The Distributed Universal Satellite Technology (DUST) Tech Demo: an Inter-satellite Communications Mission
Session
Session 2: Communications
Abstract
The iSATcon concept, developed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, is a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) constellation of CubeSats implemented with commercial-off-the-shelf technology to provide a high-heritage and modular platform. The purpose of the iSATcon mission is to provide a new low-cost communications space platform in LEO with full coverage of the Earth at any given moment. The constellation consists of 66 identical CubeSats in 6 high-inclination orbits, with 11 CubeSats per orbit at an altitude of 700km. Each node of the constellation is equipped with high data rate communications systems, provides megabit communications, and is also able to host science instruments for distributed sensing. As a predecessor to iSATcon, a technology demonstration of the mission is being developed at the University of Michigan by DUST (Distributed Universal Satellite Technology), a team of undergraduate and graduate students, funded under the Strategic University Research Partnership (SURP) initiative in collaboration with NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. As part of a multi-year effort within the Sensor Network Laboratory (SNL), DUST is aimed at developing a standardized telecom subsystem for networks of CubeSats. DUST’s core breakthrough is the use of mesh-network communication in space. Mesh communication is ideal because of its ability to tolerate single-point failures within a group of signals by using cross-links, evolving network maps, and optimized paths to ensure information flows as efficiently as possible. The DUST Tech Demo mission for iSATcon comprises three identical 3U CubeSats deployed from the International Space Station in the same orbital plane at 400km. The separation between CubeSats will be passively achieved through deployment delay and drag. The purpose of the mission is to demonstrate the inter-satellite communications and ability to relay information to every node of the system. After deployment and initial system checks, the three co-planar CubeSats will establish a mesh network in which every node communicates with other nodes and acts as a relay for the transfer of information to the ground. Not only will the DUST mission be a technology demonstration for the constellation, but it will also serve as a platform for distributed sensing, whose benefits are extendable to various scientific applications. This paper describes the overall mission architecture of the DUST Tech Demo, including designs for mechanical, thermal, electrical, and ADCS systems, as well as simulations of on-orbit operations, and designs and test results of an iSATcon compliant communication board.
Presentation
The Distributed Universal Satellite Technology (DUST) Tech Demo: an Inter-satellite Communications Mission
The iSATcon concept, developed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, is a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) constellation of CubeSats implemented with commercial-off-the-shelf technology to provide a high-heritage and modular platform. The purpose of the iSATcon mission is to provide a new low-cost communications space platform in LEO with full coverage of the Earth at any given moment. The constellation consists of 66 identical CubeSats in 6 high-inclination orbits, with 11 CubeSats per orbit at an altitude of 700km. Each node of the constellation is equipped with high data rate communications systems, provides megabit communications, and is also able to host science instruments for distributed sensing. As a predecessor to iSATcon, a technology demonstration of the mission is being developed at the University of Michigan by DUST (Distributed Universal Satellite Technology), a team of undergraduate and graduate students, funded under the Strategic University Research Partnership (SURP) initiative in collaboration with NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. As part of a multi-year effort within the Sensor Network Laboratory (SNL), DUST is aimed at developing a standardized telecom subsystem for networks of CubeSats. DUST’s core breakthrough is the use of mesh-network communication in space. Mesh communication is ideal because of its ability to tolerate single-point failures within a group of signals by using cross-links, evolving network maps, and optimized paths to ensure information flows as efficiently as possible. The DUST Tech Demo mission for iSATcon comprises three identical 3U CubeSats deployed from the International Space Station in the same orbital plane at 400km. The separation between CubeSats will be passively achieved through deployment delay and drag. The purpose of the mission is to demonstrate the inter-satellite communications and ability to relay information to every node of the system. After deployment and initial system checks, the three co-planar CubeSats will establish a mesh network in which every node communicates with other nodes and acts as a relay for the transfer of information to the ground. Not only will the DUST mission be a technology demonstration for the constellation, but it will also serve as a platform for distributed sensing, whose benefits are extendable to various scientific applications. This paper describes the overall mission architecture of the DUST Tech Demo, including designs for mechanical, thermal, electrical, and ADCS systems, as well as simulations of on-orbit operations, and designs and test results of an iSATcon compliant communication board.
