POLYSAT ANNUAL REPORT
2015-2016
A student works on the Friis antenna atop one of Cal Poly’s engineering buildings.
CONTENTS Founder’s Comments
03
A Student Perspective
05
Our Mission & Goals
06
History 08 Accomplishments
10
Looking Forward
11
CubeSat 12
P-POD 13
CubeSat Workshop
14
LightSail 16
PolySat 18
DAVE 19
LEO 20
ISX 21
ExoCube2 22
Ground Station Team
23
24
Recent Graduates
32
How to Get Involved
33
FOUNDER’S
COMMENTS
We started the CubeSat standard more than 15 years ago to focus on education. We wanted students to experience the entire life cycle of a space mission from design to launch and operations. It amazes me how the CubeSat standard has grown from a cottage industry to an integral part of the larger space community, and 2016 has been another amazing year for CubeSats both at Cal Poly and other institutions. CubeSats will soon venture beyond Earth orbit on missions to the moon. We now see the test and proving of launch vehicles designed specifically to support small spacecraft and CubeSats. Governments and companies around the world are making CubeSats a key component of their future strategies. It has also been another exciting year in the Cal Poly CubeSat lab. The PolySat team has broken all of our records with five spacecraft in various stages of development during the year. We are on track to have four of the five spacecraft ready for launch over the next 18 months. Our integration team has been involved in several launches including support of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s MarCO mission, which will be the first CubeSat launch to Mars. On April 17, 2017, we will celebrate the 10th anniversary of our first successful launch of a Cal Poly satellite. Our students haven’t stopped building and operating spacecraft. In those years we have had some failures among many successes, but the Learn by Doing experience that Cal Poly students gain while in lab is invaluable. Finally, I have to thank all the people outside Cal Poly who support our efforts. Our industry sponsors not only provide financial support, but their mission ideas are key to the learning experience of our students. Our countless supporters in industry, including many alumni or former lab members, make sure that our students always have access to expert advice.
Professor Jordi Puig-Suari
Founder of CubeSat POLYSAT 03
STUDENTS’
PERSPECTIVE
PolySat provides an opportunity seldom experienced at the collegiate academic level. Being a student-run program, PolySat places the responsibilities of project acquisition, satellite development, customer interaction and mission operations in the hands of students. In addition, all students work in multidisciplinary groups to emphasize team-focused progress. This advances the communication, intellectual and problem-solving skills we will use throughout our careers. At the same time, this opportunity to collaborate with students from different majors emulates a professional environment. This is an excellent opportunity for students to increase their working knowledge of concepts not taught in their major’s courses and grow through a deeper understanding of other perspectives vital to the success of any engineering project. Furthermore, PolySat provides productive learning conditions for those of any skill level to get involved in engineering while being able to see a project from the initial proposal to the final delivery. Students involved in PolySat gain valuable leadership experience by leading both project and discipline teams, and understanding the management principles and communication skills required for running an engineering program.
Nik Powell & Noah Weitz
Lab Managers 04
LEO gets assembled in the lab’s cleanroom.
POLYSAT 05
OUR
MISSION Based in a multidisciplinary research lab, the Cal Poly PolySat program prepares students for industry by providing opportunities to design, build, test, launch and operate nanosatellites. The program maintains and aspires to evolve CubeSat specifications while providing launch vehicle integration to support the larger CubeSat community. CubeSat and PolySat employ a team-based approach to solving real-world engineering problems that supplements required coursework and encourages professional growth. It leverages collaborations with universities, scientists and government to enable space exploration.
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OUR
GOALS • Create spacecrafts and take part in missions that further human knowledge through earth science and deep space missions • Provide mission assurance and mission success for each CubeSat mission • Promote the aerospace industry through outreach • Stay on the cutting-edge of CubeSat technology, always moving forward knowledge and applications • Build and maintain ground stations and networks to support missions beyond low Earth orbit
Bill Nye and other representatives from The Planetary Society monitor a LightSail-2 deployment test.
• Offer students the opportunity to work on interdisciplinary projects and collaborate with engineers and scientists in industry and government POLYSAT 07
POLYSAT & CUBESAT
HISTORY
Developed in 1999 to facilitate student involvement and applied research in spacecraft, the CubeSat standard has become the defacto standard for university satellites. In recent years, industry and government have increased their CubeSat activities. There are now many national and international workshops and collaboration events with universities, industry and government dedicated to this class of spacecraft. Today, Cal Poly continues to play a key role in the CubeSat community and maintains the CubeSat standard used worldwide.
08
CubeSats have given Cal Poly students a robust Learn by Doing experience for nearly a decade. These multidisciplinary experiences attract student engineers from all majors within the College of Engineering and many students from other colleges on campus such as the College of Science and Math and the College of Liberal Arts. Student involvement in PolySat projects is key to all activities — Cal Poly students have developed and launched eight spacecraft since the start of the program.
Several of the engineering test units and structural prototypes that are on display in the lab.
The team has recently finished a mission with IPEX, a JPL collaboration. Currently the team is working on four new PolySat missions, including three new satellites and an enhanced version of ExoCube. In addition to working on Cal Polydeveloped spacecraft, our students and staff also coordinate and prepare U.S.sourced pico-satellites for launch in Cal Poly-developed P-PODs (Poly-PicoSat Orbital Deployer). They continue to support testing of LightSail-2, which will continue Lightsail’s initial mission.
As Cal Poly’s CubeSat and PolySat activities have evolved, opportunities to integrate these projects into the undergraduate curriculum have emerged. Many senior or capstone design projects as well as master’s theses have been sponsored by CubeSat and PolySat in majors across campus.
POLYSAT 09
ACCOMPLISHMENTS Dr. Puig-Suari gives Navy officials a tour of the lab. The 2015-16 academic year proved to be another exciting year for the Cal Poly CubeSat and PolySat teams. Below are some of the notable accomplishments from the past year. • Hosted the 13th annual CubeSat Developers Workshop • Represented Cal Poly at the Small Satellite Conference in Logan, Utah • Continued to support and demonstrated static deployment of LightSail-2 • Upgraded Cal Poly’s satellite ground station • Awarded second ExoCube mission • Completed integration of CP7 (DAVE) for launch • Started development with Northrop Grumman on a new satellite
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LOOKING
FORWARD
IPEX’s view of Earth’s horizon.
We are excited about the opportunities we have in 2017, and the possibility of supporting several launches of CubeSats. We plan to: • Host 14th annual CubeSat Developers Workshop • Complete CP9 (LEO) and deliver for launch • Complete and deliver ISX for payload integration and launch • Support the P-POD integration on a NOAA launch • Support the LightSail-2 integration • Complete and deliver ExoCube2 for payload Integration and launch • Support the P-POD integration on the ICESAT mission
POLYSAT 11
CUBESAT 12
Cal Poly CubeSat maintains the specifications and documentation used to define CubeSats worldwide and provides those specifications to all who wish to build their own.
Cal Poly CubeSat provides testing and qualifying services to PolySat and other CubeSat programs.
Having supported two launches in 2016, Cal Poly CubeSat plans to support three launches in 2017. These missions will launch on vehicles such as Soyuz, Atlas V, Delta II and Falcon Heavy.
In 2016, Cal Poly CubeSat supported launch of one P-POD and eight CubeSats. In 2017, the program will support launches of 15 P-PODs and dozens of CubeSats.
A test P-POD on display outside the lab’s cleanroom.
P-POD The Cal Poly CubeSat team is integral to coordinating launches, which allows other CubeSat developers to focus on design and development rather than on obtaining export licenses and approvals. The Poly-Picosatellite Orbital Deployer (P-POD) holds CubeSats during launch and releases them once in orbit. We work with ULA, SpaceX and other launch providers to produce a streamlined process for launching CubeSats. Cal Poly obtains all the required
documentation, conforms to ITAR regulations, and organizes the final delivery of fully integrated P-PODs to the launch site. With the experience of 25 launches for the Cal Poly team, and many other launches being coordinated by other entities, we hope to increase access to space by making it more affordable. Our goal is to expand the program and provide viable launch solutions to all interested parties. POLYSAT 13
ANNUAL CUBESAT
WORKSHOP 2016 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011 • 2010 • 2009 • 2008 • 2007 • 2006 • 2005 • 2004 14
The 13th annual CubeSat Developers’ Workshop at Cal Poly in 2016 was a great success! Workshop feedback was amazing and truly underscored the efforts of all who participated from engaging, entertaining and provocative technical presentations to the incredible networking opportunities. The workshop brought together new and current members of the CubeSat community from academia, industry and government to share knowledge and experience in developing nanosatellites. This past year, our community learned Lab members celebrate the successful 2016 workshop. about new developments in the field, from emerging technologies to design considerations required for current and upcoming interplanetary missions. We were also pleased to welcome Tory Bruno, Cal Poly alumnus and CEO of United Launch Alliance, to speak about ULA’s new CubeSat launch initiative.
Overall, we saw an increase in the number of attendees. We were joined by a 95 members of academia and more than 250 industry members. Thank you to all presenters, attendees, sponsors, live-stream viewers and organizers! Your contributions were invaluable to the success of the workshop.
We look forward to the 14th annual CubeSat Developers’ Workshop on April 26-28, 2017. We are excited to announce that we will host the workshop in a larger venue with more space for productive collaboration and intriguing technical presentations. We hope to see you here in San Luis Obispo! POLYSAT 15
LIGHTSAIL Cal Poly continues to support The Planetary Society’s LightSail program. LightSail features a revolutionary solar propulsion system for small satellites that utilizes 344 square feet of Mylar foil as a solar sail. The program has been in development for several years, during which the Cal Poly CubeSat team has assisted in sail deployment and environmental and functionality testing. In September 2014, the initial LightSail deployment was successfully completed in the Bonderson Projects Center at Cal Poly. Doug Stetson and Bill Nye from The Planetary Society were on hand for the deployment. “This was a critical test in order for us to get ready for the LightSail-1 launch” said Stetson. In comments
and interviews, Nye praised Cal Poly as “the place to come for CubeSats.” The test flight of LightSail was successfully completed in June 2015, proving the hardware and paving the way for the next mission. In May 2016, The Planetary Society and Nye returned to Cal Poly for a LightSail-2 sail deployment test. With more testing at Cal Poly to come, The Planetary Society plans to launch LightSail-2 to a higher orbit, where the satellite will have escaped most of the Earth’s atmospheric drag. Nye and thousands of contributors hope to prove LightSail as an innovative propulsion method and lay the groundwork for future missions of all kinds.
Lab members pose with Bill Nye during one of his visits to campus.
16
Representatives from The Planetary Society prepare LightSail-2 for a deployment POLYSAT test. 17
POLYSAT IN ORBIT PolySat has delivered eight missions, six of which successfully launched to orbit. These improve the flight readiness of PolySat’s mechanical, electrical and software architectures. Four missions are scheduled to launch soon, including two 3U satellites, a 1U satellite and a 2U that will share a P-POD and mission with a 1U built by Merrit Island High School students in Florida.
DEVELOPMENT CAPABILITIES 1U
2U
3U
10x10x10 cm
10x10x20 cm
10x10x30 cm
1.33 kg
2.66 kg
4 kg
750 cm available
1,750 cm available
2,750 cm3 available
UHF 1 Watt Comms
UHF 1 Watt Comms
UHF 1 Watt Comms
GPS
GPS
GPS
~8 Solar Cells
~16-20 Solar Cells
~28-32 Solar Cells
Magnetic ADCS
Magnetic ADCS
~96 with deployable panels
3
3
Magnetic ADCS Reaction Wheels
18
DAVE CP7, also known as DAVE, is an older PolySat mission that started as a collaboration with Northrop Grumman in 2008. The acronym DAVE (Damping and Vibration Experiment) describes the tests that will be run while the satellite is in orbit. More specifically, the 1U satellite will focus on the effectiveness of particle damping in a microgravity environment. These tests will be performed with the use of different levels of crystalline tungsten powder housed in separate cavities within the satellite structure. There is very little published data on the effectiveness of this type of damping in a microgravity environment,
The DAVE flight unit is assembled in the cleanroom
so retrieving accurate data from the spacecraft will be very useful for future applications of damping technology in the industry. Design, manufacturing and assembly for the mission has been completed, and CP7 is undergoing final testing. Several current and former PolySat members have been involved with the completion of DAVE, and finally seeing the satellite launched will be a huge accomplishment for the Cal Poly program. DAVE is complete and ready for integration.
POLYSAT 19
LEO waiting for integration in the cleanroom.
LEO LEO (Launch Environment Observer) is a 2U CubeSat being built at Cal Poly in collaboration with StangSat, a 1U being developed by a team from Merritt Island High School in Florida. Sponsored and guided by NASA Launch Services Program, the mission of this CubeSat duo is to measure and record the vibration and thermal environments a CubeSat is exposed to within a P-POD during launch vehicle ascent. LEO will trigger StangSat’s data collection upon launch detection, and then collect launch environment data using its own set of accelerometers and a Type K thermocouple. The set of CubeSats will then communicate and transfer StangSat’s data to LEO over a Wi-Fi connection within the radio-frequency shielded Mark IV P-POD. Upon deployment, LEO will image StangSat for evaluation of separation dynamics. Mission data will then be downlinked through Cal Poly’s ground station under the operation of the LEO team. LEO is Cal Poly’s ninth CubeSat (CP9) and was selected by NASA CubeSat Launch Initiative for launch in 2017.
20
ISX’s high-density battery bracket installed on an early test unit.
ISX
ISX’s (Ionospheric Scintillation eXplorer) primary mission is to study the multi-frequency radio wave interference produced by the atmosphere at sunset near the equator. The spacecraft will receive multiple broadcast digital television channels to probe the ionospheric irregularities. The project began in 2015 as a joint effort between SRI International and Cal Poly. SRI is responsible for the payload design and construction, and the interpretation of mission
data. Cal Poly is responsible for the CubeSat design and construction, and ground station operations. ISX is Cal Poly’s 11th CubeSat (CP11) and is a 3U configuration, based off the Cal Poly Tesseract Structure, optimized for ease of machining and assembly. ISX is scheduled for launch in November 2017.
POLYSAT 21
EXOCUBE2 ExoCube2 (CP12) is Cal Poly’s second joint mission to measure ion and neutral densities in the upper ionosphere and lower exosphere. NASA Goddard is providing the science payload, a gated time-of-flight mass spectrometer. Cal Poly is delivering a 3U satellite to carry the instrument. University of Wisconsin and University of Illinois researchers will conduct science support and data analysis. Scientific Solutions will manage this and future missions. ExoCube2 will collect data over the magnetic poles and ground stations for comparison to Earth-based instruments in order to correct anomalies in empirical and climatological atmospheric models. This requires an accurate attitude determination and control system. ExoCube2 leverages the gyroscopic stability of a momentum wheel and two gravity gradient booms to provide a passive, low-power system. While active correction is possible through the use of two magnetorquers, the team aims to use it sparingly throughout the mission. ExoCube2’s mission will begin in December 2017.
The first ExoCube flight unit. 22
GROUND STATION The Cal Poly Earth Stations have evolved over the years to adapt to different satellite configurations and needs. The first PolySats were launched together and two stations were built to operate the satellites simultaneously. In conjuction with antennaes and dishes from industry partners, the Cal Poly Earth Stations support all of Cal Poly’s missions. The three stations provide parallel operation and redundancy in case one needs to be taken off-line for maintenance. • Hertz and Marconi were built in 2006 to support CP1 and CP2, which were destroyed in a rocket failure. The two Earth stations were successfully used the following year to support operations of CubeSats CP3 and CP4. • Friis was built in 2014 to maximize link margin and experiment with higher data rates using matched ground and spacesegment hardware.
POLYSAT 23
Professor John Bellardo
I have been involved with PolySat since 2009, when I started advising the lab’s transition to Linux-based flight software. I am continually impressed with the caliber of students in lab, what they are able to accomplish, and how successful they are after graduation. I am excited to push the boundaries of what CubeSats are capable of. I am passionate about working to bring leading-edge software research to the CubeSat platform and to be a part of moving CubeSats beyond low Earth orbit. I received my doctorate from UC San Diego where I studied computer science and engineering, with a specialty in wireless networks and systems.
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Professor Kira Abercromby I received a bachelor’s in astrophysics from UCLA and a master’s and doctorate in aerospace engineering from the University of Colorado at Boulder. My specific area of research is in human-made orbital debris, but I am also interested in orbital mechanics and material interactions with space. I worked for eight years at Johnson Space Center with the Orbital Debris Program Office before coming to Cal Poly. I have taught courses in orbits, space environments and more. The PolySat / CubeSat program at Cal Poly is amazing. I enjoy working with students who are building, launching and communicating with actual spacecraft. In the future, I am very excited to work toward getting CubeSats into interplanetary trajectories and orbiting around other planets.
Professor Amelia Greig I studied undergraduate engineering and theoretical physics at the University of Adelaide, where I was recognized for the design, build and test of Australia’s first atmospheric plasma thruster. I completed my doctorate in physics at the Australian National University by validating the design of a new micro-thruster designed for use on CubeSats. I am looking forward to continuing research on micro-propulsion at Cal Poly, especially working with the brilliant and eager students in PolySat and CubeSat to integrate a micro-propulsion system into a CubeSat. If successful, missions can become longer and involve precision pointing, opening up numerous new mission possibilities.
POLYSAT 25
CUBESAT STAFF The CubeSat staff advises students in the CubeSat and PolySat programs while also providing several services to the CubeSat community outside of Cal Poly. They provide services supporting industry relations, certification and licensing, testing, documentation and operation.
FROM LEFT: Ryan Nugent, Justin Foley, David Pignatelli and Alicia Johnstone.
26
CUBESAT TEAM CubeSat team members develop in-house solutions to improve the P-POD and assembles P-POD units. The students exercise integration and testing procedures, qualify hardware for launch, and manage on-campus thermal vacuum, vibration and shock-test facilities.
FRONT ROW, FROM LEFT: Andrew Meyer, Garrett Miele, Dylan Martin, Dakota Bass, Emelie Deans, Chris Naughton and Alex Petrov. BACK ROW, FROM LEFT: Kenji Yamamoto, Max Rosenberg, Michael Peck, Daniel Levan, Anthony Nahal, Yaakov Schefres, Bryce Youngson, Kent Rush, Alicia Johnstone and David Pignatelli. POLYSAT 27
MECHANICAL TEAM The mechanical team is responsible for the layout, structures and deployable mechanisms for our CubeSats. The mechanical design, fabrication and testing is completed by team members using Cal Poly’s on-campus facilities.
FRONT ROW, FROM LEFT: Lindsay Meany, Peter Rivera, Sarah Rutland, David Baker, Jay Miley and Ben Azevedo. BACK ROW, FROM LEFT: Ross De Vito, Felix Haimerl and Alex Nichols.
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ELECTRICAL TEAM The electrical team designs and tests all electronics on our CubeSats.Team members specialize in high-density digital and analog printed circuit board design, which allows Cal Poly CubeSats to be as small as possible while still performing like larger satellites.
FROM LEFT: Samantha Romano, Christopher Gerdom, Cynthia Yu, Maddie Tran, Ian Mann, Marshall Miri, Alan Nonaka, Jimmy Tang, Max Walker, Alex Wargo, Nicholas Kimball and Kristina Forystek.
POLYSAT 29
SOFTWARE TEAM The software team writes modular, reusable and fault-tolerant code for the satellites and ground station. Team members develop software to receive commands, downlink data, operate the mission payload, read sensors, perform attitude changes and ensure satellite health.
FRONT ROW, FROM LEFT: Sameer Jawale, Cody Rhoads, Noah Weitz, David Lennon and Andres Villa. BACK ROW, FROM LEFT: Chandler Gifford, Matthew O’Neil, Alex Bartlett, Luca Soares, Luc Bouchard, Serbinder Singh and Travis Harper. 30
AEROSPACE TEAM The aerospace team develops and tests the attitude determination and control systems, conducts thermal and environmental analysis and assists in the overall mission operations and systems engineering aspect of each CubeSat.
FRONT ROW: Trent Voris. MIDDLE ROW, FROM LEFT: Liam Nolan, Nikolaus Powell, Carmelle Koren, DJ Pantone and Zachary Crawford. BACK ROW, FROM LEFT: Liam Bruno, Grigory Heaton, Andrew Blocher, Michael Salinas and Jay Iuliano. POLYSAT 31
RECENT POLYSAT / CUBESAT
GRADUATES
Every year PolySat / CubeSat team members graduate and take positions in industry. Congratulations to all graduates who have gone on to work at top institutions across the country, including our 2016 graduates:
• Dakota Bass | B.S. Mechanical Engineering | Apple • Zachary Crawford | B.S. Aerospace Engineering | Raytheon • Emelie Deans | B.S. Mechanical Engineering | ViaSat Inc. • Kristina Forystek | B.S. Electrical Engineering | SEAKR Engineering • Jay Iuliano | M.S. Aerospace Engineering | Pursuing doctorate at Purdue University • Maci Miri | B.S. Electrical Engineering | Hewlett Packard Enterprise • Chris Naughton | B.S. Mechanical Engineering | Astro Aerospace • DJ Pantone | B.S. Aerospace Engineering | Lockheed Martin • Alex Petrov | B.S. Aerospace Engineering | SpaceX • Peter Rivera | M.S. Mechanical Engineering | Apple • Alex Saunders | M.S. Electrical Engineering | Booz Allen Hamilton • Sean Sheen | M.S. Computer Science | Veeva Systems • Jimmy Tang | B.S. Electrical Engineering | Teradyne • Trent Voris | M.S. Aerospace Engineering | SpaceX • Kenji Yamamoto | B.S. Aerospace Engineering | Northrop Grumann • Morgan Yost | M.S. Aerospace Engineering | Lockheed Martin 32
HOW TO GET
INVOLVED
Cal Poly’s CubeSat and PolySat programs are co-curricular and largely student-run. With faculty and staff support, students manage projects from conceptualization and fundraising to testing and delivery. While PolySat’s mission load varies due to payload maturity and launch vehicle availability, it is a growing program looking for new challenges.
Cal Poly is always looking for collaborations with other universities, partnerships with industry, alumni participation and financial contributions or endowments. We are always interested in innovative ideas for future missions, so contact us and start the conversation!
polysat@calpoly.edu (805) 756-5087 polysat.calpoly.edu | cubesat.calpoly.edu
Special thanks to
POLYSAT 33 Bob Thomson | Jay Miley | Jackie Steele | Paulina Luckiewicz | Nesrine Majzoub | Dennis Steers
polysat@calpoly.edu
polysat.calpoly.edu | cubesat.calpoly.edu
(805) 756-5087