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CS5CEP

Telemetry, Tracking and Comms for the Nanostar Cubesat Mission to the Moon

Overview: In the framework of the NANOSTAR project, there is a number of challenges related with the development of a Cubesat capable of carrying out a Flyby mission to the Moon. The project makes available a set of resources and documentation to assist students during the development of the subsystems that compose the NANOSTAR Cubesat.

Goals: In this challenge the students shall design, fabricate and test a lab version of a TT&C capable of working in one or more frequency bands (to be defined). Possible bands are: VHF, UHF and S-band.

Description: Telemetry, Tracking and Communications (TT&C) provides the means to receive telemetry and send telecommands to the nanosatellite. In most cases, mission data can also be retrieved through the TT&C. This subsystem may allow a full-duplex mode and support several transmission rates as well as adjusting filtering and gain of the receiver chain to minimize BER.

Compatibility tests will be performed using radios and other currently off-the-shelf equipment (e.g. TNC) in amateur ground stations as well as custom developed SDR-based ground station receivers and transmitters. EMC tests in anechoic chamber are foreseen.

IST has all the resources and past experience for the design of this type of subsystem, involving Graduation students:

  • Link budget calculators;
  • Hardware development facilities (design, assembly and test);
  • In-house developed DSP-based modem;
  • Modem firmware with several modulations, coding schemes and transmission rates;
  • RF front-end design with low power consumption;
  • RF PCB design;
  • EMC /EMI validation;
  • Clean Room availability.
 Example of a VHF/UHF full-duplex TT&C module developed in-house.

Supervisor: Gonçalo Tavares

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