CubeSat

cubesat
founder:	czcube
depends on:
interested:	archimedes harvie pasky nephirus niekt0 tlapka
software license:
hardware license:

Cubesat is project in which NASA and other companies take amateur satelites with maximum 100x100x100mm of size and 1kg of weight to the space (for a fee) and release them on orbit.

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CubeSat
• http://www.czcube.org/cs/index.html
• http://brmlab.cz/pipermail/brmlab/2012-April/004869.html

We were offered the chance to pick up czcube construction after the original team. This makes it possible to reuse a lot of design and actually built parts (also, e.g. a very solid ground radio station has been built for communication) and get some valuable advice. Even if this project does not pick up enough momentum among brmlabbers, brmlab can still serve as a hub for czcube hackers country-wide.

czCube has a lot of plans and documentation for a variety of modules. However, there are two problems: (i) it is too ambitious, only about 20%-40% of things are finished after few years of hacking by several people (ii) it is outdated by several years and many preceding cubesat missions we could learn from. We need to update the original plans accordingly.

Main status dashboard:

• [nothing] Systematically re-evaluate design
• [nothing] Investigate prior art (any open cubesat launched yet?)
• Core modules
  • [nothing] Case
  • [nothing] Power
  • [nothing] Radio (basic)
  • [DONE] Radio (ground station)
• Extra modules
  • [nothing] Maneuvering
  • [nothing] Radio (fast)
  • [nothing] Camera
  • [nothing] Tether
  • [nothing] Solar sail
• [DONE] simulator (http://www.czcube.org/cs/simulator/index.html)
• [red] Testing
  • [red] dry testing
  • [red] cosmic radiation simulation
  • [red] magnetic chamber (see below)
• [0/???] Launch funding
• [N/A] Spaceworthy

See below for initial status of various modules.

czCube's initial goal is to serve as a modular platform easily adaptable for future missions that can just include their own modules. But what cool things should we strive for?

• “Extreme webcam” (“live” Earth sattelite images) (pasky interested iff we have very fast radio)
• HAM transreciever (large interest among radioamateurs, but XXX: is it technically feasible?)
• FPGA reliability testing (XXX: any prior art?)
• Independent sattelite mesh network (XXX: is it technically possible? see also Radio (fast))
• LRU data “dead drop” using SLC SSD (XXX: is it technically possible? see also Radio (fast))
• Roentgen telescope (XXX: would require 3U cubesat format)

http://www.czcube.org/cs/druzice/structure.html

Metal case plus mounting facility for modules plus solar cells on walls.

Status:

• Original prototype ready. (Not in brmlab.) Máme jednu hotovou nosnou kostru CubeSatu, včetně stěn pokrytých funkčními solárními články (vyrobeno týmem Mariana Váni, který už na projektu nepracuje).

• New design work in progress. (Not in brmlab.) Máme téměř dokončený detailní návrh nové kostry CubeSatu pro přípravu podkladů k opakovatelné výrobě (autorem je letos Martin Jediný ze Slovenska)

Redesign idea (simpler): Boční stěny družice by šly vyrobit z cuprextitu tak, aby z vnější strany sloužily k propojení a upevnění solárních článků a z vnitřní strany k DPS pro elektroniku modulů, provedených technikou povrchové montáže.

TODO: Evaluate design, evaluate prototype. Get in touch with Martin Jediný.

Interested people: tlapka,

Currently an entirely custom KOMBUS design. (C.f. http://mek.kosmo.cz/zajmy/projekty/nanosat/data/homes/cubesat/analyzy/Komunikace_3_0.pdf)

We might consider switching to I2C or similar common standard. However, ideally one disfunctional module should not disrupt the whole cubesat, which might happen with I2C.

TODO: Evaluate KOMBUS. Evaluate other candidates.

Interested people: pasky, tlapka, nephirus,

http://www.czcube.org/cs/druzice/power.html

Status:

• Original design and partial prototype. (Not in brmlab.) Navržené schéma napájecího zdroje a pár prototypů jeho částí, celek nerealizován (vše má u sebe Míra Major)
• If redesign: Zdroj možná může být co nejjednodušší (protože od něj potřebujeme hlavně spolehlivost).

TODO: Evaluate design and prototype. Get in touch with Míra Major.

Interested people: pasky, nephirus,

http://www.czcube.org/cs/druzice/radio.html

Status:

• Original design and partial prototype. (Not in brmlab.) UHF rádio ve velmi pokročilém stavu návrhu i výroby prototypu, pořád ale nedotažené k použitelnosti (know-how a díly mají David Holas a Tomáš Humpolec)

TODO: Evaluate design and prototype. Get in touch with authors.

Interested people: pasky, nephirus,

http://www.czcube.org/cs/druzice/radio.html

One hackerspace idea for the cubesat would be gradual setup of tethered sattelite network and/or “dead drop” LRU data storage accessible by ground stations all over the world. However, that would mean radical departure with the current specification and it is not clear at all whether this is feasible with available energy.

We need *some* fast radio at least in order to be able to download camera images from the cubesat.

Status:

• No progress yet.

TODO: Evaluate current design. Evaluate available means of communication. Are we able and willing to get this working?

Interested people: pasky, nephirus,

http://www.czcube.org/cs/stanice/index.html

Status:

• Fully functional for czcube purposes? (Not in brmlab, no plans to move in for now?) Funkční pozemní stanice pro příjem ve VHF a UHF pásmu (stanice trvale pracuje a je v Českém Dubu).

TODO: ?

Interested people: ?

http://www.czcube.org/cs/druzice/adcs.html

Status:

• Original design and partial prototype. (Not in brmlab.) Rozpracovaný návrh a nedokončený prototyp systému orientace a stabilizace (know-how a díly mají David Holas a Richard Linhart).

TODO: Are we able and willing to get this working? Evaluate design and prototype. Get in touch with authors.

Interested people: nephirus,

http://www.czcube.org/cs/druzice/camera.html

Status:

• Original design and partial prototype. (Not in brmlab.) Rozpracovaný prototyp VGA kamery, možná už téměř použitelný (know-how a prototyp má u sebe David Holas).

TODO: Are we able and willing to get this working? Evaluate design and prototype. Get in touch with David Holas.

Interested people: pasky, tlapka, nephirus,

http://www.czcube.org/cs/druzice/tether.html

Status:

• Some design ideas. Ideový, ale prakticky neověřený návrh má u sebe Aleš Holub.

TODO: Consider feasibility. Did someone already test this before?

Interested people: nephirus,

http://www.czcube.org/cs/druzice/sail.html

Status:

• Some design ideas. Ideový, ale prakticky neověřený návrh má u sebe Aleš Holub.

TODO: Consider feasibility. Did someone already test this before?

Interested people:

???

Máme hotovou rozpracovanou (nedokončenou) testovací magnetickou komoru, kterou jsme ale oficiálně předali na UJEP (informace má David Holas)

Simplicity. Original czCube development stalled mainly because too high goals, design complexity and number of modules.

Heat. Cooling is by radiation only, we must be extremely careful about producing heat.