Design, Prototyping and Stratospheric Launch of CubeSats for University Competition

Authors

  • Diego Anestor Coutinho Instituto Nacional de Telecomunicações – Departamento de Telecomunicações – Laboratório de Segurança Cibernética e Internet das Coisas – Santa Rita do Sapucaí/MG – Brazil. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1486-8479
  • Pedro Lucas Siqueira Paulino nstituto Nacional de Telecomunicações – Departamento de Telecomunicações – Laboratório de Segurança Cibernética e Internet das Coisas – Santa Rita do Sapucaí/MG – Brazil. https://orcid.org/0009-0003-4517-6843
  • Arielli Ajudarte da Conceição Instituto Nacional de Telecomunicações – Departamento de Telecomunicações – Laboratório de Segurança Cibernética e Internet das Coisas – Santa Rita do Sapucaí/MG – Brazil. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5510-7716
  • Sthefany Farias Vilela Instituto Nacional de Telecomunicações – Departamento de Telecomunicações – Laboratório de Segurança Cibernética e Internet das Coisas – Santa Rita do Sapucaí/MG – Brazil. https://orcid.org/0009-0001-3043-0162
  • Guilherme Pedro Aquino Instituto Nacional de Telecomunicações – Departamento de Telecomunicações – Laboratório de Segurança Cibernética e Internet das Coisas – Santa Rita do Sapucaí/MG – Brazil. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1734-5534
  • Antonio Alves Ferreira Junior Instituto Nacional de Telecomunicações – Departamento de Telecomunicações – Laboratório de Segurança Cibernética e Internet das Coisas – Santa Rita do Sapucaí/MG – Brazil. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8445-9799
  • Evandro Cesar Vilas Boas Instituto Nacional de Telecomunicações – Departamento de Telecomunicações – Laboratório de Segurança Cibernética e Internet das Coisas – Santa Rita do Sapucaí/MG – Brazil. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7225-7783

Keywords:

Nanosatellites, Nanosats, Small satellites, IoT connectivity, Gamma radiation

Abstract

This work presents the design and prototyping of two 1U standard CubeSats for the First Brazilian MCTI Satellite Olympiad, launching one in a stratospheric helium-filled balloon. The nanosatellites were designed for two missions: Internet of Things connectivity in remote areas based on CubeSat (IoSat) and low-orbit harmful gamma radiation mapping (LOHGRM). The IoSat mission aimed to provide server connectivity for a remote sensor network. The LOHGRM CubeSat was designed for sensing and mapping gamma radiation power levels in the satellite’s orbit to construct a heat map to study the gamma radiation effect on the equipment. The prototype’s performance was evaluated based on physical, mechanical, magnetic, thermal, and transmission characterization, with satisfactory results under test conditions. The LOHGRM mission test was carried out on the ground as proof of concept without flying while a stratospheric balloon launched the IoSat prototype. Due to restrictions imposed by the competition, the IoSat nanosatellite only captured and registered altitude, pressure, and temperature data without testing the communication payload. Instead, this data was sent to the ground station through the competition communication system and stored in a memory card to assess its operation during the flying. The satellite’s maximum altitude was 22.6 km, operating under –23.5 °C.


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Published

2023-04-17

Issue

Vol. 15 (2023)

Section

Original Papers

License

Copyright (c) 2023 Diego Anestor Coutinho, Pedro Lucas Siqueira Paulino, Arielli Ajudarte da Conceição, Sthefany Farias Vilela, Guilherme Pedro Aquino, Antonio Alves Ferreira Junior, Evandro Cesar Vilas Boas

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons — Attribution 4.0 International — CC BY 4.0. Authors are free to Share (copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format) and Adapt (remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially). JATM allow the authors to retain publishing rights without restrictions.