CubeSat Communication and Frequency - PowerPoint Presentation

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CubeSat Communication and Frequency Past Practice and Current Trends

Scott SchaireNASA Goddard Space Flight CenterNear Earth Network Wallops Station DirectorDeputy Project Manager Space Communication and Navigation (SCaN) Network Integration ProjectContributions from Wayne Powell, Serhat Altunc, Felipe Arroyo, Scott GalbraithMay 2014

GSFC Compact Radiation belt Explorer (CeREs) Principal Investigator Shri Kanekal holds an early version of one of the mission’s solid-state detectors – demonstrates a shift in the paradigm for satellite developmentSlide2

Agenda

History and Trend of CubeSatsCubeSat Communication EvolutionFrequency Licensing ApproachSatellite Communication BandsCubeSat Radios and AntennasGround Stations

Considerations for the FutureMIT’s Micro-sized Microwave Atmospheric Satellite (MicroMAS) demonstrates an increase in science sophistication of CubeSats

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History and Trend of CubeSats

CubeSats are in a class of small research spacecraft called picosatellitesOver 100 Cubesats have been launched into space since they were first introduced by California Polytechnic State University and Stanford University in 1999Even though scientists and technologists desire higher data rate communication, CubeSat teams have limited their data transmitted and compromised their science objectives to be compliant with low-cost proven CubeSat radios, antennas, and ground stationsCurrent state of the art ~3 Mbit/sec

Future capability ~100 Mbit/secA 1U CubeSat, 4” Cube weighing about 2 lbs

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History and Trend of CubeSats Continued

The NASA CubeSat Launch Initiative has made CubeSat launch slots available on DOD and NASA launchesA 6U CubeSat is the largest satellite today that could be launched for free

The National Science Foundation (NSF), NASA and other government organizations are increasing investment in CubeSat projects

Single CubeSat missions are typically a demonstration for future constellations

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University of Colorado Boulder and the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics

Miniature

X-ray Solar Spectrometer (MinXSS

) 3U CubeSat recently funded by NASASlide5

National Science Foundation CubeSats

Selected On-Orbit

Missions

Cubesat for Ions, Neutrals, Electrons, MAgnetic fields (CINEMA 1) – UC Berkley, Kyung-Hee U., Imperial College, APL, Inter-American U. of Puerto Rico

Mission complements RBSP

spacecraft.

Launched

9/13/12

Firefly/FireStation – GSFC, Hawk, Siena College

ISS FireStation launched 8/3/13. Firefly launched

11/19/13

Firebird – Montana State, U. of New Hampshire, Aerospace Corporation

Launched 12/5/13. Complements balloon-based

BARREL

Selected In-Work Mission

Composition Variations in the Exosphere, Thermosphere, and Topside Ionosphere (ExoCube) - SSI, Cal Poly, U. of Wisconsin, GSFC, and SRI

Contains Goddard Improved Winds-Ion-Neutral

Composition

Suite

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Firefly CubeSat Mission

Firefly, an NSF-funded mission, was developed by Goddard/Doug Rowland, Hawk Institute for Space Sciences, & Sienna College

Mission: Determine linkage between lightning & Terrestrial Gamma-Ray Flashes by combining gamma-ray/electron scintillation detector, VLF receiver, & photometers for first simultaneous measurements of lightning & TGFs from a single platform

Launched on ORS-3, (Minotaur I) from WFF on 11/19. First contact made on 1/6. Spacecraft performing

science

Goddard/WFF ground station team persistently worked through 25 other

elements

Future missions considering low-data rate beacon

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Typical CubeSats

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Typical CubeSat Schedule

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CubeSat Communication Evolution

About ten years ago, when CubeSats began, they were nothing more than simple science experiments, typically consisting of a camera and a low data rate radioGovernment-funded CubeSats using amateur radio frequencies may violate the intent of the amateur radio service and it is a violation of National Telecommunications Information Administration (NTIA) rules for a government-funded ground station to use amateur radio frequencies to communicate with CubeSatsThe National Science Foundation (NSF) was interested in finding a suitable government frequency band for CubeSats and Utah State worked with L-3 for a UHF CubeSat radio

Currently, there is an effort to design a system using X-band for CubeSat support with more efficient and complex modulation and encoding schemes to address the CubeSat community’s increasing needs

Antares lifts off from

Goddard/Wallops

Flight

Facility (WFF),

with 3 CubeSats onboard in April 2013. NASA CubeSat Launch Initiative began in 2010

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Frequency Licensing Approach

Universities and other non-federal US entities continue to use amateur radio frequencies for CubeSats because it is the least expensive and easiest approach for low data rate communicationThe process for coordinating amateur frequency usage requires a relatively simple frequency coordination request form and short lead timeThere are numerous downsides to using amateur and experimental radio frequenciesUS Federal Government CubeSat projects must apply through their funding agency for Spectrum Certification and Frequency Authorization with the NTIA and cannot use non-government processes

GSFC Firefly CubeSat licensed through NTIA

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Satellite Communication Bands

As the frequency increases from UHF to Ka-band, the potential for higher data rates also increases and the potential for absorption by the atmosphere increasesToday’s CubeSats mostly operate at UHF and S-bandsCases allowed on special case, non-interference, unprotected, secondary basisFirefly

Downlink: 400.15-401 MHzUplink: 449.75-450.25 MHzUtah State University Dynamic Ionosphere CubeSat Experiment (DICE)

Downlink/Uplink

: 449.75-450.25

MHz

GeneSat

Downlink/Uplink: 2.4 GHz, ~437 MHz

ARC GeneSat CubeSat – 1

st

CubeSat launched in the US – Dec, 2006, from GSFC/Wallops Flight Facility

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Satellite Communication Bands Continued

NASA Space Communication and NavigationNear Earth NetworkS, X, Ka Space NetworkS, Ku, KaDeep Space Network

S, X, Ka

Near Earth Network McMurdo Ground Station

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CubeSat Radios and Antennas

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Wallops UHF CubeSat Groundstation

SpecificationsBeamwidth: 2.9 degreesFrequency Range: 380 to 480 MHzSecondary Frequency Band: X-Band available for future high data rate CubeSat communication

Antenna Main Beam Gain: 35 dBi

Diameter: 18.3 meters (60’)

UHF Radar as a CubeSat Groundstation

1st used with Utah State University Dynamic Ionosphere CubeSat Experiment (DICE)

Interference

Morehead added as a back-up

Cutting-Edge CubeSat communication over a government-licensed UHF frequency allocation that enables high data rates (3.0 Mbit/Sec)

Currently communicating with Firefly spacecraft

Slated for use for MiRaTA, MicroMAS, CeREs, HARP, MinXSS, and many proposed

CubeSats

Wallops UHF on left, S-Band on right

Morehead State University 21 Meter antenna

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Near Earth Network Compatibility

11 Meter class dishes yields high gainLink budget shows 12.5 Mbps can be done in low Earth orbit with a 1 Watt output satellite transmitterLASP and Goddard/Wallops Flight Facility have partnered to design a CubeSat X-Band transmitter, S-Band receiver (NEN compatible)MSFC engineers are also advising on the project.

Project funded by NASA Space Technology and Mission Directorate (STMD)

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Near Earth Network Alaska Satellite Facility 11 Meter class antennasSlide16

NASA Owned and Partnered Network Available to NEN

Station NameLocationAssets and Service TypesNASA Owned or ContractWallops Ground

StationWallops, VA11.28 m X/S-band; 5 m S-band; VHF (2)

NASA

White Sands Complex

White Sands, NM

18 m Ka/S band; VHF

NASA

McMurdo Ground Station

McMurdo Base, Antarctica

10

m X/S band

NASA

Alaska Satellite

Facility

Fairbanks, AK

10 m, 11.28 m and 11 m X/S band

NASA

Launch Communication Systems

Ponce De Leon, FL and Kennedy Space Center,

FL

6.1 m S-band (2)

NASANOAA Fairbanks

Command and Data Acquisition StationGilmore Creek, AK13 m X/S band (3)

Partnered

Kongsberg Satellite ServicesSvalbard, Norway

11m X/S band; 13 m X/S Band (w)ContractSingapore, Malaysia

11 m X/S bandContractTrollSat, Antarctica

7.3 m X/S band

Contract

Swedish Space Corporation

Kiruna, Sweden

13 m X/S band (2)

Contract

Universal Space Network

North Pole, AK

11 m S-band; 5 m S-band, 11

m X/S band; 7.3 m X/S band

Contract

Dongara,

Australia

13 m S-band

Contract

South

Point, HI

13 m S-Band (2)

Contract

SSC/Santiago, Chile

Santiago, Chile

9 m S-band; 7 m S-band Transmit;

12 m S-band Receive

Contract

Council

for Scientific and Industrial Research

Hartebeesthoek,

South Africa

12 m S-band Receive; 6 m S-band Transmit

Contract

German Space Agency

Wilheim, Germany

15 m S-band

Contract

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X-Band Considerations

Universities may have a desire to create their own ground networkNEN X-Band ground system is already standardizedStandardization of CubeSat radios and ground networks may reduce frequency authorization time

Standard hardware will streamline compatibility testingDevelopers can focus on end use and maximize science “bang-for-the-buck”

Goddard/Wallops LunarCube with deployable X-band antenna based on University of Colorado/Goddard X/S band CubeSat Radio and Near Earth Network

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Future Considerations

TDRSSUse of geosynchronous relay satellite provides greater flexibility in mission planningGlobal communications coverage Low latency

CubeSat Intersatellite LinkSignal must be robust against interference from other satellite exchanges

Increasing Data Rates

Ka band could provide even higher data rates and is compatible with

Near Earth Network

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