Hardware Overview
Our satellite design is based off of the "CubeSat" miniature satellite payload format commonly used by university research groups. Adherence to this small design comes with several benefits, primarily the existence of tried-and-true, low-cost components designed to fit precisely within the small envelope of a typical CubeSat design.
Imaging System - Our camera system is based off of GomSpace's NanoCam C1U. We have contracted with GomSpace to produce an improved model of this CubeSat-ready camera; with a larger 6576 x 4384 pixel sensor, and a new lens with a longer focal length, we should be able to attain a typical spatial resolution of 10 meters/pixel at our designated orbital altitude of 450 km. This system also comes with its own dedicated CPU and flash storage, meaning it is capable of storing and compressing the images without placing additional burden on the satellite's main CPU.
Chassis - Our satellites will be built around a standard 3U (100 mm x 100 mm x 300 mm) metal CubeSat chassis.
RF and Communications - CubeEyes CubeSats will carry two communications payloads, a stock UTRX Half-Duplex UHF transceiver from Clyde-Space for control and telemetry, and a high speed S-Band transmitter also from Clyde-Space, but modified by us in order to be capable of Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) transmission. This modified S-Band unit, capable of 2 Mbps uploads, will primarily be used for beaming image data back to our groundstations.
Power - Each CubeEyes CubeSat is powered by an array of 4 deployable, 7-cell solar panels, with each panel capable of generating over 7 Watts of electrical power for a total power envelope of 29.16 Watts. In addition to powering the satellite, these panels will also feed a 30 Watt-Hour rechargeable battery which will be used to maintain power to transmit stored images while the satellite is on the dark side of the Earth. The solar panels, power regulator board, power distribution and protection board, and battery will all be sourced from Clyde-Space.
Satellite Control and Maintenance - Each CubeSat is controlled by a PIC24-based modular system designed by Pumpkin. Additionally, an Attitude Determination and Control System board (ADCS) will power and control a set of three orthogonal magnetorquers (MTQs) that will be used to magnetically control the attitude of the satellite with respect to the Earth's magnetic field. A GPS daughter board is also managed by the ADCS in order to allow precision tracking of each satellite, and also to adjust image compression settings depending on which part of the Earth the satellite is currently flying over. Finally, a Pulsed Plasma Thruster (PPT) is placed onboard each satellite; at 450 km, each satellite has an estimated orbital lifetime of just over 4 years, but with periodic boosts from one of these low-power PPT, we will be able to extend the mission life of each CubeSat to a full 6 years! [1] All components are sourced from Clyde-Space.
Ground Operations - All of our Earth stations will be based upon the STAC system from Clyde-Space, modified to support S-Band communication with CDMA encoding.
[1] http://www.clyde-space.com/cubesat_shop/propulsion
Imaging System - Our camera system is based off of GomSpace's NanoCam C1U. We have contracted with GomSpace to produce an improved model of this CubeSat-ready camera; with a larger 6576 x 4384 pixel sensor, and a new lens with a longer focal length, we should be able to attain a typical spatial resolution of 10 meters/pixel at our designated orbital altitude of 450 km. This system also comes with its own dedicated CPU and flash storage, meaning it is capable of storing and compressing the images without placing additional burden on the satellite's main CPU.
Chassis - Our satellites will be built around a standard 3U (100 mm x 100 mm x 300 mm) metal CubeSat chassis.
RF and Communications - CubeEyes CubeSats will carry two communications payloads, a stock UTRX Half-Duplex UHF transceiver from Clyde-Space for control and telemetry, and a high speed S-Band transmitter also from Clyde-Space, but modified by us in order to be capable of Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) transmission. This modified S-Band unit, capable of 2 Mbps uploads, will primarily be used for beaming image data back to our groundstations.
Power - Each CubeEyes CubeSat is powered by an array of 4 deployable, 7-cell solar panels, with each panel capable of generating over 7 Watts of electrical power for a total power envelope of 29.16 Watts. In addition to powering the satellite, these panels will also feed a 30 Watt-Hour rechargeable battery which will be used to maintain power to transmit stored images while the satellite is on the dark side of the Earth. The solar panels, power regulator board, power distribution and protection board, and battery will all be sourced from Clyde-Space.
Satellite Control and Maintenance - Each CubeSat is controlled by a PIC24-based modular system designed by Pumpkin. Additionally, an Attitude Determination and Control System board (ADCS) will power and control a set of three orthogonal magnetorquers (MTQs) that will be used to magnetically control the attitude of the satellite with respect to the Earth's magnetic field. A GPS daughter board is also managed by the ADCS in order to allow precision tracking of each satellite, and also to adjust image compression settings depending on which part of the Earth the satellite is currently flying over. Finally, a Pulsed Plasma Thruster (PPT) is placed onboard each satellite; at 450 km, each satellite has an estimated orbital lifetime of just over 4 years, but with periodic boosts from one of these low-power PPT, we will be able to extend the mission life of each CubeSat to a full 6 years! [1] All components are sourced from Clyde-Space.
Ground Operations - All of our Earth stations will be based upon the STAC system from Clyde-Space, modified to support S-Band communication with CDMA encoding.
[1] http://www.clyde-space.com/cubesat_shop/propulsion