A low-cost telecommunication System for Store and

Forward Mission of CubeSat’s at remote areas.

Abstract

One of the advantage of a satellite is to serve as digital data relay, the ability to
collect them in an environment where is difficult to access in many ways and it is
also capable to send them back down to different locations on Earth where humans
do have access. Currently, there are many of them in space, but one of these are
called Store-and-forward (S&F) CubeSat’s which are instrumental for collecting data
from ground sensor terminals installed in remote areas with lack of communications
infrastructure, or where terrestrial radio frequency networks are not existed. Ground
sensor terminals are usually installed for environmental or weather monitoring, many
of these systems involve low data volume and real-time data delivery is not critical,
thus, LEO CubeSat’s S&F system could be a viable cost-effective solution. The
potential applications of the CubeSat’s S&F system could be also providing real time
digital communication service to amateur radio community, an alternative
communication services during emergencies, and use as a tool to educate general
public and young people about amateur and radio communication. At the present,
one of the CubeSat’s constellation that utilizes the S&F mission are those which
belongs to Birds-Project developing at a Kyutech University. Paraguay are involved
at the BIRDS4-Project, with that opportunity would be deployed the GuaraniSat01;
the first Paraguayan Satellite, which the mission would be related to the need for
scientists to forecast the infestation of Chagas Disease using the data of remote
sensors located in far areas not reached by terrestrial networks, then taking
advantage of satellite technology. This mission represents to have an
operational S&F functionality using three terminals; the BIRDS-4 constellation,
BIRDS ground station network and ground sensors terminal. CubeSat’s monitoring
and tracking are developing in a ground station, through some elements and devices
from the highest cost and thanks to the technology developing, today we could
achieve ground segment at a much lower cost than before. For receiving LEO-
satellite radio-signals have some special features that need to be taken account, one
is the azimuth/elevation changing every time respect to the earth surface, the next
is due the satellite speed occurs the Doppler effects, thus the downlink frequency is
shifted respect from satellite transmission one and the last, also the polarization
receiving change each time, because the random-constantly movement of the
satellite. Based on comments above it is necessary to make a research and suggest
some recommendations of the elements that take part in a ground station for tracking
and stablishing radio-link with LEO satellites for the S&F mission of the
GuaraniSat01, at a low cost as possible.