High Rate CubeSat X-band/S-band Communication System
Project Description
This project will focus on the development of a communications system that is compatible with the current CubeSat standard and will support high data rate downlinks. The result of this project will be the maturation of an S-band 200kbps receiver and X-band 12.5Mbps transmitter to technology readiness level 5, which is compatible with the current NASA Near Earth Network.
More »Anticipated Benefits
The technologies advanced as part of this project will enable NASA missions. Many recent CubeSats have made use of frequencies allocated for amateurs, while government funded CubeSats using amateur radio frequencies may violate the intent of the amateur radio service. Additionally, it is a violation of National Telecommunications Information Administration (NTIA) rules for government funded ground stations to use amateur radio frequencies to communicate with CubeSats. With the significant growth of CubeSat missions the current use of amateur spectrum is not sustainable and alternative solutions need to be developed. Such solutions require the development of radios in other bands that can be licensed and which are affordable, meet CubeSat constraints and can provide high speed downlinks .
More »Primary U.S. Work Locations and Key Partners
| Organizations Performing Work | Role | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
Goddard Space Flight Center
(GSFC)
|
Lead Organization | NASA Center | Greenbelt, Maryland |
| Blue Canyon Technologies, LLC | Supporting Organization | Industry | Boulder, Colorado |
Marshall Space Flight Center
(MSFC)
|
Supporting Organization | NASA Center | Huntsville, Alabama |
| University of Colorado Boulder | Supporting Organization | Academia | Boulder, Colorado |
Primary U.S. Work Locations
-
Alabama
-
Colorado
-
Maryland
