Institute of Space Technology CubeSat: ICUBE-1 subsystem analysis and design

Abstract

For a long while, launching satellites for the purpose of research and technology demonstration largely remained with national space agencies and government organizations as the huge funding requirements inhibited the initiation of such projects at university level. It was this idea of providing, at university level, cheap access to space that prompted the design of miniaturized versions of satellites for research purposes. Specifications of CubeSat, a picosatellite, were defined to provide easy access to space for educational and research institutions. The improvement in engineering technologies and miniaturization of physical components has enabled design, development and launch of such small low-cost spacecrafts and to date, more than 60 universities, institutions and research organizations have taken part in CubeSat program since its inception in 1999[1]. Institute of Space Technology (IST) adopted the concept of CubeSat development by initiating the satellite program, ICUBE. ICUBE is the premier student satellite program of any educational institution/university in Pakistan. The first satellite of this program is named ICUBE-1. Successful launch of ICUBE-1 and establishing its communication link with the ground are the primary goals of this mission. The satellite has a passive attitude control system and will carry a CMOS camera for experimental purposes. In this paper, we will discuss in detail the design philosophy of ICUBE-1, followed by the preliminary design and analysis of all its subsystems. The required testing and technical support facilities are discussed before the final conclusions. 12

Design, development and testing of flight software for EIRSAT-1: a university-class CubeSat enabling astronomical research

“…Many aspects of a system’s ConOps must be implemented, or at least accounted for, in the system’s software design. For example, a common ConOps strategy used for space missions is to use operational modes, whereby the mission operator gains an initial understanding about the state of the spacecraft based on the current mode 44 , 52 – 54 Modes also generally dictate which of the satellite’s subsystems are active and what activities are on-going at any point in time.…”

Design and Simulation of Attitude Determination of ICUBE-1: The First CubeSat of Institute Of Space Technology

“…This is done in update process of UKF. Quaternion error is given by Equation (16) (16) As seen in Equation (15) the quaternion error is made up of two parts, the quaternion vector part, and 4 th quaternion part. These are calculated using Equation (17)…”

“…Updated quaternion is thus found by using the error quaternion calculated in Equation (16). Updated quaternion is thus computed using Equation (18) …”

“…Commercial off-the Shelf (COTS) components and modules already flown in space will be used for this first satellite. Attitude Determination using UKF is explored for implementation on the CUBESAT for research purpose only as the ICUBE-1 is planned to be passively controlled satellite using fixed magnet and hysteresis rods 16 . Cubesat concept 17 , initially proposed by Bob Twiggs has gained a wide appreciation all over the globe due to its technical and economic feasibility.…”

Dynamic frequency scheduling for CubeSat's on-board and data handling subsystem

“…OBDH is the subsystem that controls all the processes and communicates with all subsystems in the CubeSat [8]. Even though OBDH typically consumes less power than other subsystems [9], it plays a vital role in managing processes or tasks. High power consumption tasks shall only be executed when required, and OBDH shall monitor battery levels before any scheduled task can be executed.…”