VT ThickSat: Technical Challenges for a Testbed for Lightweight Deployable Space Structures

Gustavo Gargioni; Robert Engebretson; Nicholas Angle; Derick Whited; Minzhen Du; Bryce Clegg; Hovhannes Avagyan; Seth Hitefield; Kevin Shinpaugh; Jonathan Black

doi:10.1109/AERO50100.2021.9438158

VT ThickSat: Technical Challenges for a Testbed for Lightweight Deployable Space Structures

Gustavo Gargioni, Robert Engebretson, Nicholas Angle, Derick Whited, Minzhen Du, Bryce Clegg, Hovhannes Avagyan, Seth Hitefield, Kevin Shinpaugh, Jonathan Black

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution › peer-review

Abstract

This paper describes challenges and lessons learned throughout the concept, design, assembling, integrating, and testing for hardware and software of Virginia Tech (VT) ThickSat, a testbed for lightweight deployable space structures designed by engineering students at Virginia Tech. The project started in 2017 as part of the senior design undergraduate team at VT in collaboration with the Virginia Space and Near Space Launch Systems. The project's mission is to prove passive deployment of a spring table boom in low earth orbit, obtain deployment confirmation and transmit a picture back to Earth. To develop this project, over 25 different undergraduate and graduate students participated. In this process, they reached many breaking points and tough technical decisions. Throughout its development, the mission faced significant design reviews. It a maximum allowed 100mA power draw from the bus and a top 150 kiloByte packet size transmission for its entire 28-hour mission. The resulting design can be replicated and easily scalable for much more significant roles under the same requirements. This paper builds the challenges and lessons learned from the redesign, assembling, integrating, and testing of hardware and software. Furthermore, it describes the restrictive design characteristics of the ThinSat program in detail, which led the students to come with smart solutions for its many different design interactions. The ThickSat solution includes a custom low power PCB for an STM32 microcontroller, a servo actuated release mechanism, and a versatile chassis for the ThinSat Program. This study comprises an analytical point of view from the senior monitoring group and other engineers from the Center for Space Science and Engineering Research, known as (Space@VT), summarizing the experience from a student-led ThinSat project. The outcome of this paper is to share an experience that leads to bolster future SmallSat missions at Virginia Tech and other institutions.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	2021 IEEE Aerospace Conference, AERO 2021
Publisher	IEEE Computer Society
ISBN (Electronic)	9781728174365
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1109/AERO50100.2021.9438158
State	Published - Mar 6 2021
Externally published	Yes
Event	2021 IEEE Aerospace Conference, AERO 2021 - Big Sky, United States Duration: Mar 6 2021 → Mar 13 2021

Publication series

Name	IEEE Aerospace Conference Proceedings
Volume	2021-March
ISSN (Print)	1095-323X

Conference

Conference	2021 IEEE Aerospace Conference, AERO 2021
Country/Territory	United States
City	Big Sky
Period	03/6/21 → 03/13/21

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 IEEE.

Access to Document

10.1109/AERO50100.2021.9438158

Cite this

Gargioni, G., Engebretson, R., Angle, N., Whited, D., Du, M., Clegg, B., Avagyan, H., Hitefield, S., Shinpaugh, K., & Black, J. (2021). VT ThickSat: Technical Challenges for a Testbed for Lightweight Deployable Space Structures. In 2021 IEEE Aerospace Conference, AERO 2021 Article 9438158 (IEEE Aerospace Conference Proceedings; Vol. 2021-March). IEEE Computer Society. https://doi.org/10.1109/AERO50100.2021.9438158

@inproceedings{ba0f74760bae4914be7737d35328951b,

title = "VT ThickSat: Technical Challenges for a Testbed for Lightweight Deployable Space Structures",

abstract = "This paper describes challenges and lessons learned throughout the concept, design, assembling, integrating, and testing for hardware and software of Virginia Tech (VT) ThickSat, a testbed for lightweight deployable space structures designed by engineering students at Virginia Tech. The project started in 2017 as part of the senior design undergraduate team at VT in collaboration with the Virginia Space and Near Space Launch Systems. The project's mission is to prove passive deployment of a spring table boom in low earth orbit, obtain deployment confirmation and transmit a picture back to Earth. To develop this project, over 25 different undergraduate and graduate students participated. In this process, they reached many breaking points and tough technical decisions. Throughout its development, the mission faced significant design reviews. It a maximum allowed 100mA power draw from the bus and a top 150 kiloByte packet size transmission for its entire 28-hour mission. The resulting design can be replicated and easily scalable for much more significant roles under the same requirements. This paper builds the challenges and lessons learned from the redesign, assembling, integrating, and testing of hardware and software. Furthermore, it describes the restrictive design characteristics of the ThinSat program in detail, which led the students to come with smart solutions for its many different design interactions. The ThickSat solution includes a custom low power PCB for an STM32 microcontroller, a servo actuated release mechanism, and a versatile chassis for the ThinSat Program. This study comprises an analytical point of view from the senior monitoring group and other engineers from the Center for Space Science and Engineering Research, known as (Space@VT), summarizing the experience from a student-led ThinSat project. The outcome of this paper is to share an experience that leads to bolster future SmallSat missions at Virginia Tech and other institutions.",

author = "Gustavo Gargioni and Robert Engebretson and Nicholas Angle and Derick Whited and Minzhen Du and Bryce Clegg and Hovhannes Avagyan and Seth Hitefield and Kevin Shinpaugh and Jonathan Black",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2021 IEEE.; 2021 IEEE Aerospace Conference, AERO 2021 ; Conference date: 06-03-2021 Through 13-03-2021",

year = "2021",

month = mar,

day = "6",

doi = "10.1109/AERO50100.2021.9438158",

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Gargioni, G, Engebretson, R, Angle, N, Whited, D, Du, M, Clegg, B, Avagyan, H, Hitefield, S, Shinpaugh, K & Black, J 2021, VT ThickSat: Technical Challenges for a Testbed for Lightweight Deployable Space Structures. in 2021 IEEE Aerospace Conference, AERO 2021., 9438158, IEEE Aerospace Conference Proceedings, vol. 2021-March, IEEE Computer Society, 2021 IEEE Aerospace Conference, AERO 2021, Big Sky, United States, 03/6/21. https://doi.org/10.1109/AERO50100.2021.9438158

VT ThickSat: Technical Challenges for a Testbed for Lightweight Deployable Space Structures. / Gargioni, Gustavo; Engebretson, Robert; Angle, Nicholas et al.
2021 IEEE Aerospace Conference, AERO 2021. IEEE Computer Society, 2021. 9438158 (IEEE Aerospace Conference Proceedings; Vol. 2021-March).

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution › peer-review

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AU - Clegg, Bryce

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AB - This paper describes challenges and lessons learned throughout the concept, design, assembling, integrating, and testing for hardware and software of Virginia Tech (VT) ThickSat, a testbed for lightweight deployable space structures designed by engineering students at Virginia Tech. The project started in 2017 as part of the senior design undergraduate team at VT in collaboration with the Virginia Space and Near Space Launch Systems. The project's mission is to prove passive deployment of a spring table boom in low earth orbit, obtain deployment confirmation and transmit a picture back to Earth. To develop this project, over 25 different undergraduate and graduate students participated. In this process, they reached many breaking points and tough technical decisions. Throughout its development, the mission faced significant design reviews. It a maximum allowed 100mA power draw from the bus and a top 150 kiloByte packet size transmission for its entire 28-hour mission. The resulting design can be replicated and easily scalable for much more significant roles under the same requirements. This paper builds the challenges and lessons learned from the redesign, assembling, integrating, and testing of hardware and software. Furthermore, it describes the restrictive design characteristics of the ThinSat program in detail, which led the students to come with smart solutions for its many different design interactions. The ThickSat solution includes a custom low power PCB for an STM32 microcontroller, a servo actuated release mechanism, and a versatile chassis for the ThinSat Program. This study comprises an analytical point of view from the senior monitoring group and other engineers from the Center for Space Science and Engineering Research, known as (Space@VT), summarizing the experience from a student-led ThinSat project. The outcome of this paper is to share an experience that leads to bolster future SmallSat missions at Virginia Tech and other institutions.

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VT ThickSat: Technical Challenges for a Testbed for Lightweight Deployable Space Structures

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