Session
Poster Session 3
Location
Salt Palace Convention Center, Salt Lake City, UT
Abstract
ChantSat-1, Coastal Carolina University (CCU) High Altitude Nadir-pointing Satellite-1, is the first smallsat mission envisioned by our primarily undergraduate university. Capacity development to support mission planning over 18 months has integrated a range of interdisciplinary stakeholders while capturing the attention and imagination of students. The mission’s primary payload will be a multispectral camera for remote sensing of South Carolina’s coastal blackwater rivers, estuaries, and adjacent ocean shelf waters. The resulting coastal habitat mosaic supports ecologically important food webs and related economic and cultural engines of regional growth, while being uniquely vulnerable to the combination of natural episodic climate-related events combined with increasing anthropogenic pressures. These relatively shallow coastal environments are characterized by highly variable concentrations of chlorophyll, suspended solids, and colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) and have a distinctive optical signature as they interact with coastal ocean waters. Remote sensing data from ChantSat-1 will enhance our understanding of these complex coastal dynamics and complement existing remote sensing satellite coverage by providing new capacity for high temporal resolution at small spatial scales. We’ve performed detailed orbit simulations and sensor coverage analyses, converging on an approach that will provide imagery of the South Carolina coast and adjacent shelf habitats for 6-7 consecutive days every 14 days. This revisit schedule has been strategically timed to help fill gaps in current satellite data sets. This temporal coverage will allow us to characterize coastal watershed dynamics as well as responses to episodic or extreme climate events to support emerging coastal resilience and sustainable management strategies.
CCU's ChantSat-1 team embraces a commitment to broadening participation in space exploration. The mission includes a selfie camera payload that has become an access point for community stakeholders as well as a popular tool to increase student interest and engagement across the University. Students from engineering, computer science, visual arts, and intelligence degree programs are working together to design, document, and fabricate a functional camera for deployment when ChantSat-1 reaches orbit. Additionally, these students work as “knowledge hubs” broadening the understanding of satellite technologies in learning cohorts that traditionally have little exposure in STEM. A preliminary ground station was prioritized and built in parallel with mission development to support observing existing satellites, communicate with CubeSat simulators, and provide experiential learning opportunities related to satellite technology and design. Our ground station will also serve as a cornerstone for outreach to underresourced K-12 schools, SC-NASA Space Grant partners and 2-year technical colleges and introduce students to satellite technology when they might have otherwise needed to leave the state to participate in space-related learning opportunities. Operating a functional ground station early helps CCU build student skills in radio/satellite operations, and enhanced our efforts to retain existing students and recruit new students, as we work towards critical mass to support the ChantSat-1 mission planned for 2027-28.
Document Type
Event
ChantSat-1: A First-Time University's Experience in Small Satellite Development
Salt Palace Convention Center, Salt Lake City, UT
ChantSat-1, Coastal Carolina University (CCU) High Altitude Nadir-pointing Satellite-1, is the first smallsat mission envisioned by our primarily undergraduate university. Capacity development to support mission planning over 18 months has integrated a range of interdisciplinary stakeholders while capturing the attention and imagination of students. The mission’s primary payload will be a multispectral camera for remote sensing of South Carolina’s coastal blackwater rivers, estuaries, and adjacent ocean shelf waters. The resulting coastal habitat mosaic supports ecologically important food webs and related economic and cultural engines of regional growth, while being uniquely vulnerable to the combination of natural episodic climate-related events combined with increasing anthropogenic pressures. These relatively shallow coastal environments are characterized by highly variable concentrations of chlorophyll, suspended solids, and colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) and have a distinctive optical signature as they interact with coastal ocean waters. Remote sensing data from ChantSat-1 will enhance our understanding of these complex coastal dynamics and complement existing remote sensing satellite coverage by providing new capacity for high temporal resolution at small spatial scales. We’ve performed detailed orbit simulations and sensor coverage analyses, converging on an approach that will provide imagery of the South Carolina coast and adjacent shelf habitats for 6-7 consecutive days every 14 days. This revisit schedule has been strategically timed to help fill gaps in current satellite data sets. This temporal coverage will allow us to characterize coastal watershed dynamics as well as responses to episodic or extreme climate events to support emerging coastal resilience and sustainable management strategies.
CCU's ChantSat-1 team embraces a commitment to broadening participation in space exploration. The mission includes a selfie camera payload that has become an access point for community stakeholders as well as a popular tool to increase student interest and engagement across the University. Students from engineering, computer science, visual arts, and intelligence degree programs are working together to design, document, and fabricate a functional camera for deployment when ChantSat-1 reaches orbit. Additionally, these students work as “knowledge hubs” broadening the understanding of satellite technologies in learning cohorts that traditionally have little exposure in STEM. A preliminary ground station was prioritized and built in parallel with mission development to support observing existing satellites, communicate with CubeSat simulators, and provide experiential learning opportunities related to satellite technology and design. Our ground station will also serve as a cornerstone for outreach to underresourced K-12 schools, SC-NASA Space Grant partners and 2-year technical colleges and introduce students to satellite technology when they might have otherwise needed to leave the state to participate in space-related learning opportunities. Operating a functional ground station early helps CCU build student skills in radio/satellite operations, and enhanced our efforts to retain existing students and recruit new students, as we work towards critical mass to support the ChantSat-1 mission planned for 2027-28.
