, \Guidance on Obtaining Licenses for Small Satellites." This document touches on who is eligible to apply for a license, how to apply, what documents are required, orbital debris mitigation, and post-launch notifications. Figure1 shows a flow diagram, based on this FCC Public Notice and communication with FCC employees, for determining which license CubeSat teams should apply for. These documents and charts reflect one interpretation of the views of the FCC, and are not applicable to US Government- funded and -operated satellites (licensed by the NTIA) or to international CubeSats. 4 Note: This flow chart is for United States CubeSat teams only. Rules and processes in other countries will differ. Determine Comm NTIA licensing process US Government Yes NTIA Start System through sponsoring owned & operated Requirements † Authorized government agency satellite? † Comm System Requirements: Required link margin No Satellite Data rate/modulation schemes FCC Commercial Yes Communications Allocation/frequency band Licensed Purpose? Identify coordination requirement Part 25 Transmitter power (ground and satellite) Receiver sensitivity (ground and satellite) Radiation pattern/satellite pointing No Capable ground stations/locations Not done by Annex X of IARU Satellite Specification CubeSats before; need path finder Experimental Lifetime Amateur radio No Radio No Yes less than 6 purpose and no Service months? money involved? Part 5 Amateur Satellite Yes 7.3 §9 Service Part 97 Gather frequency Experimental authorization STA Gather frequency inputs * authorization §5.61 inputs * Receives frequency I Using Amateur Yes A coordination request R Satellite Service 8 to 10 months before U frequencies? ǂ ǂ Amateur Satellite CubeSat integration Service Frequencies: C Various HF o o No 144-146 MHz r Discussions on d 435-438 MHz i appropriate n 1260-1270 MHz Uplink frequency, bandwidth, a Contact and 2400-2450 MHz t i power, etc. o coordinate with 3400-3410 MHz n primary and NTIA 5650-5670 MHz Uplink users in band P 5830-5850 MHz Downlink r If frequency and o and Higher bandwidth usage are c e appropriate, IARU s provides coordinated s frequencies Receives inputs * 6 months before integration and adds * Frequency Authorization Inputs from CubeSat Developer: SpaceCap, etc. IARU coordination letter (if applicable) Radio manufacturer details Frequency/modulation details ( C Prepares separate F RF power/antenna details u C applications; each Satellite mission/payload b C team reviews and e Ground station details S approves application L ODAR inputs: a a · DAS t u I n · Explosion/collision probability n c Submits separate t · Post-mission disposal (25-year rule) h e applications 5 months g · Re-entry probability (confirmation that no debris survise P r before integration on reeentry) a O behalf of each team t C o r ) Tracks separate FCC notifies ITU, and Bryan Klofas applications through if no objections, Launch Version 12 FCC and relays grants Frequency questions to team Authorizations April 2013 Figure 1: United States licensing flow chart. 5 3 Recommendations Based on the the research for this paper, we have several recommendations for CubeSat developers with respect to their communications subsystem. Our earlier recommendations are still valid [1]. Timeframe: Teams should begin thinking about frequency licensing of their satellites when the project starts, even before any hardware has been designed or purchased. For non-government teams in the US, the FCC is encouraging an experimental license, with IARU coordination letter if applicable (see previous section). Licensing often takes one year or more. Command
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