Session
Weekend Session 7: Year in Review - Research & Academia
Location
Utah State University, Logan, UT
Abstract
SUCHAI 2, SUCHAI 3, and Plansat are three 3U CubeSats designed, manufactured, integrated, and tested by the Space and Planetary Exploration Laboratory at the University of Chile (SPEL). They were launched into space on April 1, 2022, aboard a D-Orbit ION platform. The ION deployer was carried into space on the SpaceX Falcon 9 Transporter 4 mission. The nanosatellites included payloads and experiments from several other national and international groups, all featuring different missions and configurations.
We developed the three CubeSats simultaneously. Some subsystems are the same, while others are specific to each satellite. They include scientific and technical payloads. The technical payloads, such as an in-house developed star tracker and reaction wheels, were shared by all three satellites. The research missions differed: SUCHAI 2 has an optical payload, SUCHAI 3 has some communication payloads, and Plantsat has biological payloads, as well as other experiments with graphene-based devices. In addition, we implemented other secondary scientific payloads on more than one satellite. The responsible institutions were not the same for each payload (SPEL, other groups from the University of Chile, other national universities or research institutions, and international groups from other universities). Moreover, SPEL performed environmental tests in the university facilities.
We conceived a lean project management approach to coordinate all the stakeholders under a schedule and human resource constraints. In this approach, we separated every satellite architecture into subsystems and classified every subsystem according to its current development status in different phases. Every subsystem required a physical interphase and defined physical space in the satellite. In addition, we ported the SUCHAI satellite software into all the subsystems, including payloads, the onboard computer, and the ground station.
The findings for the different subsystems developed by multiple groups and the legacy from former projects allow us developing more complex and robust flying payloads. Furthermore, the design of an integrated light test procedure for each subsystem enabled us to detect integraiton errors and check the satellite's health at various stages of the integration process.
After the launch, the operation of the satellites also implied new challenges and findings to consider in the design of the daily operation plan. These changed the original flight plan designed during the subsystem development and integration. However, the legacy from the various subsystems and the functionality tests used during the integration and testing stages enabled us to overcome these challenges. This article summarizes the complete development cycle: we describe every mission concept, the design strategy to coordinate different missions and teams in the development process, the construction strategy, integration and testing philosophies, and the data processing, handling, and distribution schemes. Finally, we present some preliminary results and enumerate the main challenges and lessons learned from this project.
The First Chilean Satellite Swarm: Approach and Lessons Learned
Utah State University, Logan, UT
SUCHAI 2, SUCHAI 3, and Plansat are three 3U CubeSats designed, manufactured, integrated, and tested by the Space and Planetary Exploration Laboratory at the University of Chile (SPEL). They were launched into space on April 1, 2022, aboard a D-Orbit ION platform. The ION deployer was carried into space on the SpaceX Falcon 9 Transporter 4 mission. The nanosatellites included payloads and experiments from several other national and international groups, all featuring different missions and configurations.
We developed the three CubeSats simultaneously. Some subsystems are the same, while others are specific to each satellite. They include scientific and technical payloads. The technical payloads, such as an in-house developed star tracker and reaction wheels, were shared by all three satellites. The research missions differed: SUCHAI 2 has an optical payload, SUCHAI 3 has some communication payloads, and Plantsat has biological payloads, as well as other experiments with graphene-based devices. In addition, we implemented other secondary scientific payloads on more than one satellite. The responsible institutions were not the same for each payload (SPEL, other groups from the University of Chile, other national universities or research institutions, and international groups from other universities). Moreover, SPEL performed environmental tests in the university facilities.
We conceived a lean project management approach to coordinate all the stakeholders under a schedule and human resource constraints. In this approach, we separated every satellite architecture into subsystems and classified every subsystem according to its current development status in different phases. Every subsystem required a physical interphase and defined physical space in the satellite. In addition, we ported the SUCHAI satellite software into all the subsystems, including payloads, the onboard computer, and the ground station.
The findings for the different subsystems developed by multiple groups and the legacy from former projects allow us developing more complex and robust flying payloads. Furthermore, the design of an integrated light test procedure for each subsystem enabled us to detect integraiton errors and check the satellite's health at various stages of the integration process.
After the launch, the operation of the satellites also implied new challenges and findings to consider in the design of the daily operation plan. These changed the original flight plan designed during the subsystem development and integration. However, the legacy from the various subsystems and the functionality tests used during the integration and testing stages enabled us to overcome these challenges. This article summarizes the complete development cycle: we describe every mission concept, the design strategy to coordinate different missions and teams in the development process, the construction strategy, integration and testing philosophies, and the data processing, handling, and distribution schemes. Finally, we present some preliminary results and enumerate the main challenges and lessons learned from this project.
