Research Summaries

Back Square Dance Ground Station Support and Development of Software-Defined-Radio Software

Fiscal Year 2019
Division Graduate School of Engineering & Applied Science
Department Space Systems Academic Group
Investigator(s) Minelli, Giovanni
Newman, James H.
Sponsor Department of Defense Space (DoD)
Summary This proposal describes the effort associated with supporting the Square Dance ground stations and with developing and integrating software-defined radios for the Mobile CubeSat Communication and Control (MC3) ground station network, which is currently supporting the PropCube mission. Other Government CubeSats planning to use the MC3 network are scheduled to be launched soon. This particular proposal will build on the on-going research and development of ground-based and on-orbit software-defined radios (SDRs) that can not only transmit and receive in existing frequency bands, such as UHF and S-band, but can transmit in bands of great interest in the future, such as X-band and perhaps even Ka-band. These transmitters and receivers are needed for TT&C and for payload applications. While NPS is working with various Government partners to develop novel capabilities using the very small satellite form factor known as the CubeSat, this research will specifically help improve SDR utilization for the FVEY component of this network. This supports DoD Space efforts in the emerging field of very small satellites and, as an applied research effort, requires actual hardware and software at NPS and in the field for test and experimentation. The growing acceptance of the CubeSat, a very small satellite, as a means of accomplishing focused research objectives of national interest makes this project of great interest to the Space Systems Academic Group at NPS. The Naval Officers and other students in the NPS Space Systems Engineering and Operations curricula have the opportunity to participate in Directed Studies and Thesis research related to this proposal. The Space Systems curricula benefit from the opportunity to integrate laboratories which use active satellites in orbit and an active network of ground stations. In addition, this work supports the development of national capabilities in space to ultimately benefit the Naval Service and the warfighter.
Keywords CubeSats Software-Defined Radios
Publications Publications, theses (not shown) and data repositories will be added to the portal record when information is available in FAIRS and brought back to the portal
Data Publications, theses (not shown) and data repositories will be added to the portal record when information is available in FAIRS and brought back to the portal