Session
Weekend Session 8: Next on the Pad
Location
Utah State University, Logan, UT
Abstract
The ERNST mission will demonstrate complex infrared detection capabilities using a 12U CubeSat platform. ERNST’s main payload is an advanced cryogenically-cooled infrared imager that implicates demanding requirements in terms of power demand, heat dissipation, and vibration response for a nanosatellite. The optical bench that integrates optics, a filter-wheel for switching between spectral bands, and the detector-cooler system has been additively designed and manufactured, giving it a bionic appearance and combined with a highly efficient radiator. An onboard radiation monitor and a COTS camera complete the mission payloads. The ERNST 12U platform is based on high-performance CubeSat subsystems for avionics, UHF, and X-band communication, attitude control, and power management. The commercial components are made compatible through a backplane solution. In-house developments include a fast DPU and an autonomous de-orbit dragsail. The platform provides 30 Watt (OAP) and >6U payload volume. After comprehensive environmental and functional testing of the Engineering Model, the Flight Model is currently being integrated. Starting operations in February 2023, ERNST will verify early warning concepts and technology.
ERNST: Demonstrating Advanced Infrared Detection from a 12U CubeSat
Utah State University, Logan, UT
The ERNST mission will demonstrate complex infrared detection capabilities using a 12U CubeSat platform. ERNST’s main payload is an advanced cryogenically-cooled infrared imager that implicates demanding requirements in terms of power demand, heat dissipation, and vibration response for a nanosatellite. The optical bench that integrates optics, a filter-wheel for switching between spectral bands, and the detector-cooler system has been additively designed and manufactured, giving it a bionic appearance and combined with a highly efficient radiator. An onboard radiation monitor and a COTS camera complete the mission payloads. The ERNST 12U platform is based on high-performance CubeSat subsystems for avionics, UHF, and X-band communication, attitude control, and power management. The commercial components are made compatible through a backplane solution. In-house developments include a fast DPU and an autonomous de-orbit dragsail. The platform provides 30 Watt (OAP) and >6U payload volume. After comprehensive environmental and functional testing of the Engineering Model, the Flight Model is currently being integrated. Starting operations in February 2023, ERNST will verify early warning concepts and technology.
