CubeSat Communication and Frequency Past Practice and Current Trends Goddard Space Flight Center Scott Schaire NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Near Earth Network Wallops Station.
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CubeSat Communication and Frequency Past Practice and Current Trends Goddard Space Flight Center Scott Schaire NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Near Earth Network Wallops Station Director Deputy Project Manager Space Communication and Navigation (SCaN) Network Integration Project Contributions from Wayne Powell, Serhat Altunc, Felipe Arroyo, Scott Galbraith May 2014 GSFC Compact Radiation belt Explorer (CeREs) Principal Investigator Shri Kanekal holds an early version of one of the mission’s solid-state detectors – demonstrates a shift in the paradigm for satellite development Agenda Goddard Space Flight Center • • • • • • • History and Trend of CubeSats CubeSat Communication Evolution Frequency Licensing Approach Satellite Communication Bands CubeSat Radios and Antennas Ground Stations Considerations for the Future MIT’s Micro-sized Microwave Atmospheric Satellite (MicroMAS) demonstrates an increase in science sophistication of CubeSats 2 History and Trend of CubeSats Goddard Space Flight Center • CubeSats are in a class of small research spacecraft called picosatellites • Over 100 Cubesats have been launched into space since they were first introduced by California Polytechnic State University and Stanford University in 1999 • Even though scientists and technologists desire higher data rate communication, CubeSat teams have limited their data transmitted and compromised their science objectives to be compliant with low-cost proven CubeSat radios, antennas, and ground stations • Current state of the art ~3 Mbit/sec • Future capability ~100 Mbit/sec A 1U CubeSat, 4” Cube weighing about 2 lbs 3 History and Trend of CubeSats Continued Goddard Space Flight Center • The NASA CubeSat Launch Initiative has made CubeSat launch slots available on DOD and NASA launches • A 6U CubeSat is the largest satellite today that could be launched for free • The National Science Foundation (NSF), NASA and other government organizations are increasing investment in CubeSat projects • Single CubeSat missions are typically a demonstration for future constellations University of Colorado Boulder and the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics Miniature X-ray Solar Spectrometer (MinXSS) 3U CubeSat recently funded by NASA 4 National Science Foundation CubeSats Goddard Space Flight Center • Selected On-Orbit Missions • Cubesat for Ions, Neutrals, Electrons, MAgnetic fields (CINEMA 1) – UC Berkley, Kyung-Hee U., Imperial College, APL, InterAmerican U. of Puerto Rico • Mission complements RBSP spacecraft. Launched 9/13/12 • Firefly/FireStation – GSFC, Hawk, Siena College • ISS FireStation launched 8/3/13. Firefly launched 11/19/13 • Firebird – Montana State, U. of New Hampshire, Aerospace Corporation • Launched 12/5/13. Complements balloon-based BARREL • Selected In-Work Mission • Composition Variations in the Exosphere, Thermosphere, and Topside Ionosphere (ExoCube) - SSI, Cal Poly, U. of Wisconsin, GSFC, and SRI • Contains Goddard Improved Winds-Ion-Neutral Composition Suite 5 Firefly CubeSat Mission Goddard Space Flight Center • Firefly, an NSF-funded mission, was developed by Goddard/Doug Rowland, Hawk Institute for Space Sciences, & Sienna College • Mission: Determine linkage between lightning & Terrestrial Gamma-Ray Flashes by combining gamma-ray/electron scintillation detector, VLF receiver, & photometers for first simultaneous measurements of lightning & TGFs from a single platform • Launched on ORS-3, (Minotaur I) from WFF on 11/19. First contact made on 1/6. Spacecraft performing science • Goddard/WFF ground station team persistently worked through 25 other elements • Future missions considering low-data rate beacon 6 Typical CubeSats Goddard Space Flight Center 7 Typical CubeSat Schedule Goddard Space Flight Center 8 CubeSat Communication Evolution Goddard Space Flight Center • About ten years ago, when CubeSats began, they were nothing more than simple science experiments, typically consisting of a camera and a low data rate radio • Government-funded CubeSats using amateur radio frequencies may violate the intent of the amateur radio service and it is a violation of National Telecommunications Information Administration (NTIA) rules for a governmentfunded ground station to use amateur radio frequencies to communicate with CubeSats • The National Science Foundation (NSF) was interested in finding a suitable government frequency band for CubeSats and Utah State worked with L-3 for a UHF CubeSat radio • Currently, there is an effort to design a system using X-band for CubeSat support with more efficient and complex modulation and encoding schemes to address the CubeSat community’s increasing needs Antares lifts off from Goddard/Wallops Flight Facility (WFF), with 3 CubeSats onboard in April 2013. NASA CubeSat Launch Initiative began in 2010 9 Frequency Licensing Approach Goddard Space Flight Center • Universities and other non-federal US entities continue to use amateur radio frequencies for CubeSats because it is the least expensive and easiest approach for low data rate communication • The process for coordinating amateur frequency usage requires a relatively simple frequency coordination request form and short lead time • There are numerous downsides to using amateur and experimental radio frequencies • US Federal Government CubeSat projects must apply through their funding agency for Spectrum Certification and Frequency Authorization with the NTIA and cannot use non-government processes GSFC Firefly CubeSat licensed through NTIA 10 Satellite Communication Bands Goddard Space Flight Center • As the frequency increases from UHF to Kaband, the potential for higher data rates also increases and the potential for absorption by the atmosphere increases • Today’s CubeSats mostly operate at UHF and S-bands • Cases allowed on special case, noninterference, unprotected, secondary basis • Firefly • Downlink: 400.15-401 MHz • Uplink: 449.75-450.25 MHz • Utah State University Dynamic Ionosphere CubeSat Experiment (DICE) • Downlink/Uplink: 449.75-450.25 MHz • GeneSat • Downlink/Uplink: 2.4 GHz, ~437 MHz ARC GeneSat CubeSat – 1st CubeSat launched in the US – Dec, 2006, from GSFC/Wallops Flight Facility 11 Satellite Communication Bands Continued Goddard Space Flight Center • NASA Space Communication and Navigation • Near Earth Network • S, X, Ka • Space Network • S, Ku, Ka • Deep Space Network • S, X, Ka Near Earth Network McMurdo Ground Station 12 CubeSat Radios and Antennas Goddard Space Flight Center 13 Wallops UHF CubeSat Groundstation Goddard Space Flight Center • Specifications • • • • • Beamwidth: 2.9 degrees Frequency Range: 380 to 480 MHz Secondary Frequency Band: X-Band available for future high data rate CubeSat communication Antenna Main Beam Gain: 35 dBi Diameter: 18.3 meters (60’) • UHF Radar as a CubeSat Groundstation • • • • 1st used with Utah State University Dynamic Ionosphere CubeSat Experiment (DICE) • Interference • Morehead added as a back-up Cutting-Edge CubeSat communication over a government-licensed UHF frequency allocation that enables high data rates (3.0 Mbit/Sec) Currently communicating with Firefly spacecraft Slated for use for MiRaTA, MicroMAS, CeREs, HARP, MinXSS, and many proposed CubeSats Morehead State University 21 Meter antenna Wallops UHF on left, S-Band on right 14 Near Earth Network Compatibility Goddard Space Flight Center • • • • • 11 Meter class dishes yields high gain Link budget shows 12.5 Mbps can be done in low Earth orbit with a 1 Watt output satellite transmitter LASP and Goddard/Wallops Flight Facility have partnered to design a CubeSat X-Band transmitter, SBand receiver (NEN compatible) MSFC engineers are also advising on the project. Project funded by NASA Space Technology and Mission Directorate (STMD) Near Earth Network Alaska Satellite Facility 11 Meter class antennas 15 NASA Owned and Partnered Network Available to NEN Goddard Space Flight Center Station Name Location Assets and Service Types NASA Owned or Contract Wallops Ground Station Wallops, VA 11.28 m X/S-band; 5 m S-band; VHF (2) NASA White Sands Complex White Sands, NM 18 m Ka/S band; VHF NASA McMurdo Ground Station McMurdo Base, Antarctica 10 m X/S band NASA Alaska Satellite Facility Fairbanks, AK 10 m, 11.28 m and 11 m X/S band NASA Launch Communication Systems Ponce De Leon, FL and Kennedy Space Center, FL 6.1 m S-band (2) NASA NOAA Fairbanks Command and Data Acquisition Station Gilmore Creek, AK 13 m X/S band (3) Partnered Kongsberg Satellite Services Svalbard, Norway 11m X/S band; 13 m X/S Band (w) Contract Singapore, Malaysia 11 m X/S band Contract TrollSat, Antarctica 7.3 m X/S band Contract Swedish Space Corporation Kiruna, Sweden 13 m X/S band (2) Contract Universal Space Network North Pole, AK 11 m S-band; 5 m S-band, 11 m X/S band; 7.3 m X/S band Contract Dongara, Australia 13 m S-band Contract South Point, HI 13 m S-Band (2) Contract SSC/Santiago, Chile Santiago, Chile 9 m S-band; 7 m S-band Transmit; 12 m S-band Receive Contract Council for Scientific and Industrial Research Hartebeesthoek, South Africa 12 m S-band Receive; 6 m S-band Transmit Contract German Space Agency Wilheim, Germany 15 m S-band Contract 16 X-Band Considerations Goddard Space Flight Center • • • • • Universities may have a desire to create their own ground network NEN X-Band ground system is already standardized Standardization of CubeSat radios and ground networks may reduce frequency authorization time Standard hardware will streamline compatibility testing Developers can focus on end use and maximize science “bang-forthe-buck” Goddard/Wallops LunarCube with deployable X-band antenna based on University of Colorado/Goddard X/S band CubeSat Radio and Near Earth Network 17 Future Considerations Goddard Space Flight Center • • • TDRSS • Use of geosynchronous relay satellite provides greater flexibility in mission planning • Global communications coverage • Low latency CubeSat Intersatellite Link • Signal must be robust against interference from other satellite exchanges Increasing Data Rates • Ka band could provide even higher data rates and is compatible with Near Earth Network 18