Mission Operations, Systems Engineering, and Ground Stations: How University Students are Crucial to the CU-LASP SmallSats Program

Mission Operations, Systems Engineering, and Ground Stations: How University Students are Crucial to the CU-LASP SmallSats Program

Utah State University, Logan UT

The Laboratory for Atmosphere and Space Physics (LASP) at the University of Colorado (CU) in Boulder, CO is an internationally recognized facility that specializes in atmospheric, solar, planetary, and space physics research, as well as spacecraft engineering, operations, and data analysis. LASP has contributed to the research, development, and operations of a multitude of missions exploring every planet in the solar system for over 70 years. At LASP, a multi-mission SmallSat Operations Team (SMOPS) composed of 2 professionals and 8 students currently supports 3 SmallSats in flight and numerous missions in development. Additionally, a sub-team of Ground Station Operations (GSOPS) students support LASP's UHF and 4.2m S-Band antenna and radio systems. The SMOPS students support the Mission Operations (MO) of our fleet of SmallSats, as well as the design, test, and management of these highly-successful missions.