Pre-flight qualification test procedure for nanosatellites using sounding rockets

• Published in: Acta astronautica Vol. 159; pp. 564 - 577
• Main Authors: Slongo, Leonardo Kessler, Reis, João Gabriel, Gaiki, Daniel, Seger, Pedro Von Hohendorff, Martínez, Sara Vega, Eiterer, Bruno Vale Barbosa, Pereira, Tulio Gomes, Baldini Neto, Mario, Frata, Matheus dos Santos, Hamisch, Henrique Daniel, Mattos, André Martins Pio de, Mera, Juan Pablo Florez, Paiva, Kleber Vieira de, Mantelli, Marcia Barbosa Henriques, Dilillo, Luigi, Bezerra, Eduardo Augusto
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elmsford Elsevier Ltd 01.06.2019; Elsevier BV; Elsevier
• Subjects: Batteries; Battery chargers; Computer Science; Cubesat; Design modifications; Design validation; Electric power; Electronics; Embedded Systems; Engineering Sciences; Ground stations; Inertial platforms; Micro and nanotechnologies; Microelectronics; Model testing; Nanosatellite; Nanosatellites; Rocket flight; Sounding rocket; Sounding rockets; Specifications; Subsystems; Telemetry; Temperature measurement; Test procedure; Test procedure; Sounding rocket; Design validation; Nanosatellite
• ISSN: 0094-5765; 1879-2030
• DOI: 10.1016/j.actaastro.2019.01.035

This work presents an innovative procedure to test nanosatellites subsystems on board sounding rockets. The procedure allows the subsystems to save their telemetry data during the whole rocket flight phases (including at the rocket lift-off). The subsystems of the FloripaSat (1U CubeSat) engineering model have been tested on board a VSB-30 rocket in order to validate their design and integration process. A dedicated embedded system has been proposed to operate as an electronic interface between the nanosatellite subsystems and the rocket electronics. Also, a system to process telemetry data was implemented on the ground station. The test procedure validates data frame definition, communication protocol specification, hardware integration specification, among other functionalities. Three FloripaSat subsystems have been tested: Electrical Power Subsystem (EPS); Telemetry, Tracking and Command (TT&C); and On Board Data Handling (OBDH). Several nanosatellites’ functions have been evaluated, including: battery monitoring; inertial measurement unit; temperature measurements; radio transceiver; and beacon. The flight results were considerably different from the results obtained at the laboratory. This has allowed important modifications to be made on the design of the CubeSat flight model as the revision on the radio circuit on TT&C and the implementation of an external battery charger circuit for the EPS. •A detailed description of a qualification test procedure for nanosatellites.•Embedded system to interface the nanosatellite subsystems and the rocket electronics.•Design description, test and on-flight validation of a Multi-Mission Platform.•Ground station data processing software.•Nanosatellite subsystems test results from a sounding rocket flight.