Design and Building of a CubeSat for Radio Telescope Calibration

摘要

The Simon Fraser University Satellite Design Team competed in the Canadian Satellite Design Challenge. As part of the competition a team of 30 undergraduate and graduate students built a 3U CubeSat for calibration of the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment Radio Telescope. The mission required the satellite calibrate the radio telescope far-field response in the South to North direction, or in other words a minimum orbital inclination of 49°. During operation the satellite will transmit a gold key sequenced calibration signal at 435 and 790MHz using a half-wave dipole and reflector. In addition, the on-board computer, communication system printed circuit boards underwent radiation testing equivalent to 5 years in low earth orbit. The designs successfully passed testing and were integrated in with the satellite bus. Overall, the satellite design focused on simplicity and robustness and will be launching using NanoRacks from the International Space Station in 2020.