Detailed Description
Launch Date is To Be Determined
BLUEsat (Basic LEO UNSW Experimental Satellite) is a Student Project managed and run entirely by students at The University of New South Wales (UNSW). It is part of The UNSW Laboratory for Student Space Development (ULSSD), a student-led umbrella body whose purpose is to foster the development of space-related projects in UNSW.
BLUEsat is a 10 kg microsatellite. A microsatellite is a classification for a satellite between 10 and 100kg in mass. The primary mission of BLUEsat is to act as a packetstore- and-forward amateur radio satellite. In addition to this BLUEsat also carries an experimental GPUS unit for positioning and testing purposes, and imager to take photographs of the earth and a materials experiment provided by the Mars Society to test the UV resistance of the material Lexan in vacuum. Finally, the satellite contains multiple sensors to monitor the orbital environment and the health of the satellite. StructureThe BLUEsat structure is based on an old AMSAT-NA design that has been modified to better suit our needs. The basic design is a five tray stack – the satellite consists of five trays which house the various payloads and systems. The trays stack on top of each other to form a cubical satellite structure. The structure is made from Aluminium 7075-T651, an aluminium alloy that is commonly used in defence and aerospace applications.PowerPower for the satellite is provided by solar panels mounted on the six sides of the structure. Rechargeable battery packs are also used to provide power when the satellite is in the earths’ shadow.CommunicationsA transmitter, receiver and a beacon will be mounted on the satellite. These components will provide communication between BLUEsat and the ground station. The beacon is in place as insurance for the worst case scenario, where every system apart from power fail: the beacon will still transmit essential telemetry data and prove the existence of BLUEsat
in orbit.
Amateur packet communication is the primary mission of BLUEsat, and it uses the ubiquitous AX.25 protocol. You will be able to work BLUEsat using a Kantronics KPC-9612 or similiar 9600 baud TNC. BLUEsat uses the J-mode configuration like most modern amateur satellites.Flight ComputerThe BLUEsat flight computer is based around an Intel SA1100 StrongARM processor. It is responsible for managing the various payloads the satellite carries, including the primary PACSAT payload. The flight computer is also responsible for collecting telemetry data from sensors placed throughout the satellite and packaging the telemetry
for transmission down to earth stations.
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