Session
Technical Session VI: Small but Mighty
Abstract
To accurately identify and track objects over its territories, the US military must regularly monitor and calibrate its 80+ C-band radar tracking stations distributed around the world. Unfortunately, only two calibration satellites are currently in service, and both have been operating well past their operational lifetimes. Losing either satellite will result in a community of users that no longer has a reliable means of radar performance monitoring and calibration. This paper not only presents the first radar calibration satellite in a CubeSat form factor, but also demonstrates the ability of a university student team to address an urgent operational need at very low cost while simultaneously providing immense educational value. Our CubeSat is named Ho‘oponopono (“to make right” in Hawaiian), an appropriate name for a calibration satellite. The government-furnished payload suite consists of a C-band transponder, GPS unit, and associated antennas, all housed in a 3U CubeSat form factor. Ho‘oponopono was the basis for the University of Hawaii’s participation in the AFOSR University Nanosat-6 Program, a rigorous two-year satellite design and fabrication competition. Ho‘oponopono was also selected by NASA as a participant in its CubeSat Launch Initiative for an upcoming launch.
Presentation Slides
Ho‘oponopono: A Radar Calibration CubeSat
To accurately identify and track objects over its territories, the US military must regularly monitor and calibrate its 80+ C-band radar tracking stations distributed around the world. Unfortunately, only two calibration satellites are currently in service, and both have been operating well past their operational lifetimes. Losing either satellite will result in a community of users that no longer has a reliable means of radar performance monitoring and calibration. This paper not only presents the first radar calibration satellite in a CubeSat form factor, but also demonstrates the ability of a university student team to address an urgent operational need at very low cost while simultaneously providing immense educational value. Our CubeSat is named Ho‘oponopono (“to make right” in Hawaiian), an appropriate name for a calibration satellite. The government-furnished payload suite consists of a C-band transponder, GPS unit, and associated antennas, all housed in a 3U CubeSat form factor. Ho‘oponopono was the basis for the University of Hawaii’s participation in the AFOSR University Nanosat-6 Program, a rigorous two-year satellite design and fabrication competition. Ho‘oponopono was also selected by NASA as a participant in its CubeSat Launch Initiative for an upcoming launch.
