LEARNING OUTCOMES OF THE COURSE UNIT
The graduate is able to: (a) describe the nanosatellite structure of the CubeSat and PocketQube formats; (b) describe the basic electronic systems of a nanosatellite; (c) evaluate functional safety and necessary tests; (d) define the requirements for the design of a selected nanosatellite subsystem and its integration.
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COURSE CURRICULUM
1. Nanosatellites basics, CubeSat and PocketQube. Development cycle. Target payloads. Orbit.
2. Mechanical structure. Deployer, ride-shared missions. Orientation, propulsion options. Antennas and their release.
3. Nanosatellite electronics. Computer (OBC), attitude control (ADCS), radio communication.
4. Electrical power system (EPS), solar panels, batteries. Energy budget, monitoring.
5. Functional safety, hardware and firmware requirements. Redundancy. Latch-up, watchdog.
6. Applications and scientific missions of nanosatellites. ESA projects.
7. Internal connections, I2C, CAN, TCP/IP. CubeSat Space Protocol, AX.25. Data budget.
8. Communication, modulation, radio link budget. Doppler effect, frequency stability.
9. Ground station. Transceiver, rotator, TNC. Telemetry reception. Satellite tracking, TLE, SatNOGS network.
10. Pre-start tests. Vibration, temperature, vacuum. Thermal design.
11. Practical realizations I.
12. Practical realizations II.
13. Practical realizations III.
AIMS
The aim of the course is to provide students with a basic orientation in the issue of nanosatellites such as CubeSat and PocketQube, to familiarize them with the basic components, structure and procedures in their design. An important part of the course are the practical implementation of satellites.
