Supriya Chakrabarti, University of Massachusetts, Lowell
Mukherjee, Sunip K Mukherjee, University of Massachusetts, Lowell
Mitchell E Bailey, University of Massachusetts, Lowell
Supriya Chakrabarti, Professor, University of Massachusetts, Lowell
We describe Chickadee, a new nanosat format that occupies the optional extra volume of CubeSat launchers. For 1U CubeSats, it provides roughly the same volume and mass allotment within a 0.6 U cuboid. An approximately 0.28 U short cylinder, the so-called Tuna Can, attached to the cuboid, houses the spacecraft bus systems. Chickadee’s use of the excess capacity of the launchers would provide frequent and low-cost access to space. The spacecraft bus could also be accommodated within a standard CubeSat format.
The design of the spacecraft bus is flexible and all common functions such as power and, attitude determination and control systems, fits inside the Tuna Can. The basic system is quite suitable for laboratory experimentation and most student-developed payloads. We also note that, Chickadee can also be used by professionals to mature their space-bound technologies. Depending upon the spacecraft resource requirement needs, Chickadee can support larger payloads occupying up to a 3U volume.
Chickadee uses a push-pin interface for power and data over USB2 protocol. In its minimal configuration, the spacecraft can generate 1.2W of peak power when only one face of the cuboid containing the solar panel is illuminated. In a different configuration with four deployable solar panels and an 8 W-h battery pack, the spacecraft could generate up to 5W of continuous power. The base configuration of the spacecraft uses the 915 or 1240 MHz amateur band for radio communications. Using magnetic torquers, Chickadee can provide pointing stability of approximately 5 degrees. Each bus subsystem is controlled by an ARM-based microcontroller running memory safe code, and these subsystems work cooperatively. An ARM-based Linux system is also available for the payload, if necessary.
In this presentation we will describe Chickadee and results of from our prototyping and testing efforts, including an upcoming suborbital flight.