Design and Implementation of Satellite Software to Facilitate Future CubeSat Development

The OpenOrbiter project is a campus-wide effort at the University of North Dakota to design and build a low-cost CubeSat-class satellite. The intent is to create a publicallyavailable framework that allows a spacecraft to be built with a parts cost of less than USD $5,000 (excluding mission payload-specific costs). This paper focuses on OpenOrbiter’s software system methodology and implementation. Current work seeks to create a generalized framework that other CubeSat developers can use directly or alter to suit their mission needs. It discusses OpenOrbiter’s overall design goals with an emphasis on software design. The software architecture is divided into three main components: operating software, ground station software and payload software. Each component is discussed along with the requirement for efficient and effective communication between the components. A communication standard that fulfills these goals is discussed herein. The paper also discusses several challenges encountered and their resolution, including the creation of heuristics to optimally schedule tasks, handling the uncertainty that is inevitable in satellite operations, defining useful standards for all components of the software, communicating between components effectively and testing software to ensure proper operation in an orbital environment. Then, the current state of each software component and its implementation is presented. Finally, the significance of OpenOrbiter is discussed and plans for future work are presented.

[1]  Jordi Puig-Suari,et al.  CubeSat: A New Generation of Picosatellite for Education and Industry Low-Cost Space Experimentation , 2000 .

[2]  Jeremy Straub,et al.  APPLICATION OF COLLABORATIVE AUTONOMOUS CONTROL AND THE OPEN PROTOTYPE FOR EDUCATIONAL NANOSATS FRAMEWORK TO ENABLE ORBITAL CAPABILITIES FOR DEVELOPING NATIONS , 2013 .

[3]  Pekka Kangaslahti,et al.  CubeSat Constellation for Atmospheric Temperature and Humidity Sounding , 2013 .

[4]  Jeremy Straub,et al.  A Review of Online Collaboration Tools Used by the UND OpenOrbiter Program , 2013 .

[5]  Hakan Kayal,et al.  Dependable Software (BOSS) for the Beesat PICO Satellite , 2006 .

[6]  J. R. Samson.  Update on Dependable Multiprocessor CubeSat technology development , 2012, 2012 IEEE Aerospace Conference.

[7]  Jeremy Straub,et al.  OpenOrbiter: A Low-Cost, Educational Prototype CubeSat Mission Architecture , 2013 .

[8]  Mark James,et al.  Background and architecture for an autonomous ground station controller , 2001 .

[9]  Peter C. Chapin,et al.  A SPARK/Ada CubeSat Control Program , 2013, Ada-Europe.

[10]  Jeremy Straub,et al.  Mechanical Design and Analysis of a 1-U CubeSat , 2014 .

[11]  Robert J. Twiggs,et al.  Thinking Out of the Box : Space Science Beyond the CubeSat , 2012 .

[12]  Klaus Schilling,et al.  An extensible on-board data handling software platform for pico satellites , 2008 .

[13]  E. Fosse,et al.  Applying Model Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) to a standard CubeSat , 2012, 2012 IEEE Aerospace Conference.

[14]  Michael Taraba,et al.  Boeing's CubeSat TestBed 1 Attitude Determination Design and On­Orbit Experience , 2009 .

[15]  Jeremy Straub,et al.  Interplanetary Hitchhiking to Support Small Spacecraft Missions Beyond Earth Orbit , 2013 .

[16]  Sanjay Jayaram,et al.  Significance of Student-Built Spacecraft Design Programs: Its Impact on Spacecraft Engineering Education over the Last Ten Years , 2011 .

[17]  Purvesh Thakker,et al.  Management and Implementation of a Cubesat Interdisciplinary Senior Design Course , 2010 .

[18]  Robert J. Twiggs,et al.  Thinking Outside the Box: Space Science Beyond the CubeSat , 2012 .

[19]  Jeremy Straub,et al.  Assessment of Educational Expectations, Outcomes and Benefits from Small Satellite Program Participation , 2014 .

[20]  Henry R. Hertzfeld,et al.  Cubesats: Cost-effective science and technology platforms for emerging and developing nations , 2011 .

[21]  Hamid Hemmati,et al.  Interplanetary CubeSats: Small, low cost Missions Beyond low Earth Orbit , 2012 .

[22]  Eberhard Gill,et al.  Formation flying within a constellation of nano-satellites: The QB50 mission , 2010 .

[23]  Albert Tsuda,et al.  Rapid Development using Tyvak’s Open Source Software Model , 2013 .

[24]  Gary Crum,et al.  Onboard Autonomy and Ground Operations Automation for the Intelligent Payload Experiment (IPEX) CubeSat Mission , 2012 .

[25]  David J. Weeks,et al.  The First US Army Satellite in Fifty Years: SMDC-ONE First Flight Results , 2011 .

[26]  Peter H. Feiler,et al.  Model-Based Engineering with AADL , 2012 .

[27]  James Cutler,et al.  OPAL: Smaller, Simpler, and Just Plain Luckier , 2000 .

[28]  Jeremy Straub,et al.  Evaluation of the Educational Impact of Participation Time in a Small Spacecraft Development Program , 2014 .

[29]  James Lumpp,et al.  Development of a modular command and data handling architecture for the KySat-2 CubeSat , 2014, 2014 IEEE Aerospace Conference.

[30]  Michael Swartwout,et al.  University-Class Satellites: From Marginal Utility to 'Disruptive' Research Platforms , 2004 .

[31]  Pekka Kangaslahti,et al.  A 6U CubeSat constellation concept for atmospheric temperature and humidity sounding , 2014, 2014 United States National Committee of URSI National Radio Science Meeting (USNC-URSI NRSM).

[32]  Leon Stepan,et al.  Scheduling multi-spectral collection of the Australian landmass using a 6U cubesat constellation , 2012 .

[33]  Jeremy Straub,et al.  An Assessment of Educational Benefits from the OpenOrbiter Space Program , 2013 .

[34]  Greg D. Manyak.  Fault Tolerant and Flexible CubeSat Software Architecture , 2011 .

[35]  Hamid Hemmati,et al.  Interplanetary CubeSats: Opening the Solar System to a Broad Community at Lower Cost , 2011 .