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Expanding Cubesat Capabilities with a Low Cost Transceiver SSC14-IX-1 Expanding CubeSat Capabilities with a Low Cost Transceiver Scott Palo Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences University of Colorado 429 UCB, Boulder, CO 80309; 303-492-4289 [email protected] Darren O’Connor, Elizabeth DeVito and Rick Kohnert Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics University of Colorado 1234 Innovation Drive, Boulder, CO 80303 [email protected] Gary Crum and Serhat Altunc Goddard Space Flight Center NASA 8800 Greenbelt Road Greenbelt, MD 20771 [email protected] ABSTRACT CubeSats have developed rapidly over the past decade with the advent of a containerized deployer system and ever increasing launch opportunities. These satellites have moved from an educational tool to teach students about engineering challenges associated with satellite design, to systems that are conducting cutting edge earth, space and solar science. Early variants of the CubeSat had limited functionality and lacked sophisticated attitude control, deployable solar arrays and propulsion. This is no longer the case and as CubeSats mature, such systems are becoming commercially available. The result is a small satellite with sufficient power and pointing capabilities to support a high rate communication system. Communications systems have matured along with other CubeSat subsystems. Originally developed from amateur radio systems, CubeSats have generally operated in the VHF and UHF bands at data rates below 10kbps. More recently higher rate UHF systems have been developed, however these systems require a large collecting area on the ground to close the communications link at 3Mbps. Efforts to develop systems that operate with similar throughput at S-Band (2-4 GHz) and C-Band (4-8 GHz) have also recently evolved. In this paper we outline an effort to develop a high rate CubeSat communication system that is compatible with the NASA Near Earth Network and can be accommodated by a CubeSat. The system will include a 200kbps S-Band receiver and a 12.5Mbps X-Band transmitter. This paper will focus on our design approach and initial results associated with the 12.5Mbps X-Band transmitter. INTRODUCTION funded Colorado Space Weather Experiment (CSSWE) The University of Colorado Boulder (CU) has a long [Palo et al., 2010; Li et al., 2010; 2012] which has been history of providing low-cost, high value satellites operating on orbit since September 2012. Upcoming CU CubeSat projects include the NASA funded through student, professional and scientist collaboration to optimize the activities on every level. Examples Miniaturized X-ray Spectrometer (MinXSS) and the include the Solar Mesosphere Explorer (SME) [Barth, NSF funded Challenger CubeSat which is one of four US CubeSats participating in the European QB50 et al, 1983; Thomas et al., 1984] and Student Nitric Oxide Explorer (SNOE) [Solomon et al., 1996; Bailey project to launch 50 CubeSats into low earth orbit. et al., 2005] satellites designed and deployed before The evolution of CubeSat technologies has occurred CubeSat opportunities existed. More recently CU has rapidly over the past 10 years and evolved from embraced CubeSats which includes the very successful university labs and projects [Twiggs, 2008]. The early National Science Foundation (NSF) [Moretto, 2008] Palo 1 28th Annual AIAA/USU Conference on Small Satellites CubeSat systems utilized body mounted solar arrays, the ionosphere and providing a commercially available generally had no attitude control, lacked propulsion and near real-time data product. The volume and application had rudimentary communication systems based on of data was well suited for use of the Earth Explorer amateur radio equipment. With increasing flight Satellite Service spectrum in the 2025 to 2110 MHz S- opportunities for CubeSats the technology has evolved Band uplink and 8025 to 8400 MHz X-Band downlink quickly with high precision attitude determination and regions. While investigating radio options for the control systems (see http://bluecanyontech.com), satellite, LASP engineers and students also considered deployable solar arrays (see http://www.clyde- the possibility of designing their own low cost space.com and http://www.mmadesignllc.com) and transceiver. The recent availability of commercial small propulsion systems (see Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuits (MMIC’s) https://www.rocket.com/cubesat) now available. for radio frequency (RF) circuit design in these Communication systems have also evolved from the frequencies presented an opportunity. early 1200bps amplitude sift keying (ASK) systems to 3 Mbps quadrature phase shift keying systems which also A two stage upconverter for an X-Band transmitter include forward error correction coding. One of the implementing QPSK modulation was breadboarded challenges in moving forward with CubeSat using evaluation boards and showed promise. Using communication systems is not just the availability of these results a paper design was developed capable of flight hardware but also the compatibility with ground meeting the link budget, power limits, and form factor system technology and spectrum allocation. The constraints for a low cost CubeSat radio with downlink Federal Communication Commission (FCC) and the data rates on the order of 10 Mbps. Elements of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) strictly design were optimized using 3D electromagnetic control the allocation and use of the radio spectrum simulation tools to guide the layout. A prototype system which is becoming increasingly crowded. One must be was constructed where intermodulation distortion cognizant of the available radio service, bandwidth and products were observed and proved difficult to power density limitation when considering a radio eliminate. This effort showed that the design was design [Klofas 2013]. feasible and led to a new single up-converter design. The lack of high rate radios that fit into the CubeSat CU is continuing to advance the transceiver design form and power envelope will limit the future potential under a SmallSat Technology Partnership award of these systems to conduct compelling science. While (NNX13AR01A), working with NASA engineers at the L3 UHF Cadet radio is compatible with the CubeSat Goddard, Wallops and Marshall Space Flight centers. operational envelope and can achieve 3Mbps in the Student participation is also being leveraged to speed 460-470MHz band [Kneller et. al., 2012], which is the development of an S-Band receiver through a proof available for space-to-ground communications, the of concept design being done as part of a senior project maximum power flux density at the ground requires the course. Herein we discuss the lessons learned from the use of a large 20m class antenna to close the link at initial prototype; how those lessons led to changes in these data rates. The most obvious approach is to move the original design; and the basic but inexpensive up in frequency to S-Band (2-4 GHz), C-Band (4-8 capabilities expected of the initial radio. Future GHz), X-Band (8-12 GHz) or the K-Bands (12-40GHz) capabilities will be enabled through the inclusion of where antenna apertures become smaller for a similar highly underutilized FPGA’s in the design, providing, gain. Note that this nomenclature comes from the IEEE e.g., the ability to add more advanced error detection 521-2002 Standard on Letter Designations for Radar- and correction coding to the data streams. The Frequency Bands. The selection of an operational band architecture can expand to handle data rates on the is limited by the FCC/ITU regulations, primary band order of 100 Mbps and to operate at other frequencies. users and the availability of robust inexpensive In fact, this research paves the way for even higher data technology, however there is spectrum available in all rate cube/small satellite communications. Although of these bands for ground-to-space and space-to-ground this work mainly focuses on X-Band transmit satellite communications. capabilities, in the future this architecture can be extended to cover Ka-Band (25.5-27 GHz) to address Recently, the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space future needs of NASA, other government agencies, Physics (LASP) at CU partnered with commercial universities and industry since NASA is investigating company GeoOptics, Inc. in an effort to develop a low enhancements to its space communication capabilities cost satellite. The goal of this joint venture was to to provide Ka band ground systems for next generation demonstrate the viability of collecting GPS occultation missions in the near Earth regime. data to substantially improve weather forecasting, hurricane track modelling, and to monitor properties of Palo 2 28th Annual AIAA/USU Conference on Small Satellites The development of this low cost communications As described earlier, many sophisticated satellite technology will lead to advances in the capabilities of instruments, such as hyperspectral imagers, require high both commercial and scientific CubeSats. Coupled with volumes of data. CubeSat designers have used other recent advances, such as arc-second pointing innovative techniques such as pre-processing, quick capabilities, increased data rates for CubeSats will look, and lower resolution to operate within the provide a growing platform for universities and private constraints of lower data rates. These techniques result businesses to do cutting edge missions. These include in tradeoffs of additional power, additional complexity, imaging, GPS occultation, and even global and unfortunately,
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