A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched on 29th June, 2021, carried a total of 88 satellites into the orbit, including at least 5 latest GenerationOne deployments. We were privileged to provide the spacecraft software to Kleos Space’s Polar Vigilance Mission (KSF1) and the Faraday Phoenix satellite, built as part of In-Space Missions’ Faraday CubeSat programme to become a Service Mission Provider.
Kleos Space’s satellites detect and geolocate radio frequency transmissions to deliver a global picture of hidden maritime activity for enhanced intelligence capability. The KSF1 mission is a cluster of 4 satellites designed to enhance the company’s RF geolocation data delivered by the Kleos Scouting Mission, which was successfully launched in November 2020. The KSF1 spacecraft were built by Innovative Solutions In Space B.V. (ISISPACE) with the software system designed by Bright Ascension, using our innovative space software products to help keep development time short within tight project timelines.
The Faraday Phoenix mission, a re-flight of the original Faraday-1 satellite lost at launch, is part of In-Space Missions’ Faraday programme. Co-funded by ESA (European Space Agency), it enables multiple third-party payloads to ‘rideshare’ on a single satellite platform, providing low-cost access to space. Similar to its predecessor, the Faraday Phoenix satellite carries our FSDK flight software onboard, tying together the spacecraft’s subsystems and seamlessly interfacing with a large number of third-party payloads, including a host of software-defined radios of various types.
As they progress through their lives in orbit, both Faraday CubeSat and KSF1 satellites will make full use of our Mission Control Software and its tight integration with the flight software. This will help to significantly simplify, improve, and automate their mission operations.
“We are extremely proud of the hard work we have put in to help make these missions a success. ”
Peter Mendham, CEO at Bright Ascension
“Both Faraday Phoenix CubeSat and Polar Vigilance Mission had very tight project timescales, giving us less than six months for software development. But our unique modular approach allows for the complex flight software to be built quickly and effectively, which means we were able to support the lead times and deliver our cutting-edge spacecraft technology promptly and efficiently,” said Peter Mendham, CEO.
The Faraday Phoenix and KSF1 missions add to the list of successfully launched spacecraft with our software onboard, taking the current total to 24 satellites, with many more in development.
The IOD-1 GEMS spacecraft has begun operations after a successful deployment from the ISS on Wednesday morning. Bright Ascension’s GenerationOne onboard software executed a successful separation procedure, commanding deployment of antennae and solar panels while monitoring critical platform telemetry.
Wednesday’s deployment is the result of a fruitful collaboration between Bright Ascension, Clyde Space, the Satellite Applications Catapult (SAC) and Orbital Microsystems (OMS). IOD-1 GEMS was launched 2 months ago aboard a routine ISS resupply mission, and since then has been stowed awaiting deployment. The spacecraft is to demonstrate OMS’s new weather observation technology.
SAC are using Bright Ascension’s Mission Control Software (MCS) to operate the mission. The MCS is integrated closely with the GenerationOne FSDK, providing powerful and intuitive features for management of a spacecraft through its life on orbit. Among the features SAC will be making use of when operating IOD-1 GEMS are:
Bright Ascension are now excited to be supporting the checkout and commissioning of the IOD-1 GEMS spacecraft, and we look forward to beginning routine operations soon.
Further information:
Bright Ascension’s latest GenerationOne flight software deployment launched on yesterday’s resupply launch to the International Space Station.
Along with thousands of kilograms of supplies for the space station was IOD-1 GEMS, the first spacecraft in the Satellite Applications Catapult’s (SAC) In-Orbit Demonstration (IOD) programme. Integrated by Clyde Space in Glasgow, Scotland, IOD-1 GEMS is to demonstrate Orbital Micro System’s (OMS) new weather observation payload.
IOD-1 GEMS is running a flight software suite developed by Bright Ascension using our GenerationOne Flight Software Development Kit (FSDK), and will communicate with the Bright Ascension Mission Control Software (MCS) running at the SAC ground station in Harwell, England.
The GenerationOne FSDK has enabled the complex flight software to be developed quickly and effectively, making use of the heritage of Bright Ascension’s component library. We added new components for fulfilling the unique payload handling, data storage and data downlink requirements of the IOD-1 GEMS mission.
Besides the advantages conferred during the mission’s development phase, using Gen1 and the MCS also provide flexibility in planning and operations as IOD-1 GEMS progresses through its life on orbit. OMS and SAC can have confidence that the integrated space system can deliver against many different operational requirements, using the substantial automation features built in to both the ground and flight software.
IOD-1 GEMS is to be deployed from the ISS in the coming months, and Bright Ascension look forward to assisting the SAC and OMS teams with a smooth commissioning process, and to hearing of the precision weather data OMS’s payload promises to deliver!
Further information:
SeaHawk-1, the innovative ocean colour monitoring CubeSat, has captured and downlinked its first multi-spectral image from orbit. This satellite is a proof of concept of a system which has the potential to greatly increase the availability and resolution of scientifically important ocean colour data through a network of satellites that are much smaller and cheaper than those currently used for this purpose.
This excerpt from the first SeaHawk image data highlights the improved spatial resolution achieved by the instrument compared to the previous state-of-the art, a satellite with a mass of nearly 3 tons to SeaHawk’s mass of around 4 kg. Please see this article from the NASA OceanColor website for more information about this image.
Bright Ascension wrote Seahawk-1’s Flight Software and Mission Control Software so this milestone, demonstrating the end-to-end capability of the system, has been a real cause for celebration for us.
We’ve been involved in the mission from the early stages, helping to define the payload interface and concept of operations for the mission, and are providing ongoing technical assistance during the on-orbit operations. It’s gratifying to see the work of the whole SeaHawk team start to pay off and we are looking forward to support the move towards routine operation.
The recent SSO-A launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Vandenberg in California saw the deployment of three further spacecraft using Bright Ascension technology. Three teams used the GenerationOne Flight Software Development Kit to accelerate their mission development, with two of those also using the Mission Control Software to take the advantage of the seamless integration offered by the GenerationOne suite.
Within days of the launch, on the 3rd December, teams had begun tracking their satellites. The three spacecraft service very different applications. Fleet Space Technologies’ Centauri-2, is an industry-leading IoT communications satellite. The Audacy Zero CubeSat is a pilot for Audacy’s space relay communications service, and will be the first Ka-Band nano-satellite. SeaHawk-1, lead by the University of North Carolina Wilmington, hosts a multi-spectral imaging payload.
The SeaHawk-1 spacecraft, built and operated by Clyde Space in Glasgow, Scotland, is a pilot for a potential ocean colour monitoring constellation, collecting biological data from space and downlinking that via NASA’s Near Earth Network. Bright Ascension is directly supporting the SeaHawk operations team and look forward to seeing the first images from the HawkEye imager in the coming months.
This morning’s successful launch carried 29 CubeSats to orbit, including two more satellites using Bright Ascension’s GenerationOne Flight Software Development Kit. These satellites, Kepler Communications’ CASE, and Fleet Space Technologies’ Centauri-1, represent important milestones for both organisations. The launch of the PSLV from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in India carries the third and fourth satellites to use the company’s GenerationOne technology.
Bright Ascension has been privileged to support both the Kepler and Fleet teams in the development of their world-leading CubeSats. For both missions, Bright Ascension’s industry-leading CubeSat flight software product has helped them keep development time short, getting them to market faster. Use of the GenerationOne Mission Control Software will likewise help both organisations to manage their missions effectively, integrating seamlessly with the flight software.
SeaHawk-1 is an innovative ocean colour monitoring CubeSat, designed by the University of North Carolina. It was built with our Flight Software Development Kit to accelerate mission development and is taking full advantage of the benefits offered by our Mission Control Software.
SeaHawk’s colour sensor observes changes in ocean surface colour, which relates directly to the substances and the organisms within it. Captured daily, high-resolution observations of ocean colour changes can be used for multiple environmental and maritime applications.
The SeaHawk project utilises a 3U CubeSat platform to observe the changing biology of the ocean surface and its implication for various maritime applications.
The payload of the spacecraft generates a large amount of data at 1.1GB for a full observation sweep, and requires a high performance x-band downlink. This large volume of generated data put significant limitations on the computing platform, meaning that there was a demand for the software to use as minimal computing resources as possible.
From the software perspective, the restriction on computing power was the main challenge in this mission.
The NEN is a global network of satellite ground stations which is normally used by much larger spacecraft. We believe this is the first time it was used by a CubeSat.
SeaHawk is unusual for a CubeSat because its payload and its platform are operated by two distinct groups using different operations centres. The satellite itself is commanded by AAC Clyde Space in Glasgow, Scotland, using our Mission Control Software product. Payload data is downlinked to the NEN and processed by NASA Goddard Space Flight Centre. Tasking requests are passed from the payload to the platform team but there was a desire to keep this interface as simple as possible. In addition, since this is a pilot mission, some aspects of the performance of the system were uncertain, so there was a need to remain flexible.
The FSDK allows the operator full control over how often the software performs certain actions such as checking the status of a component, or sending health checks to the operations centre. So the operator can decide which elements of the mission need to be prioritised. Flexibility is a crucial part of the software development process as requirements may change mid-development. The FSDK allowed software to be developed from previous iterations, so that the flight package design could be easily changed without rewriting from the ground up.
In order to enable NEN interactions, we needed to ensure that our transmissions followed the internationally-recognised CCSDS standards, which was easy to achieve as the FSDK has an existing library of CCSDS protocol implementations to draw on.
In order to help reduce operational complexity, we ensured that all of the necessary platform data was included in the payload set so it can be correctly processed. We also automated the on-board processing and management of payload data, while providing flexibility to respond to the changing needs of the mission. Coupled with the on-board scheduling and scripting capabilities provided by our flight and ground software, it is possible for the majority of spacecraft operations to be automated.
SeaHawk was successfully launched in 2018 and soon after captured and downlinked its first multi-spectral image from orbit.
We’ve been involved in the mission from the early stages, helping to define the payload interface and concept of operations for the mission, and are providing ongoing technical assistance during the on-orbit operations.
SeaHawk-1 is an innovative ocean colour monitoring CubeSat, designed by the University of North Carolina. It was built with our Flight Software Development Kit to accelerate mission development and is taking full advantage of the benefits offered by our Mission Control Software.
SeaHawk’s colour sensor observes changes in ocean surface colour, which relates directly to the substances and the organisms within it. Captured daily, high-resolution observations of ocean colour changes can be used for multiple environmental and maritime applications.
The SeaHawk project utilises a 3U CubeSat platform to observe the changing biology of the ocean surface and its implication for various maritime applications.
The payload of the spacecraft generates a large amount of data at 1.1GB for a full observation sweep, and requires a high performance x-band downlink. This large volume of generated data put significant limitations on the computing platform, meaning that there was a demand for the software to use as minimal computing resources as possible.
From the software perspective, the restriction on computing power was the main challenge in this mission.
The NEN is a global network of satellite ground stations which is normally used by much larger spacecraft. We believe this is the first time it was used by a CubeSat.
SeaHawk is unusual for a CubeSat because its payload and its platform are operated by two distinct groups using different operations centres. The satellite itself is commanded by AAC Clyde Space in Glasgow, Scotland, using our Mission Control Software product. Payload data is downlinked to the NEN and processed by NASA Goddard Space Flight Centre. Tasking requests are passed from the payload to the platform team but there was a desire to keep this interface as simple as possible. In addition, since this is a pilot mission, some aspects of the performance of the system were uncertain, so there was a need to remain flexible.
The FSDK allows the operator full control over how often the software performs certain actions such as checking the status of a component, or sending health checks to the operations centre. So the operator can decide which elements of the mission need to be prioritised. Flexibility is a crucial part of the software development process as requirements may change mid-development. The FSDK allowed software to be developed from previous iterations, so that the flight package design could be easily changed without rewriting from the ground up.
In order to enable NEN interactions, we needed to ensure that our transmissions followed the internationally-recognised CCSDS standards, which was easy to achieve as the FSDK has an existing library of CCSDS protocol implementations to draw on.
In order to help reduce operational complexity, we ensured that all of the necessary platform data was included in the payload set so it can be correctly processed. We also automated the on-board processing and management of payload data, while providing flexibility to respond to the changing needs of the mission. Coupled with the on-board scheduling and scripting capabilities provided by our flight and ground software, it is possible for the majority of spacecraft operations to be automated.
SeaHawk was successfully launched in 2018 and soon after captured and downlinked its first multi-spectral image from orbit.
We’ve been involved in the mission from the early stages, helping to define the payload interface and concept of operations for the mission, and are providing ongoing technical assistance during the on-orbit operations.
We’ve come a long way since the first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1, was successfully placed in orbit around the Earth in 1957. Today, we can hardly imagine our lives without satellite technology. Often, we do not even realise the numerous ways they have become a part of our daily lives.
Broadly speaking, satellites applications can be broken down into three categories:
Each of these categories includes multiple uses for artificial satellites, designed to make a positive impact on our lives and societies.
According to the Satellite Database, assembled by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), nearly a third of satellites currently in orbit are used for Earth observation purposes. They provide us with images from around the globe and help us monitor areas that are too remote for human access.
The most obvious and recognisable applications of Earth observation satellites are weather forecasts and maps. However, they can be used for many more diverse purposes. For instance, they can help combat the ongoing climate change crisis: by observing and monitoring the changing environment, they provide reliable evidence of coastal erosion, temperature changes, deforestation, melting ice sheets, ocean pollution, coral reef bleaching and many other observations that provide invaluable data on the changing climate.
Essentially, there are two main types of Earth Observation satellites: optical and radar.
Optical satellites use reflected sunlight to gather data. They view the world as the human eye does, which means imagery is only available on a clear and mostly cloudless day. Radar satellites, on the other hand, work by emitting microwave pulses which reflect off ground features. This provides uninterrupted views day and night under any weather conditions. In the recent years, it has become more common for Earth observation scientists to use both optical and radar data sets in their analysis and research.
At Bright Ascension, we have been privileged to support a number of Earth observation space missions over the years.
SeaHawk-1 is an earth observation CubeSat. The innovative ocean colour monitoring CubeSat, was designed by the University of North Carolina. Its sensor observes changes in ocean surface colour, which relates directly to the substances and the organisms within it. Captured daily, high-resolution observations of ocean changes can be used for multiple purposes: from alerting researchers to the onset and expansion of harmful algal blooms, to potential fishing zones. This CubeSat is a proof of concept of a system which has the potential to greatly increase the availability and resolution of scientifically important ocean colour data through a network of satellites that are much smaller and cheaper than those currently used for this purpose.
SeaHawk was built with our Flight Software Development Kit to accelerate space mission development and is taking full advantage of the benefits offered by our Mission Control Software.
The IOD-1 space mission was the key first step in the Orbital Micro Systems’ GEMS programme roll-out to test the commercial viability of the proposed service and prove its concept and technology.
The company’s weather observation payload, developed as part of the Global Environmental Monitoring Satellite (GEMS) program, is designed to deliver highly accurate and frequent weather readings for the benefit of the insurance, aerospace, maritime, energy and agricultural industries. For example, airlines and shipping companies will be able to plan routes taking into account optimal weather conditions, reducing delays, fuel consumption and emissions while operating with greater safety.
The GEMS network is expected to gather weather data more frequently and with better clarity than the large institutional satellites currently in use. IOD-1 GEMS was built to demonstrate the viability of the service to potential customers and prove successful operation of the payload technology.
The IOD-1 GEMS CubeSat, successfully deployed in 2020, ran a flight software suite developed by Bright Ascension using our Flight Software Development Kit, and communicated with our Mission Control Software running at the operations centre.
See our Launched Missions to find out more about the different types of earth observation CubeSats and other space missions we’ve supported over the years. Alternatively, contact us today to discuss your satellite software needs.
At Bright Ascension we talk a lot about model-based software engineering, but what exactly does it mean?
Our model-based software platform provides a machine-readable description of the architecture of the system, which is understandable by both the space side and the ground side and is used across the life cycle of the system. The central elements of this platform are software components, which are entirely self-contained and have a coherent set of functionality. They are designed to create mission-specific spacecraft flight software through our Flight Software Development Kit (FSDK) by combining bespoke components with library components which have been previously validated.
This basic approach based on components means we can adapt our platform to any system that is suited to model-based software engineering. This could be small satellites, robotics, automated space systems, and much more. And it doesn’t just mean Low Earth Orbit either – we can take it much further than that.
While every spacecraft and mission are different, most space vehicles perform similar tasks, such as data acquisition, monitoring, logging, FDIR, TM/TC, scheduled/automated actions.
Our GenerationOne model-based software platform is built on a wide range of components, such as:
This component-based approach allows the platform to work with new systems, new hardware, new and existing software components, meaning that the model-based software engineering approach can do so much more than just CubeSats. Furthermore, with its abstraction from hardware, operating system, I/O and devices, our technology can manage many missions and applications that go beyond the CubeSat domain, such as all types of small satellites, complex and automated space systems, satellite constellations, robotics in space and more.
To find out more about how our model-based software engineering can help your mission – whether it’s a single satellite or a complex space system – contact us today.
The ground and space segments of a satellite project are often developed independently of each other, by different teams, or even different contractors, and at different life cycles of the mission. Traditionally, there has been a noticeable tendency to de-couple the development of these two separate systems.
The most common way to establish this separation early on is probably to establish communication via packet data. In order to efficiently operate a spacecraft, developers need to thoroughly describe the telecommand and telemetry packets that will perform exchanges between the flight and the ground sides. This means that the spacecraft functionality and its exposure to the control centre have to be described in significant detail and then captured at packet level.
However, this approach has certain downsides:
Our industry-leading GenerationOne technology offers an alternative solution and addresses these key challenges through its unique approach to space software engineering.
The GenerationOne’s platform is both component-based and model-based. “Component-based” means that it is designed to create limitless combinations of software components which are entirely self-contained and have a coherent set of functionality. While every mission is different, software systems on many missions perform a number of similar tasks such as data acquisition, monitoring, logging, FDIR, TM/TC, scheduled and automated actions. These common functionalities are provided as library components which allows users to quickly cover basic functionality of the system and focus on the development of bespoke components, unique to their particular mission.
Once the component structure is defined, GenerationOne provides a machine-readable description (a model) of the architecture of the system, which is understandable by both the space side and the ground side, and is used across the life cycle of the system. Each mission defines its own model to represent the facilities available and the chosen configuration options.
The real advantage of the model-based approach is that the entire flight software package, developed through our software can be quickly and easily understood by our ground-based products.
For example, the spacecraft database generated by each specific deployment can be loaded up into our operations software to automatically populate it with all the spacecraft components. It gives the system a full view of the different Components and their Services and makes integration and configuration virtually automatic.
This unified approach to flight and ground software development through a shared functional architectural model brings a wide range of benefits to all aspects of missions, end-to-end and across the full life cycle:
We run regular demo sessions for our Flight Software Development Kit and Mission Control Software that you can book at any time. These are group sessions but you can join anonymously and participate as much or as little as you like. Book demo today.
Our software is a model-based solution that is not dedicated to any particular system. Our component-based architecture also means that the software you produce can be fully customised and adopted to your specific mission needs. This means you can potentially do a whole lot more than a NanoSat or a CubeSat: small satellites, robotics, automated space systems, and much more.
SeaHawk-1 is an innovative ocean colour monitoring CubeSat, designed by the University of North Carolina. It was built with our Flight Software Development Kit to accelerate mission development and is taking full advantage of the benefits offered by our Mission Control Software.
SeaHawk’s colour sensor observes changes in ocean surface colour, which relates directly to the substances and the organisms within it. Captured daily, high-resolution observations of ocean colour changes can be used for multiple environmental and maritime applications.
The SeaHawk project utilises a 3U CubeSat platform to observe the changing biology of the ocean surface and its implication for various maritime applications.
The payload of the spacecraft generates a large amount of data at 1.1GB for a full observation sweep, and requires a high performance x-band downlink. This large volume of generated data put significant limitations on the computing platform, meaning that there was a demand for the software to use as minimal computing resources as possible.
From the software perspective, the restriction on computing power was the main challenge in this mission.
The NEN is a global network of satellite ground stations which is normally used by much larger spacecraft. We believe this is the first time it was used by a CubeSat.
SeaHawk is unusual for a CubeSat because its payload and its platform are operated by two distinct groups using different operations centres. The satellite itself is commanded by AAC Clyde Space in Glasgow, Scotland, using our Mission Control Software product. Payload data is downlinked to the NEN and processed by NASA Goddard Space Flight Centre. Tasking requests are passed from the payload to the platform team but there was a desire to keep this interface as simple as possible. In addition, since this is a pilot mission, some aspects of the performance of the system were uncertain, so there was a need to remain flexible.
The FSDK allows the operator full control over how often the software performs certain actions such as checking the status of a component, or sending health checks to the operations centre. So the operator can decide which elements of the mission need to be prioritised. Flexibility is a crucial part of the software development process as requirements may change mid-development. The FSDK allowed software to be developed from previous iterations, so that the flight package design could be easily changed without rewriting from the ground up.
In order to enable NEN interactions, we needed to ensure that our transmissions followed the internationally-recognised CCSDS standards, which was easy to achieve as the FSDK has an existing library of CCSDS protocol implementations to draw on.
In order to help reduce operational complexity, we ensured that all of the necessary platform data was included in the payload set so it can be correctly processed. We also automated the on-board processing and management of payload data, while providing flexibility to respond to the changing needs of the mission. Coupled with the on-board scheduling and scripting capabilities provided by our flight and ground software, it is possible for the majority of spacecraft operations to be automated.
SeaHawk was successfully launched in 2018 and soon after captured and downlinked its first multi-spectral image from orbit.
We’ve been involved in the mission from the early stages, helping to define the payload interface and concept of operations for the mission, and are providing ongoing technical assistance during the on-orbit operations.
WHY MCS?
The mission control software provides a flexible and integrated graphical environment for all aspect of mission operations, tying together monitoring, control and automation.
JOIN ONLINE DEMOThe MCS provides a rich environment for parameter and event monitoring, including telemetry visualisation and archiving, telemetry monitoring with alarms and condition notification, and many more features under active development.
Download brochureThe graphical environment of the MCS integrates commanding with monitoring and other talks, which provides a clear and more efficient view of operations. And its powerful scripting means that complex tasks can be achieved quickly and effortlessly.
Browse our blogThe MCS provides extensive scheduling and automation features, such as automated pass management including downlink/uplink handling. This allows to enable efficient unattended operations to improve reliability of the mission and maximise uptime.
Browse our case studiesOur underlying core technology creates a model of the system that is shared by the entire mission: both flight and ground. This means the MCS understands how to interact with the flight side with almost zero manual configuration, saving time, effort and cost.
Read more about flight-ground integrationBrowse out blog posts and case studies to find out more about how the MCS works and how it can visibly improve your mission development and operation.
Blog
Space system developers see flight software as separate and independent from its ground counterpart. Consider an alternative approach that focusses on what you are trying to achieve for your mission…
Blog
The ground and space segments of a satellite project are often developed independently of each other and at different life cycles of the mission. Find out about an alternative model-based…
Blog
Over the past 10 years we have gained an impressive amount of experience building diverse satellite missions. See our list of “Dos” and “Don’ts” that we often come across in…
Case study
The Faraday Phoenix mission enables multiple third-party payloads to ‘rideshare ’ on a single satellite platform, providing fast and low-cost access to space.
We are flight-proven. View our hall of fame: the list of missions that took our software to orbit.
News & Events
The Faraday Phoenix and KSF1 missions add to the list of successfully launched spacecraft with our software onboard, taking the current total to 24 satellites, with many more in development.
Blog
In the rapidly changing commercial space market, there is a strong need to produce satellite software quickly and at low cost. Find our how our GenerationOne technology supports software reuse.
Blog
The ground and space segments of a satellite project are often developed independently of each other and at different life cycles of the mission. Find out about an alternative model-based…
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SERVICES
We offer a wide of range of services to assist spacecraft owners, developers and integrators with flight, ground or entire end-to-end mission software solutions. Whether you need a complete turn-key solution, mentoring support or bespoke components – we are here to help.
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CubeSats can’t simply be launched into space and left to do their jobs.
There are several challenges that can present themselves to objects in orbit, and missions need a constant flow of information back and forth from satellite to ground.
Missions that intend to gather data about space, or the Earth itself, particularly require CubeSat communication to reap the desired rewards as the mission unfolds— especially before the CubeSat falls from orbit and burns up!
Read on to find out how CubeSats communicate.
CubeSats communicate with Earth using radio waves. These waves are received by ground stations back on Earth, which downlink the signals and convert the information into its ‘true form’, such as images or data logs.
It’s not dissimilar to how your radio or television receives and converts signals, albeit on a much larger scale and travelling over considerably longer distances.
Satellite communication makes use of several different frequency bands. Recently, there has been a shift towards preference for higher frequency bands, particularly for small satellites, due to a need for higher data rates. Higher frequency bands mean wider bandwidth, but they are also more likely to be affected by the atmosphere, weather conditions and what’s called “rain fade”, the absorption of radio signals by rain, snow or ice.
CubeSats suffer from reduced power compared to larger conventional satellites, which affects their ability to transmit data in large volumes. However, research into using laser-based communication technology may yield the answers. This allows downlinking from the satellite to ground station using fewer resources.
CubeSats need to communicate with Earth for various reasons, and possibly on a continuous basis for the duration of their lifespans.
‘Communication’ can be for logistical purposes, monitoring the onboard systems of the CubeSat and ensuring that everything is running as it should. It could entail telemetry, sending commands from ground to satellite to adjust orientation, avoid collisions, and activate or deactivate components.
Communication can also mean downloading data from the satellite so that it can be saved and utilised by a team waiting back on Earth. Satellites undertaking Earth observation missions will likely be downlinking data such as photographs and atmospheric readings.
Other satellites might be in orbit to test or prove a concept, such as NASA’s BioSentinel mission which aims to test the survivability of biological organisms in the presence of space radiation (don’t worry, they’re only using yeast—we’ve learned from Laika the dog).
CubeSats need to be able to communicate with Earth because once they go up, there’s no coming down. Deorbiting, for a CubeSat, effectively means re-entering the atmosphere and burning up. This renders a CubeSat unable to store data for retrieval later, as it needs to be downlinked before the satellite itself is destroyed at the end of its life cycle.
Communication channels between ground station and satellite allow data to be retrieved in real time and means the most ‘bang for buck’ in terms of the CubeSat’s available time.
Being built out of COTS (commercial-off-the-shelf) components, CubeSat communications systems can be purchased in a readymade state and incorporated into the satellite.
There is a degree of choice when building a CubeSat as to whether you want to incorporate only a transmitter or opt for a transceiver.
The former only generates and sends radio signals, allowing the transferal of data. The latter allows signals to be both received and sent to and from the satellite, acting as both transmitter and receiver (thus the portmanteau).
A transceiver is necessary if the satellite needs to receive commands and uplink from the ground, rather than only sending its data back down to ground.
Communication systems that can use high-frequency bands are more expensive, owing to the fact that they can transmit data at a higher rate. Additionally, a transceiver that can use full-duplex transmission—both receiving and sending data simultaneously—will again make for a more costly component than one which is only half-duplex, sending and receiving as separate tasks at a time.
A ground station is necessary to receive the satellite’s data, which will also need tracking software and ideally the ability to move itself in order to keep its communication link whilst the satellite is overhead.
Handling the communication of a CubeSat is much smoother with pre-validated software that’s guaranteed to work. Bright Ascension’s Mission Control Software makes CubeSat communication easy, with automation features making uplink and downlink handling, as well as other tasks, effortless.
We run regular demo sessions for our Flight Software Development Kit and Mission Control Software that you can book at any time. These are group sessions but you can join anonymously and participate as much or as little as you like. Book demo today.
