Session
Weekend Session II: Coordinating Successful Educational Programs
Location
Utah State University, Logan, UT
Abstract
Most educational CubeSat projects have the same dilemma: not enough money to buy a commercially available ground station, and not enough internal experience and capabilities to build a reliable and inexpensive ground station in-house. We present a middle road to the commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) vs DIY conundrum for ground stations: the University Class Open Ground Station (UniCIOGS). UniCIOGS is an open-source satellite communications ground station meant to be customized and built by university and other small satellite operators around the world. UniCIOGS is primarily designed for amateur radio satellites; amateur licensing allows for groups to share transmit-capable stations. Even international amateur radio groups can share UniCIOGS stations between countries that have amateur radio reciprocal operating agreements. For non-amateur radio satellites, a local UniCIOGS installation can be used by local satellite operators, but remote sharing becomes problematic. UniCIOGS is inspired by the extremely successful Satellite Networked Open Ground Station (SatNOGS), a global network of receive-only open-source ground stations hosted by the Libre Space organization. Because SatNOGS is receive-only, SatNOGS installations can be operated by any non-licensed individual or organization. UniCIOGS is meant to allow amateur-radio licensed operators to have transmit capabilities in parallel with the SatNOGS receive network.
UniCIOGS installations are designed to handle UHF, L, S, and X band links. They are based on a customizable selection of COTS hardware. Transceivers are based on open source software defined radios (SDR) with COTS preamps, power amps, filters, and RF switching paths. Antennas, rotators, and structures are also a selectable series of COTS parts that can be chosen based on installation location and pointing accuracy. The design scales to a mission's RF and orbit requirements without major rework, including a minimal case for hardware-in-the-loop testing on a "flatsat" integration test platform. Prices for a complete station typically range from $10,000 for a basic dual-band system to $25,000 for a sophisticated one.
UniCIOGS software is based on comprehensive Python scripts for station control, automation, and data transfer. GNU Radio is used for SDR control, allowing for extremely flexible radio protocol implementations. Satellite commands can be originated and responses stored in existing telecommand software such as Yamcs (Yet Another Mission Control System). Finally, all computers are based on simple, low-power, networked Linux computers that allow for remotely operated stations.
Currently, three UniCIOGS installations have been designed, built, and are being operated by students at Portland State University in Portland, OR. Other universities are building their own stations based on our publicly-available CAD and documentation, including University College London, Cal Poly Pomona's Bronco Space, and UCLA's Bruin Space.
University Class Open Ground Station (UniClOGS)
Utah State University, Logan, UT
Most educational CubeSat projects have the same dilemma: not enough money to buy a commercially available ground station, and not enough internal experience and capabilities to build a reliable and inexpensive ground station in-house. We present a middle road to the commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) vs DIY conundrum for ground stations: the University Class Open Ground Station (UniCIOGS). UniCIOGS is an open-source satellite communications ground station meant to be customized and built by university and other small satellite operators around the world. UniCIOGS is primarily designed for amateur radio satellites; amateur licensing allows for groups to share transmit-capable stations. Even international amateur radio groups can share UniCIOGS stations between countries that have amateur radio reciprocal operating agreements. For non-amateur radio satellites, a local UniCIOGS installation can be used by local satellite operators, but remote sharing becomes problematic. UniCIOGS is inspired by the extremely successful Satellite Networked Open Ground Station (SatNOGS), a global network of receive-only open-source ground stations hosted by the Libre Space organization. Because SatNOGS is receive-only, SatNOGS installations can be operated by any non-licensed individual or organization. UniCIOGS is meant to allow amateur-radio licensed operators to have transmit capabilities in parallel with the SatNOGS receive network.
UniCIOGS installations are designed to handle UHF, L, S, and X band links. They are based on a customizable selection of COTS hardware. Transceivers are based on open source software defined radios (SDR) with COTS preamps, power amps, filters, and RF switching paths. Antennas, rotators, and structures are also a selectable series of COTS parts that can be chosen based on installation location and pointing accuracy. The design scales to a mission's RF and orbit requirements without major rework, including a minimal case for hardware-in-the-loop testing on a "flatsat" integration test platform. Prices for a complete station typically range from $10,000 for a basic dual-band system to $25,000 for a sophisticated one.
UniCIOGS software is based on comprehensive Python scripts for station control, automation, and data transfer. GNU Radio is used for SDR control, allowing for extremely flexible radio protocol implementations. Satellite commands can be originated and responses stored in existing telecommand software such as Yamcs (Yet Another Mission Control System). Finally, all computers are based on simple, low-power, networked Linux computers that allow for remotely operated stations.
Currently, three UniCIOGS installations have been designed, built, and are being operated by students at Portland State University in Portland, OR. Other universities are building their own stations based on our publicly-available CAD and documentation, including University College London, Cal Poly Pomona's Bronco Space, and UCLA's Bruin Space.
