Isabel Alejandra Parga GarcĂa, City University of Applied Sciences Bremen
Tim Jacob Gumbold, City University of Applied Sciences Bremen
Maik Bleckmann, Modular Horizons: Open-Source Innovation in CubeSat Design with the VIBES Program, City University of Applied Sciences Bremen
The satellite research program VIBES (Visionary Ingenuity Boosting European Spacecraft) of the Institute of Aerospace Technology (IAT) at the City University of Applied Sciences Bremen with the aim of bringing the consumer electronics revolution to space to improve the performance of spacecraft. Within the research program, Bremen’s first student-built satellite called VIBES Pioneer is currently being developed. The 3U CubeSat carries a new type of measurement system for microvibrations called MVMS that utilizes sensors commonly found in smartphones to improve the quality of images taken by a camera. The VIBES Pioneer mission is scheduled to launch in 2025 on board the second flight of Rocket Factory Augsburg’s RFA One Launcher.
While VIBES Pioneer will serve as the literal “pioneer” for the VIBES team to gain the necessary knowledge on how to design, test and fly spacecraft, the follow-up projects planned will focus more and more on the overall purpose of the VIBES program of making consumer electronics applicable for spacecraft applications.
The idea of implementing a modular architecture is one of the proposals for these missions. Using universal connectors and nodes as a modular structure as well as avionics designed for growth and adaptability, the proposal for the project aims to find scalable solutions, ready for gradual and adaptable integration for CubeSats of different sizes: modular systems aim to facilitate the transition between compact platforms such as 1U CubeSats for basic educational purposes to larger missions for proof-of-concepts such as 12U or even 24U platforms . Through the implementation of removable and adaptable mount modules with the help of PCB standoffs, universal connectors and unions are at the heart of the modular architecture to connect each added unit, increasing the rigidity of the structure with threaded rods as the satellite increases in size.
1U CubeSats are limited by their compact size with only essential subsystems such as power storage and distribution elements, as well as an on-board computer, so larger CubeSat configurations can incorporate a greater amount of technology that allows for broader satellite mission objectives with more complex payloads. As a result, such vehicles would benefit from the ease of deployment, scalability and sustainability of modular architectures. The VIBES development approach consists of agile and rapid iteration with increasingly complex models as development progresses, so the modular architecture aims to follow a series of versions whose design becomes superior and decreases its implementation complexity at the same time to achieve standardization: such a process concludes with the testing of the new system on a real spacecraft.
Moreover, the VIBES program is committed to collaboration and innovation through open-source development models. The open-source approach of the modular architecture aims to extend the impact of satellite missions by sharing designs, methodologies, and results with scientists, while enabling continuous development and improvement through future team members of students and researchers at the City University of Applied Sciences Bremen. The paper at hand explores the possibility and benefits of the development of such a modular architecture, with a view to implementation on future VIBES missions. One such mission could be VIBES Pathfinder, a 12U CubeSat. VIBES Pathfinder will be the direct follow-up mission to VIBES Pioneer and aims at taking the MVMS from a primarily measurement system to a versatile control system for increased spacecraft performance. Given that the current design concept foresees an upscaling of many of the subsystems of VIBES Pioneer, the implementation of the modular architecture described in the paper could offer an increased development pace as well as more flexibility regarding the size of VIBES Pathfinder and enable a faster iteration of the spacecraft to follow.