CU~3SAT: A CANADIAN STUDENT NANO SAT FOR SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGY DEMONSTRATION

摘要

CU~3SAT is Carleton University's entry into the Canadian Satellite Design Challenge organized by Canadian Satellite Design Challenge Management Society Inc. A team of fifteen undergraduate and graduate students is engaged in designing a nano-satellite for scientific and technological demonstrations. The primary scientific mission is an experiment to detect and provide low resolution tracking of primary cosmic rays in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) as a means of directly observing modulation caused by Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) events from the Sun directed towards the Earth. Changes in cosmic ray flux and isotropy serve as a probe into the nature and structure of approaching CME shock fronts and can provide an advance warning, of 24 hours or more, of impending CME-induced geomagnetic storms. A novel detector topology and low-power electronics are used to implement the instrument. Cosmic ray data will be correlated with an on-board 3-axis magnetometer and ground based observatories such as Carleton University's FOREWARN muon telescope and Natural Resources Canada's magnetometer network. The on-board magnetometer will also be used to directly observe changes in the Earth's magnetic field during CME events. A secondary technology demonstration is an experiment to show the feasibility of power beaming between spacecraft. On-orbit servicing has the potential to utilize low-cost small spacecraft to revitalize higher-cost spacecraft. One such method of on-orbit servicing is the use of inter-spacecraft power transfer to charge batteries to reinitialize primary functions. CU~3SAT will demonstrate power beaming using its own power source and transmitting it to a receiver.