Session 1: S/C, P/L & SS

CubeSat Standard

• “CubeSat standard” (1999) definition by professors Jordi Puig-Suari of California Polytechnic

State University and Bob Twiggs of Stanford University.

• Goal: to allow graduate students to conceive, design, implement, test and operate in space a
complete spacecraft, often using COTS components.

• Because of the simplicity of the CubeSat “standard”, it became a “de facto” standard.

• 1st CubeSats launched on a Russian Eurockot in June 2003.

P/L
• P/L = combination of hardware and software on the s/c that interacts with the subject to
accomplish the mission objectives.

• P/L are unique to each mission and are the reason for flying the spacecraft.

• The rest of the s/c “serves” the P/L.

• In a mission design context, fulfilling these demands is what drives mission cost, size and
risk.

• Identifying what a particular P/L drives is the core of mission design.

• Every mission has unique elements and fulfills some special requirement. However it is
possible to classify most space missions into a set of broad categories .

• We mainly (but not only) deal with optical payloads = those which sense light (EM radiation).
Other types include seismometers (acoustic waves), magnetometers (magnetic fields),
particle detectors (charged particles), accelerometers (accelerations, gravity fields).
P/L
• Payload definition and sizing determines many of the capabilities and limitations of the mission.

• The payload determines what the mission can achieve, while the size of the payload, along with
any special structural, thermal, control, communications, or pointing restrictions, will influence
the design of the remainder of the spacecraft support systems.

• Start from mission objectives and requirements, consider different options for candidate
payloads

• Adopt a top-down method for bounding the trade space of possible payloads and making an
informed selection among them.

• An aspect not to be forgotten in the selection is the temporal (timeline) demands placed on the
mission: the payload selection could be vastly different depending on whether the data is to
support long-term scientific analysis or real-time ground activity
P/L design process
Mission Analysis
• Mission Analysis is the term used to describe the mathematical analysis of satellite orbits,
performed to determine how best to achieve the objectives of a space mission.

• Complex process:

o Involves trades between many different parameters

• The orbit often defines:

o Mission lifetime
o Environment
o Viewing geometry
o Payload performance
o Cost
Subsystems (SS)
• Attitude Determination and Control System (ADCS)

• Electrical Power System (EPS)

• Thermal Control System (TCS)

• On-board Data Handling (OBDH)

• Communications (COMMS)

• Structures and Mechanisms

• Propulsion System (PS) > Necessary? Feasible?

• Ground Segment (GS) > Montsec?

Subsystems (SS)

• Attitude Determination and Control System (ADCS)

o Stabilizes the vehicle and orients it in desired directions during the mission despite
the disturbance torques acting on it.

Ø Sensors (Sun sensors, Star Sensor, Earth/Horizon Sensors, Magnetometers,

IMUs…)
Ø Actuators (Magnetorquers, Reaction wheels, Thrusters…)

• Electrical Power System (EPS)

o Guaranties a continuous and reliable source of peak and average electrical power
for the life of a mission.
o Controls, distributes, regulates, and conditions the power provided to the various
loads.

Ø Solar panels, Batteries + Conditioning & Distribution system

Subsystems (SS)

• Thermal Control System (TCS)

o Controls operating temperature environment of S/C systems.

o Avoid overheating and undercooling.
o Promote fluxes: absorbed radiation, losses/dissipation, internal heat transfer between
components.

Ø Passive: Coatings, Insulators, Radiators, Heat pipes…

Ø Active: Electric heaters, Active coolers…

• On-board Data Handling (OBDH)

o Receives, validates, decodes and distributes command to other SSs.

o Gathers, processes, storages, housekeeping and manages downlink data.

Ø On-Board Computer (OBC)

Ø RF transmitter and receiver units
Ø Data Handling Unit (DHU)
Subsystems (SS)

• Communications (COMMS):

o Allows to transmit data between the S/C and external platforms such as the Ground
Segment or another S/C (and vice versa).
o Deals with:
§ Telemetry, Tracking and Command (TT&C)
§ Payload Data Transmission (PDT)

Ø Transponders: Antennas, Filters, Amplifiers, Converters…

• Structures and Mechanisms

o Provides the mechanical support to the P/L and all SS from manufacturing to mission
end.
o Sustains loads and pressures, provides stiffness and stability, and provides support and
containment.

Ø CubeSat frame, deployable mechanisms (solar panels, antennas…).

P/L and SS design

Mission Statement

Mission Objectives (PO and SO)

Mission & System Requirements

Payload (P/L)

Mission Analysis

Subsystems (SS)
Project Cycle
Project Cycle