SOLAR

THE SOLAR FLARE OBSERVING

LOW-EARTH ORBIT PLATFORM

Preliminary Design Review

Team 1
Andrew Rukujzo, Jeron Young, Sam Bjorklund, Phuc Nguyen, Kevin Starr
 Mission Statement
● The mission’s goal is to improve humanity’s understanding of solar flares and CMEs to better
predict them, thereby helping shield Earth’s power and communications infrastructure from future
catastrophes.
● Scientific objectives include measuring the time, direction, and intensity (wavelength of photons to
within 0.5 Angstrom) of solar flares for five years. Since solar flares are often accompanied by
CMEs, trends in the data on solar flares can be analyzed to predict likely occurrences of CMEs.

Customers: Companies that rely on

power grids or that use satellites in their
networks; perhaps government as well.

Users: Scientists, from an aerospace

agency or university lab, who will analyze
the data to understand and predict CMEs.
 Solar flares and NASA’s Goals
● Solar flares involve an eruption of electromagnetic radiation from active regions on the Sun’s surface. This is often
accompanied by a CME, which entails an explosion of plasma from the Sun.
● CMEs can change Earth’s magnetic field and induce electric currents, thereby overloading power grids, disrupting
satellite communications, and even pushing the satellites out of orbit.
● The study of solar flares, with the goal of better predicting their occurrence, ties closely to NASA’s Strategic Plan.

Theme Strategic Goal Strategic Objective

DISCOVER Expand human knowledge through new scientific 1.1: Understand the Sun, Earth, Solar System,
discoveries. and Universe.

Core Contexts of Strategic Objective

● Discovering the Secrets of the Universe

● Searching for Life Elsewhere
● Safeguarding and Improving Life on Earth

● Studying solar flares leads to new scientific discoveries that help humans better understand the Sun, the
Earth, and the interplay between them. This newfound knowledge about solar flares essentially discovers
secrets of the Universe in order to safeguard and improve life on Earth–power grids and satellites.
● An orbital opportunity is necessary to observe the Sun nearly constantly by flying a Sun-synchronous
orbit to detect all solar flares. Ground-based instruments can only focus on the Sun during the day and would
therefore provide incomplete, even misleading, data that could potentially lead to incorrect conclusions.
 Requirements
Category Requirement Rationale

Performance The orbit inclination shall be between 97 and 99 degrees. These inclinations make the orbit Sun-synchronous.

Performance The instrument shall detect photons with a spectral range from Data on solar flares must be as complete as
4 to 50 Angstroms with a resolution of 0.5 Angstrom. possible.

Coverage The instrument shall have at least 23 hours of sunlight per Maximizing the time in sunlight allows the Sun to be
day. observed best.

Respon- Data shall be transmitted at 1 Mbps for a total of at least 150 When the Sun is active, all of the data on board must
siveness minutes every day. be transmitted each pass.

Duration The in-orbit life shall be at least 5 years. This allows the Sun to be observed during the peak
of the 11 year solar cycle.

Availability Excluding extreme conditions, the CubeSat shall transmit data Data must be regularly available to the users for
to the ground station 99% of the time. processing.

Survivability The CubeSat shall survive 100% of typical conditions This ensures the mission is feasible and minimizes
encountered in a low-Earth orbit. potential risks.

Data Data shall have the capability to be transmitted to at least one Personnel at the ground station must store the data
Distribution ground station and sent to users within one hour. and distribute it to the users in a timely fashion.

Data Content Data shall consist of the time, direction, and intensity of solar This data is crucial for scientists to better understand
flares with a light spectrum between 4 and 50 Angstroms. and predict solar flares and CMEs.
 Constraints
Constraint Rationale

The CubeSat will orbit at an altitude no greater LEO is the simplest orbit.
than 1000 km.

The CubeSat’s orbit will have an eccentricity of Though no particular orbit shape is required for the mission, a circular orbit is easiest
0. to plan.

The preliminary design phase will be completed by Work must be completed by the end of Illinois Tech’s spring semester.
May 2022.

The CubeSat will have a volume no larger than NASA’s CubeSat launch program limits the volume of candidate satellites to 12U.
12U.

The CubeSat’s orbit will be attainable with a delta 17 km/s is roughly the highest achievable delta V from current NASA rockets
V of under 17 km/s from a latitude of 34.7420 compatible with CubeSats. Satellites in polar orbits are launched from Vandenberg
degrees North. Space Force Base, whose latitude is as stated.

The CubeSat’s launch will cost no more than Expenses above $300,000 are not covered by NASA and require external funding.
$300,000.

Mission Success Criteria

● The CubeSat will detect 90% of solar flares with spectra from 4 to 50 Angstroms in its field of view.
● Scientists will find sufficient patterns in the data to predict with 90% accuracy which active regions of the Sun will
eject CMEs directed at Earth with the potential to cause damage.
● Accurate predictions will be made several days before the CMEs are actually released.
 Orbit & Ground Element

Orbit Parameter Value Parameter Value

Single CubeSat Radius 7178.1 km Argument of latitude 30 deg
800 km Altitude
Circular Eccentricity 0 Time in sunlight 23.56 hours
Dawn/ Dusk Inclination 98.0 deg Time in penumbra 0.44 hours
Sun-Synchronous
RAAN 340 deg Time in umbra 0.00 hours

Ground Station Parameter Value Parameter Value

In Chicago Latitude 41.8347 deg N Mean pass time 906 s

Longitude -87.6283 deg E Passes/ day 14.26

Elevation 600 ft Time in view/ day 215.3 min

 Payload: Multi-Order X-Ray Spectral Imager (MOXSI)
● MOXSI will be used on NASA’s CubeSat Imaging X-Ray Solar Spectrometer (CubIXSS) mission.
● The instrument utilizes a pinhole camera and X-ray diffraction grating to measure the intensity of light
coming from active regions of the Sun.
● MOXSI can detect photons with wavelengths between 1 and 55 Angstroms, which maximizes the
mission’s probability of success.
● An alternative is the Small Assembly for Solar Spectroscopy (SASS), which integrates four high-cadence
spectrometers that utilize soft and hard X-rays. Though its cadence is higher than MOXSI’s, SASS is not
chosen since the upper limit of its spectral range is only 25 Angstroms.

Sensor MOXSI SASS

Spectral Range 1–55 0.25-25

(Angstroms)

Spectral Range 0.22–12 0.5-50

(keV)

Cadence High: 20 s High: 1 s

Low: 5 min Low: 1 min
 Mass Budget
Total Mass Subsystem Mass Subsystem Mass

Structure 1.70 kg C&DH 0.50 kg

8.00 kg
Thermal 0.20 kg ADCS 0.80 kg

Power 1.80 kg Propulsion 0.20 kg

Communications 1.00 kg Payload 1.80 kg

Size Payload Size CubeSat Density CubeSat Volume CubeSat Size

Budget 25.5 x 1.4 x 1.05 cm 1.33 kg/ 1U 6U 12 x 24 x 36 cm

Delta V Maneuver Launch to 800 km circular orbit Hohmann transfer to mission Total
from 34.7420 deg N latitude orbit
Budget
For Launch Delta V 9.21 km/s (from Electron Rocket) 0.00 km/s (not needed) 9.21 km/s

Power System Payload ADCS C&DH Power Propulsion Structure Thermal Comm Margin Total
Budget Power 5W 4W 5W 5W 1W 0W 0W 5W 5W 30 W
 Trade Studies

Orbit

800 km

BC =
128
kg/m2

Launch
Vehicle

Electron
Rocket
 Launch Vehicle: Electron Rocket
Maximum Delta V = 11.45 km/s Required Delta V = 9.21 km/s

Mechanical Electrical Fairing Environment

Launch Payload Plate with a 1 Standard Electrical Composite split Maximum axial load
m diameter, bolted Interface Panel that clamshell fairing is 7.5 g’s.
Vehicle
honeycomb structure controls the that keeps the Maximum sound
Interface to which the separation separation system relative humidity pressure is 112 dB
system is attached. and provides power below 65%. at a ⅓ octave
until launch. frequency of 100 Hz.

1) An electrical signal is sent to the RUAG clamp-band separation system to

release the clamp.
2) Each half of the clamshell rotates away from the payload on a hinge,
Deployment
preventing the payload from striking the fairing and releasing the payload with
proper velocity and spin.
3) The CubeSat itself is housed in a Canisterized Satellite Dispenser (CSD),
which can accommodate a 6U CubeSat.
4) Once the clamshell opens, the CSD housing opens, releasing the CubeSat.
Concept of Operations
 Structure & Configuration
Requirement/ Constraint Rationale

Requirement: Off-diagonal terms in the CubeSat’s inertia matrix shall be Minimizing products of inertia makes the axes along the dimensions of the
under 0.01 kg*m2 in magnitude. CubeSat close to principal axes.

Requirement: Expending the propellant shall not shift the center of mass by The CubeSat must remain stable both with full propellant tanks and with
more than 0.5 cm in any direction. near-empty tanks.

Requirement: The bus’s yield strength and Young’s modulus shall exceed 200 The bus must comfortably withstand significant loads during launch.
MPa and 60 GPa, respectively.

Constraint: All CubeSat components (save for the solar panel) will fit inside a The CubeSat’s dimensions are determined by the standard 6U dimensions.
12 by 24 by 36 cm bus.

Materials selection: Material Young's Modulus Yield Strength Density Coefficient of Thermal Expansion
Al 7075 is chosen Al 7075 71.7 GPa 372 MPa 2.81 g/cm3 23.4 µm/(m*K)
3
Al 6061 68.9 GPa 241 MPa 2.70g/cm 23.6 µm(/m*K)
CFRP is best but costly
CFRP 70 GPa 1400 MPa 1.6 g/cm3 -2.1 µm/(m*K)

Axes In-track (36 cm, x), cross-track (12 cm, y), Earth-pointing (24 cm, z) Inertia about COM along x, y, and z axes:

COM [16.20, 6.01, 12.77] cm (fully loaded)

COM shift [0.18, 0.09, 0.03] cm (no propellant)

 Configuration & Dimensional Drawing

CubeSat Configuration Parameters

Component Dimensions (x,y,z) Volume C.O.M. in Bus (x,y,z) Color

C&DH [9, 5, 9] cm 405 cm3 [12, 6, 5.5] cm Blue

Solar Panel [99, 1, 24] cm 2,376 cm3 [18, 12.5, 12] cm Black

Rest of EPS [2, 2, 4] cm 16 cm3 [34, 2, 12] cm Black

Thermal [3, 3, 3] cm 27 cm3 [34, 9, 16] cm Orange

Payload [25.5, 1.0, 1.4] cm 37.5 cm3 [22.5, 6, 14] cm Green

ADCS [5, 10, 5] cm 250 cm3 [4, 6, 3.5] cm Yellow

Propellant [4, 5.5, 5.5] cm 121 cm3 [10, 4, 12] cm Purple

Thrusters [1, 1, 2] cm 2 cm3 [18, 6, 12] cm Brown

Comm. [5, 6, 6] cm 180 cm3 [24, 4, 3] cm Red

Bus [36, 12, 24] cm 10,368 cm3 [18, 6, 12] cm Gray

Each side of the solar panel folds inwards for launch and deploys once in orbit.
 Electrical Power Subsystem

Requirement/ Constraint Rationale

Requirement: The EPS shall provide at least 30 W of power at all times. 30 W is the maximum power, with a 20% margin, required by the CubeSat.

Requirement: The EPS shall have the capacity to convert from 28 VDC to 5 VDC. While the EPS and other subsystems operate at 28 VDC, the payload needs 5 VDC.

Requirement: The batteries shall be usable for 5 years. The batteries must be designed to last throughout the mission life.

Constraint: The EPS will include a single solar array. A solar array is the optimal power source for an Earth-orbiting mission.

Solar cell trade: Multijunction is too expensive. Gallium Battery type trade: Nickel hydrogen provides greater depth of
arsenide optimizes efficiency and degradation at a lower cost. discharge and specific energy density.
Solar Cell Type Efficiency Degradation per Year Battery type Depth of discharge (26,070 cycles) Specific energy density

Silicon 14.8% 3.75% Nickel hydrogen 40% 50 W*hr/kg

Gallium arsenide 18.5% 2.75% Nickel cadmium 20% 28 W*hr/kg

Multijunction 22.0% 0.5%

Wires: The current varies from 1.1 A (for 28 V) to 6 A (for 5 V).
The mass of wires will therefore be 0.01 kg/m to 0.02 kg/m.
 Solar Panel Sizing Single solar panel: Gallium arsenide
Parameter Algorithm Value 2 batteries + spare: Nickel hydrogen
Power required in day, Pd Maximum power 30 W Maximum power output: 30 W
Time in day per orbit, Td Orbit calculations 1.650 hrs

Transmission efficiency in day, Xd Typical efficiency 0.85 Battery Sizing

Power required in eclipse, Pe Maximum power 30 W Parameter Algorithm Value

Time in eclipse per orbit, Te Orbit calculations 0.031 hrs Orbital period, Tp Orbit calculations 1.68 hrs

Transmission efficiency in eclipse, Xe Typical efficiency 0.65 Orbits / hour 1/Tp 0.595 hrs-1

Required power from solar array, Psa (PdTd/Xd + PeTe/Xe) / Td 36.2 W Mission lifetime, Nl Required lifetime 5 yrs

Solar flux Average for mission 1341 W/m2 Cycles of charge & discharge (Nl)(365.25)(24)(Orbits/hr) 26,070

Efficiency, η Value for Gallium arsenide 0.185 Depth of discharge, DoD Chart for nickel hydrogen 0.40

Inherent degradation, Id Typical degradation 0.77 Power required in eclipse, Pe Maximum power 30 W

Angle of incidence, θ Worst-case angle 23.5 deg Time in eclipse, Te Orbit calculations 0.031 hrs

Beginning of life power, PBOL (Flux)()(Id)(cos) 175.2 W/m2 Number of batteries in use, N Design choice 2

Degradation / year Value for Gallium arsenide 0.0275 Transmission efficiency, n Typical efficiency 0.9

Mission lifetime, Nl Required lifetime 5 yrs Battery capacity, Cr (Pe*Te) / (DoD*N*n) 1.28 W*hr

Lifetime degradation, LD (1-degradation/year)^Nl 0.870 Specific energy density, esp Value for nickel hydrogen 50 W*hr/kg

Power at end of life, PEOL PBOL*LD 152.4 W/m2 Single battery mass, mb Cr / m b 0.026 kg

Solar array area, Asa Psa / PEOL 0.237 m2 Number of spare batteries, Ns Redundancy 1

Solar array mass, msa 0.04*Psa 1.45 kg Total battery mass mb*(N+Ns) 0.078 kg
 Command & Data Handling Subsystem
Requirement/ Constraint Rationale

Requirement: The computer shall collect and store 200 MB of data from MOXSI. This is the expected amount of data acquired over a single orbit.

Requirement: The computer shall sample analog signals from MOXSI at 40 Hz. Data in the signals must be detected without aliasing, so the sampling rate must
equal the Nyquist frequency.

Requirement: The ADC for MOXSI shall have 8 bits. This gives appropriate quantization in the data.

Constraint: There will be two data storage banks. Multiple data banks make the system more robust.

Command structure: All subsystems communicate with each other The ISIS on-board computer (300 cm3, 0.5 kg, 4 W)
through the on-board computer; multiplexing is used. 50 commands can
be processed per second over the channels.
offers a 400 MHz processor, 10-bit ADC with 8 channels,
and two 2-GB data storage cards, which exceeds the
Data storage: Each of the two data storage banks holds 200 MB, so data requirements.
is not lost if it cannot be transmitted during one pass.

Error detection & correction: An even parity scheme is used. If there

are an odd number of bits in a message, a corrected message is sent.

MOXSI data sampling: MOXSI’s signal is sampled at 50 Hz to ensure

that the expected maximum frequency of 20 Hz is detected.

MOXSI ADC quantization: MOXSI has 109 counts (1 to 55 Angstroms

with a resolution of 0.5 Angstrom → ADC will have 8 bits: 128 counts.
 Communications Subsystem
Requirement/ Constraint Rationale

Requirement: The link margin shall be 5 dB. The signal must be detected above the noise.

Requirement: Power to the transmitter shall be 5 W. This is based on the power budget for communications.

Requirement: Data shall be transmitted at 1 Mbps. Top-level mission requirements mandate this.

Requirement: Communications shall be available 99% of the time. This is from mission top-level requirements to ensure users receive data in a timely
fashion.

Modulation Trade Study Modulation Eb/No (dB) for BER=10-5 Spectrum Phase Disturbances
(Lower is optimal) (Higher is optimal)

● DPSK is chosen: BPSK 9.6 1.0 Susceptible

Eb/No = 10.3 dB DPSK 10.3 1.0 Not susceptible

● With link margin, QPSK 9.6 2.0 Susceptible

Eb/No = 15.3 dB FSK 13.3 0.5 Not susceptible
 Trade Studies Link Budget Design
Parameter Algorithm Value
Antenna angle: 30 deg
Transmitter power, Pt Uplink (ground station): 20 W / Uplink: 13.01 dB /
Downlink (on CubeSat): 5 W Downlink: 6.99 dB
A smaller angle increases the gain but
Min and max range, Smin and Smax STK simulation 800 km and 3966 km
requires a larger diameter.
Line losses, Ll Typical value in clear weather -3.0 dB
Data rate: 1 Mbps
Transmitter Antenna Gain, Gt 27000/θ2, θ= 30 deg 20.79 dB

A higher data rate allows more data to Free space path loss, Ls [(3*108 / (4Sf)]2 -156.52 dB for Smin / -170.43 dB for Smax

be transferred but lowers Eb/No. Atmospheric attenuation, La Typical value -1.00 dB

Rain loss, Lr Negligible value 0 dB

Frequency: 2 GHz
(Not affected by rain) Pointing loss, Lp Negligible value 0 dB

Receiver antenna gain, Gr 27000/θ2, θ= 30 deg 20.79 dB

A higher frequency lowers the antenna
Boltzmann’s constant, k Constant value of 1.38*10-23 J/K -228.60 dB
angle and free space path loss but
may be affected by the rain. System noise temperature, Ts Typical values for 2 GHz frequency Uplink: 27.88 dB / Downlink: 21.30 dB

Data rate, R Chosen value of 1 Mbps 60.00 dB

Link budget, Eb / N0 for Smin (Pt+Ll+Gt+Ls+La+Lr+Lp+Gr-Ts-k-R) in dB Uplink: 34.74 dB / Downlink: 35.35 dB

The QubeFlex CubeSat Transceiver
(150 cm3, 1 kg, 5 W) can operate at 2 Link budget, Eb / N0 for Smax (Pt+Ll+Gt+Ls+La+Lr+Lp+Gr-Ts-k-R) in dB Uplink: 21.33 dB / Downlink: 21.44 dB

GHz with a data rate of 1 Mbps. Link margin for Smin Link budget minus 10.3 dB Uplink: 24.44 dB / Downlink: 25.05 dB

Link margin for Smax Link budget minus 10.3 dB Uplink: 11.03 dB / Downlink: 11.14 dB
 Parameter Algorithm Value
Attitude Determination & Control Gravitational parameter for Earth, μ⊕ Constant 398600.5 km3/s2

Subsystem Radius of Earth, RE Average value 6371 km

Requirement/ Constraint
Requirement: The attitude shall be
determined to within 0.5 deg about
each axis.
Requirement: The pointing error
shall be under 0.5 deg about each
axis.
Requirement: The CubeSat shall not
rotate by more than 1 deg/s to adjust
the attitude.
Constraint: The attitude control
actuators will dissipate angular
momentum about all 3 axes.
Attitude determination: Star sensor with map
of 3 stars → 0.001 deg accuracy; 3
gyroscopes is back-up option.
Maximum single-axis disturbance torque:
4.43*10-5 N*m
Min and max moments of inertia, Imin and Imax
Rationale
To accurately point the
CubeSat, the attitude must be
Surface strength of Earth’s magnetic field, B0
known very accurately.
MOXSI must focus on the
Sun, and the transceiver must
be pointed at the ground
station to the extent possible.
Fast rotation jeopardizes
MOXSI’s ability to remain
focused on the Sun.
Only actuators that can
achieve zero momentum will
be considered.
Radius of CubeSat’s orbit, R RE + orbit altitude 7171 km
Computed in Structures section 0.0651 kg*m2 and 0.2424, kg*m2
Gravity gradient torque per degree, Tg 3μ⊕/R3 * (Imax-Imin) 5.73*10-7 N*m/deg
Spacecraft magnetic dipole moment, md Typical value 1 Amp*m2
Constant 3.12*10-5 T
Magnetic latitude of spacecraft, λm Largest possible value 90 deg
Strength of Earth’s magnetic field, B 3
B0*(RE/R) *(1+3sin λm) 2
4.36*10-5 T
Magnetic disturbance torque, Tm md x B 4.36*10-5 N*m
Atmospheric density in space, ⍴ Average value 1.47*10-13 kg/m3
Drag coefficient, CD Typical value 2
Cross sectional area of CubeSat, A Area in direction of travel 0.0288 m2
Velocity of CubeSat relative to atmosphere √(μ⊕/R) (assume no atmospheric velocity) 7,452 m/s
cp/cg
Lever arm for aerodynamic torque, r Estimated maximum value 0.1 m
Aerodynamic drag force, Fd ½*⍴*CD*A*v2 3.53*10-7 N
Aerodynamic disturbance torque, Ta rcp/cg x Fa 3.53*10-8 N*m
Lever arm for solar radiation torque, rcps/cg Estimated maximum value 0.1 m
Solar flux density, Fs Average value 1378 W/m2
Speed of light in a vacuum, c Constant value 3*108 m/s
Area of illuminated surface, As Area of side facing Sun 0.0864 m2
Reflectance factor, q Typical value 0.6
Sun incidence angle, i Smallest possible value 0 deg
Solar radiation force, Fsrp (Fs/c)*As*(1+q)*cos(i) 6.35*10-7 N
Solar radiation pressure torque, Tsrp rcps/cg x Fsrp 6.35*10-8 N*m
Total disturbance torque, Td Tg+Tm+Ta+Tsrp (assume 1 deg for Tg) 4.43*10-5 N*m
 Momentum Wheel Sizing
Control Actuators: Since the pointing error must be
Parameter Algorithm Value below 0.5 deg, passive options cannot be considered.
Orbit period, P Average value 6,052 s Suitable active actuators are:
Allowable angular motion, θa ADCS requirements 0.5 deg
● 3 pairs of thrusters (require additional propellant)
Momentum wheel angular momentum, h Td*(P/4)/θa 7.68 N*m*s ● 3 momentum wheels (too heavy: 27 kg each)
Wheel angular velocity, w 2*π*fmax (fmax=100 rev/s) 628 rad/s ● 3 magnetic torquers
Needed wheel inertia, I h/w 0.012 kg*m2
3 magnetic torquers providing a magnetic dipole
Maximum wheel radius, r Estimated based on space 0.03 m moment of at least 2.06 A*m2 each are chosen. They
available
will operate in conjunction with a magnetometer.
Needed wheel mass, mw 2*I/r2 27.16 kg (not feasible)
One option is the Sputnix SX-MT magnetic torquer (50
cm3, 0.2 kg, 1 W), which produces a magnetic dipole
Magnetic Torquer Sizing
moment up to 5 A*m2.
Parameter Algorithm Value

Magnetic moment of Earth, M Constant value 7.96*1015 T*m3

Radius of orbit, R 6378 km + h (h=800 km) 7178 km

Earth’s magnetic field, B 2*M/R3 4.30*10-5 T

Minimum magnetic dipole from torquer, Dmin Td/B 1.03 A*m2

Design magnetic dipole from torquer, D 2*Dmin (to provide a margin) 2.06 A*m2
 Requirement/ Constraint Rationale
Orbit
Requirement: The orbital elements shall be determined to within 0.1% of their values. The CubeSat must remain in the chosen Sun- synchronous orbit.
Determination
Requirement: The orbit’s altitude shall be maintained to within 1 km. The CubeSat must maintain its altitude so the period of its orbit is predictable.
& Control
Requirement: The ODCS shall transfer the CubeSat to a 600 km orbit after its mission life. The CubeSat must deorbit within 25 years. Drag will pull it out of orbit after 20
Subsystem years in this orbit.

(Propulsion) Constraint: The propellant will fit inside a 200 cm3 tank. There is limited room to carry propellant on-board.

Propulsion Parameters
Orbit determination: Ground station using radar and GPS→highly
accurate Parameter Algorithm Value
Propellant: Liquid oxygen + liquid hydrogen: Isp=381 s
- Electric propulsion cannot provide impulse fast enough. Mass of satellite, msat Mass budget 8.00 kg

Mission lifetime, N Requirements 5 years

Propellant Trade Study Gravity of Earth, g0 Constant 9.81 m/s2

Propellant Specific Impulse Specific impulse of propellant, Isp Value for liquid oxygen + liquid hydrogen 381 s

Liquid Oxygen + Liquid Hydrogen 381 s Delta V per year for station-keeping, ΔVs Value for 800 km orbit 2 m/s

Liquid Oxygen + Liquid Methane 299 s Station-keeping/year propellant mass, ms [exp(ΔVs/(Isp*g0))-1]*msat 0.0043 kg/year

Liquid Oxygen + Liquid Hydrazine 303 s Delta V to deorbit after mission, ΔVd Hohmann transfer to 600 km orbit 52 m/s
(deorbit in 20 years)
Liquid Fluorine + Liquid Hydrogen 400 s (hypergolic)
Propellant mass to deorbit, md (exp(ΔVd/(Isp*g0))-1)*msat 0.112 kg

Total on-board propellant mass, mp ms*N + md 0.134 kg

Propellant density, ρ Average for propellant 1.14*10-3 kg/cm3

Total tank volume (among two tanks), V mp/ρ 117 cm3

 Thermal Control Subsystem
Analysis of Worst Case Temperatures
Requirement/ Constraint Rationale Parameter Algorithm Value

Requirement: The maximum temperature This is the maximum temperature for NiH2 CubeSat surface area, A Sum of surface area of each side 0.317 m2
shall be 20 oC. batteries.
Equivalent diameter of sphere, D √(A/π) 0.318 m
Requirement: The minimum temperature This is the minimum temperature for the Cross section area of sphere, Ac 2
π*D /4 0.0792 m2
shall be 15 oC. payload.
Power dissipated, Qw Maximum power 30 W
Constraint: The TCS will require 0 Watts. Only passive options will be considered for a
CubeSat. Orbit altitude, H Average value 800 km

Radius of Earth, RE Constant value 6378 km

Angular radius of Earth, ρ sin-1(RE/(RE+H)) 1.094 rad

Passive thermal System Temperature Limits: 15 oC to 20 oC
control will be used to View factor, F (1-cos(ρ))/2 0.271
System Min Temp (oC) Max Temp (oC)
maintain temperature Albedo correction, Ka 0.664+0.521*ρ-0.203*ρ 2
0.991
limits. Comm -10 50 Maximum Earth IR emission, ql,max Maximum value 258 W/m2

Multilayer insulation: Payload 15 25 Minimum Earth IR emission, ql,min Minimum value 216 W/m2
Layers of aluminum- Direct solar flux, Gs Maximum value 1418 W/m2
C&DH -10 50
coated Mylar are
Albedo, a Maximum value 35%
separated by thin Solar array -105 110
Dacron nets. Emissivity, ε End-of-life white paint 0.8

Batteries -5 20 Absorptivity, α Degrading white paint 0.6

Operating range of
0 50 Stefan-Boltzmann’s constant, σ Constant 5.671*10-8 W/(m2*K4)
-160 oC to 250 oC ADCS

meets temperature Propulsion 7 55

Worst-case hot temperature, Tmax [(Ac*Gs*α+A*F*ql,max*ε+A*F… 314.4 K / 41.2 oC
*Gs*a*α*Ka+Qw)/(A*σ*ε)]1/4
limits.
Structure -45 65 Worst-case cold temperature, Tmin [(A*F*ql,min*ε+Qw)/(A*σ*ε)]1/4 236.3 K / -36.8 oC
 Technology Needs, Gaps, and Development

Electron ● 20 of 23 launches have been successful: Recently, the 13th and 20th launches failed
when the second stage engine shut down during the ascent due to a systems failure.
Rocket ● The failures were investigated afterwards, and launches were successfully resumed.
● Though the technology readiness level (TRL) of the Electron is 9, technological
development can further improve the success rate.

MOXSI ● MOXSI was tested on a proof-of-concept flight on a NASA sounding rocket, but its
actual mission has not launched yet: MOXSI’s TRL is 8.
● While the spectral range of 1 to 50 Angstroms with a resolution of 0.5 Angstrom is
sufficient, a range from 0.5 to 200 Angstroms with a resolution of 0.1 Angstrom
would improve MOXSI’s ability to detect solar particles.

SunCET ● NASA’s SunCET mission (to be launched) employs a simultaneous high dynamic range
Mission algorithm to observe the Sun’s faint corona and bright solar disk at the same time;
normally, an instrument can only focus on one part of the Sun due to the contrast.
● Incorporating this technology in MOXSI would allow it to simultaneously focus on
different parts of the Sun.

Subsystems ● All technology used in the subsystems has a TRL of 9.

 Most Significant Mission Risks

Risk type Hazard Harm Severity Likelihood Action

Technical - Launch vehicle malfunctions. - CubeSat cannot be put into its orbit. 5 1 Transfer (purchase insurance)
- Structure cannot withstand loads. - CubeSat breaks apart during launch. 5 1 Reduce (use strong materials)
- EPS provides insufficient power. - Systems cannot function properly. 5 2 Reduce (contingency plan)
- Batteries do not last 5 years. - Power cannot be supplied in the eclipse. 5 2 Reduce (contingency plan)
- Communications with the ground fail. - Data cannot be transmitted to the users. 5 2 Reduce (contingency plan)
- Faulty messages are sent/received. - Commands are not executed properly. 5 2 Reduce (contingency plan)
- Star sensors fail. - Attitude cannot be determined. 5 2 Reduce (contingency plan)
- Magnetic torquers fail. - Attitude cannot be controlled. 5 2 Reduce (contingency plan)
- Thrusters do not fire. - Orbit maneuvers cannot be performed. 5 2 Reduce (contingency plan)
- Temperature limits are exceeded. - Sensitive systems must be shut down. 5 2 Reduce (contingency plan)
- MOXSI does not detect solar flares. - Data on solar flares cannot be collected. 5 2 Reduce (contingency plan)

Resource - Team member does not contribute. - Project falls behind schedule. 3 2 Prevent (formulate team plan)
- Parts are highly specialized. - Parts cannot be obtained from vendors. 4 2 Reduce (use existing parts)

Safety - Equipment becomes damaged during transport. - Launch opportunity is potentially lost. 5 2 Reduce (use air cushions)

Environ- - CubeSat is left in orbit after mission. - Low-Earth orbit becomes cluttered. 3 4 Prevent (plan to deorbit)
mental - Consumable components are used. - Users must replace components. 3 2 Prevent (avoid such parts)

Social - Project documents include personal information. - Team members lose confidentiality. 4 2 Prevent (read all documents)
 Monitoring & Contingencies

System Monitoring Contingency Plan

EPS - System power output is 30 W. - Reduce power to nonessential systems.

- Single battery power output is 15 W. - Switch to the spare battery.
- System experiences a power surge. - Shunt excess power.

C&DH - Messages received have even parity. - Request that messages are sent again.
- Single data bank storage is 200 MB. - Switch to the second data bank for primary storage.

Comm - The CubeSat communicates with the ground station on each pass. - Send both the old and new data on the next pass.
- Signals can be detected above the noise by the ground station. - Temporarily increase power to the transmitter.

ADCS - Star sensor accurately determines attitude. - Use back-up gyroscopes.

- Magnetic torquer malfunctions about one axis. - Keep the CubeSat stable about the other two axes.

ODCS - Ground station accurately determines the orbit. - Procure new radar or other tracking equipment.
- Primary thrusters can raise the orbit. - Use the secondary pair of thrusters.

Thermal - System temperatures remain between 15 oC and 20 oC - Shut down sensitive systems like MOXSI.

Payload - MOXSI is transmitting data for storage. - Check MOXSI’s power and voltage.
- MOXSI is pointed at the Sun. - Command an attitude adjustment.
 Conclusion
SOLAR is…
Relevant to NASA ✅

Feasible ✅

Likely to Succeed ✅

● Spectrometers ● Solar Cell

● Launch Vehicle ● Battery
Trade ● Orbit Altitude ● Modulation, Data Rate & Frequency
Studies ● Materials ● Attitude Control Actuators
● Configuration ● Propellant

All subsystem components will be purchased off the shelf

or custom made from mission-tested materials.