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Projecte llegit

Títol: Analysis and design of the 3Cat-8 pointing control system for high-volume data downlink

Estudiants que han llegit aquest projecte:

Director/a: PARK, HYUK

Departament: FIS

Títol: Analysis and design of the 3Cat-8 pointing control system for high-volume data downlink

Data inici oferta: 06-02-2023     Data finalització oferta: 06-10-2023


Estudis d'assignació del projecte:
    DG ENG AERO/SIS TEL
Tipus: Individual
 
Lloc de realització: EETAC
 
Nom del segon director/a (UPC): Adriano Camps
Departament 2n director/a:
 
Paraules clau:
CubeSat, NanoSat, Space Engineering, Attitude Control, Antenna, Actuators, Electromagnetism, Electromagnetic Waves
 
Descripció del contingut i pla d'activitats:
Objectives:
This project aims to study the feasibility and design of both the
communications and actuators subsystems of the 3-Cat 8 mission of
the UPC's Nanosat Lab. The project will be focused on two main
subjects: the design of the magnetorquers of the satellite and
analysis of the data downlink antennas. The magnetic actuators
will allow the satellite to point towards Nadir, Sun and the
Ground Station in order to transmit the data acquired by the
experiments. The communications study includes the realization of
the link budgets for the S and X-band systems and the design of
the antennas to ensure that the data transmission is carried out
correctly.
Methodology:
In order to carry out these tasks, this project will be divided
into two tasks:
Regarding the design of actuators, this task will be achieved by
simulating the magnetorquers with the constraints from the
satellite mission: Power, size, weight, etc. The objective is to
design a coil that generates the required momentum in order to
stabilize the satellite after the launch and the pointing
maneuvers. The design will be done by MATLAB and once its main
characteristics have been decided (size, number of turns, input
power). Then they will be built with the help of 3D printers and
copper wires.
On the other hand, for the S and X band communications
subsystems, it will be necessary to develop link budgets in order
to obtain the antenna Gain. This computation will be done with
the help of MATLAB. After achieving this, the type of antenna
will be selected according to the parameters obtained from the
link budget. A model of the satellite antenna will be designed
with the help of the electromagnetic simulation software ADS and
CST. Finally, the antenna will be built and tested with the help
of a vector analyzer.
The final task of the project will be the analysis of the
feasibility of a control mode on the AOCS subsystem that enables
the satellite to point toward the Earth station with the help of
the magnetorquers, thus enhancing the operation of the data link.
Expected results:
The expected results are the complete design, construction, and
testing of both the actuators and antennas and that, after the
pointing calculations, the data transmission from the spacecraft
to the earth station is possible and the designs are functional.
 
Overview (resum en anglès):

The objective of this bachelor¿s thesis is to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the communication subsystems in the UHF, S, and X bands of the 3Cat-8 mission. This mission aims to develop a satellite under the CubeSat standard that allows the study of different physical phenomena, such as the effects of auroral emissions on wave propagation through the ionosphere. Furthermore, this project also includes the design of an S-band patch antenna, both to understand the design of a space application antenna and to implement it on the same satellite and compare it with other commercial options.

In addition, the polar orbit described by the satellite results in limited opportunities for data downlink, making it necessary to design and dimension magnetic actuators to enable the satellite to point towards the ground station. This document addresses the study, design, and manufacturing of these elements in order to enable the satellite to aim its antennas at the ground station.

Overall, this work represents a significant contribution to the 3Cat-8 mission. Throughout this project, various activities encompassing the fields of aerospace engineering and telecommunications have been carried out.

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