CASTOR Jr. MIT 2LT Corey Crowell 2LT Matt McCormack Lucas de la Garza Spenser Parra

Mission Overview: Goal: Test the functionality of the communication protocol to be used on MIT’s CASTOR satellite Data transmission - Telemetry data from sensors - Image data - Command log of operations that have been performed Verify proper system functionality - Transmit commands to actuators - Automatically generate commands to actuators - Log all commands

SHOT II / UN-6 Connection: Preliminary version of avionics and communications subsystems Utilize components that will be incorporated into CASTOR satellite -Avionics: PIC processors, SD card, camera -Communications: Transceiver -ACS: IMU, Magnetometer, Torque Coil design -Thermal: Sensor suite -Power: Current and Voltage Sensors Preliminary test of operating code and ground station processing -Interface coding to be utilized on the CASTOR satellite -Ground Station post-processing of data to be performed on all of CASTOR’s telemetry data

SHOT II Design and Test Details: Design : Structure: small and simple, similar to SHOT I design Avionics Code: Interrupt-based command processing Test-devices: -Magnetometer and Torque Coil: to measure Earth’s magnetic field and the local magnetic field generated from the coil -IMU: to measure the angular rate about the flight cord and accelerations before and after balloon rupture/ground impact -Camera: to record sample images of the balloonsat’s flight -Temperature Sensors: to measure critical component temperatures, measure external temperature, and regulate activation of the heater

SHOT II Design and Test Details: IMU Batteries Processor SD Card Heater Magnetometer Torque Coil Antenna Mount Camera

SHOT II Design and Test Details: Testing : Operations -Complete dry-runs of the test procedures to ensure all members are familiar with the CONOPS before flight -Ensure all systems operate as expected Environmental Testing -Structural whip test -Thermal environment test -20 degrees F in freezer

SHOT II Design and Test Details: Operations : Pre-launch -Initialize system, ensure operation of all test systems Flight -Continuously collect data -Query balloonsat from ground station for critical data -Command actuators from ground station Post-flight -Process all data recorded on the SD Card -Perform analysis of command log

Expected Results: Camera: 128 x 164 pixel image taken every 15 minutes IMU: Acceleration and rotation data taken every 15 seconds Magnetometer: Magnetic field readings taken every 15 seconds that reflect commands given to the torque coil Thermal Sensors: Data including component and environment temperatures taken every 15 seconds Heater operation based upon temperatures

Demonstration: 1. Initialize balloonsat and ground station 2. Take a 128 x 164 pixel image using onboard camera 3. Wirelessly transmit image to ground station