Session
Technical Session V: University Student Scholarship Competition
Abstract
The Satellite Systems Development Laboratory (SSDL) in the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at Stanford University was created in an effort to promote a new philosophy about building satellites. The main tenets of this philosophy include the design and construction of reliable spacecraft that are smaller, developed within a one year time frame, and employ cheaper "off-the-shelf" parts. As a result of these criteria, one must take an alternative approach to the engineering project, including rapid prototyping of hardware, careful evaluation of mission requirements, and an overall approach which emphasizes development of the whole system rather than individual subsystems. The result is the Satellite QUick Research Testbed, or SQUIRT class of satellites. These smaller SQUIRTs are limited of course, weighing only 25 pounds and having the size restrictions of a 16 inch diameter by 9 inch high hexagon. However, the range of applications still available to these small wonders has hardly been scratched. These satellites still have the traditional major subsystems, such as power, communications, and data & command processing, which allow them a great deal of flexibility in supporting a wide variety of payloads, both scientific and otherwise. The first satellite being developed in this laboratory is SAPPHIRE, which carries on board specially machined infrared micro sensors, as well as a camera and a voice synthesizer which can broadcast messages over amateur radio frequencies. This paper will discuss the design of the SSDL's second SQUIRT satellite, OPAL (Orbiting Picosatellite Automated Launcher). The main focus of this satellite will be to attempt to demonstrate the feasibility of launching and communicating with a smaller secondary satellite. An introduction to SSDL and this project will be given, followed by a background and short review of the technical aspects of the main payload, the picosatellite module. A brief overview of the remaining system architecture will then be discussed. A few conclusions will describe the near-future plans for this project.
The OPAL Satellite Project: Continuing the Next Generation of Small Satellite Development
The Satellite Systems Development Laboratory (SSDL) in the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at Stanford University was created in an effort to promote a new philosophy about building satellites. The main tenets of this philosophy include the design and construction of reliable spacecraft that are smaller, developed within a one year time frame, and employ cheaper "off-the-shelf" parts. As a result of these criteria, one must take an alternative approach to the engineering project, including rapid prototyping of hardware, careful evaluation of mission requirements, and an overall approach which emphasizes development of the whole system rather than individual subsystems. The result is the Satellite QUick Research Testbed, or SQUIRT class of satellites. These smaller SQUIRTs are limited of course, weighing only 25 pounds and having the size restrictions of a 16 inch diameter by 9 inch high hexagon. However, the range of applications still available to these small wonders has hardly been scratched. These satellites still have the traditional major subsystems, such as power, communications, and data & command processing, which allow them a great deal of flexibility in supporting a wide variety of payloads, both scientific and otherwise. The first satellite being developed in this laboratory is SAPPHIRE, which carries on board specially machined infrared micro sensors, as well as a camera and a voice synthesizer which can broadcast messages over amateur radio frequencies. This paper will discuss the design of the SSDL's second SQUIRT satellite, OPAL (Orbiting Picosatellite Automated Launcher). The main focus of this satellite will be to attempt to demonstrate the feasibility of launching and communicating with a smaller secondary satellite. An introduction to SSDL and this project will be given, followed by a background and short review of the technical aspects of the main payload, the picosatellite module. A brief overview of the remaining system architecture will then be discussed. A few conclusions will describe the near-future plans for this project.
