About KySat-1 Dashboard Operations Image Gallery
General Information:
What is a CubeSat? CubeSats conform to a nanosatellite standard which is used for missions involving educational outreach, component testing, and space research. The motivation for CubeSats is to standardize the dimensions and mass along with the use of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) electronics to help drive down launch costs. A One-Unit (1U) CubeSat must have external dimensions of no greater than 1 liter (approx. a 4” cube) and a mass of no greater than 1 Kg (2.2 lbs). Multiple CubeSats can be stacked upon one another to create 2U, and 3U satellites of greater volume.
The CubeSat standard was developed in 1999 by Stanford University and California Polytechnic State University to help universities perform space science, while also providing students the opportunity to gain hands on experience in designing, building, testing, and operating satellites.
What is Kentucky Space? Kentucky Space is an ambitious non-profit consortium of universities, public organizations, and private companies collaborating to design and execute innovative space missions with realistic budgets and objectives. Kentucky Space projects train students in the dynamics of spacecraft design, construction, testing, and operation as a means of extending science and technology education, R&D, innovation and economic development in Kentucky. Kentucky Space projects include high altitude balloons, sub-orbital satellites, orbital satellites, and development of experimental hardware for the International Space Station.
All Kentucky Space missions are student-led and student-designed, with guidance and expertise provided by mentors from both industry and academia. As these missions are inherently multidisciplinary, students get to experience many different engineering fields while still facing challenges and gaining experience in their specialty. This multidisciplinary atmosphere gives students the knowledge and experience in systems engineering as they are encouraged, and often required, to learn about all aspects of the design process. As these projects are also student-led, program management is a crucial skill that the students acquire throughout mission development.
Kentucky Space Partners: Partners in Kentucky Space include: University of Kentucky, University of Louisville, Morehead State University, Murray State University, Western Kentucky University, the Kentucky Community and Technical College System, Kentucky Space Grant Consortium, Kentucky Science and Engineering Foundation, Kentucky Council on Post- Secondary Education, Kentucky Science and Technology Corporation, and the Belcan Corporation.
KySat-1 Information:
KySat-1 Overview: KySat-1 is the state of Kentucky’s first satellite that was entirely designed, built, and tested by university students. The primary mission is educational outreach to both the university students who worked on the satellite and to K-12 students and teachers, ultimately providing opportunities for hands-on learning in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) disciplines. Once in orbit, the satellite will transmit on amateur radio bands allowing communication between ground and orbit with standard HAM radio equipment. To this end, the satellite payload includes a digital camera and high bandwidth S-band radio to permit photo downloads, as well as a high powered UHF/VHF radio to allow satellite communication using small portable ground stations that can be easily set up on the playground or parking lot of a school.
Mission Objectives: The primary mission objective for KySat-1 is educational outreach. For educational purposes KySat-1 can be commanded via mobile ground stations using HAM frequencies. These mobile ground stations will be taken to schools around the state for children to have their first direct interaction with a satellite. The goal is to stimulate young minds by bringing aerospace technology to them. Children will be able to upload/download images and audio files, and will also have the capability to command the satellite to take photos using ground station software developed by SSL.
Lesson plans and equipment loan programs are being developed for teachers to augment STEM lessons in the classroom. The KySat-1 program is managed by the nonprofit organization Kentucky Space while design, construction, and testing occurred at the University of Kentucky in Lexington and Morehead State University. Ground stations at both universities will track the satellite once in orbit. Students at both schools will jointly manage a website for students, teachers, and the general public, to providing constant updates of KySat-1’s location and telemetry.
A secondary objective for KySat-1 is proof of concept. Starting design in 2006, KySat-1 has been revised and optimized over the past few years. Once the KySat-1 mission is successful, the SSL will have a standard on which to base future satellites built by the lab.
Launch: KySat-1 is scheduled to be launched on March 4 at 2:09:43 PST (5:09:43 EST) from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The satellite is one of three student built satellites launched by NASA through project ELaNa (Educational Launch of NanoSatellite). This launch is the first of project ELaNa and marks the first time NASA has launched student built satellites aboard their rockets. The primary mission for this launch is the GLORY environmental satellite which will sense earth aerosols and measure solar irradiance. Once GLORY is released from the rocket, the three CubeSats will be deployed by a specialized piece of hardware developed by university students at California Polytechnic University called a P-POD.
KySat-1 Communications: The communication system for KySat-1 includes amateur and commercial radio equipment. The amateur (HAM) radio interface includes a UHF (436.79 MHz) downlink and a VHF uplink (145.85 MHz) which will allow a broad audience of amateur radio operators and enthusiasts to interact with the satellite. A commercial 2.4 GHz radio transmitting in the S band is a communication payload meant to test high data rate communication from CubeSats in orbit.
Ground stations for communication with KySat-1 exist at both the University of Kentucky and Morehead State University. At UK, two UHF/VHF antennas are installed on the roof of the College of Engineering’s F. Paul Anderson Tower, while Morehead State uses the University’s 21 Meter high gain antenna for S-Band communications.
KySat-1 Operations: Once in orbit the operation of KySat-1 will not be limited to the students at UK and Morehead State Universities. One of KySat-1’s main objectives from its onset was for the satellite to serve as an outreach mechanism to foster student involvement in subject dealing with Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). With that the radios onboard KySat-1 allow for communication with the ground with simple amateur radio equipment such as handheld Yagi antennas. Additionally the satellite will be accessible through a web based flight software allowing for commands to be sent such as taking images, voice repeating, and telemetry gathering. The sun synchronous orbit which KySat-1 will be inserted into allows it to pass over Kentucky at the same time everyday twice a day.
Why is KySat-1 important? KySat-1 is the end result of four years of work by Kentucky Space to build the infrastructure and develop the knowledge base necessary to design, build, and test space payloads. This operation was undertaken with the goal of encouraging students to work on and solve difficult problems in order to foster innovative ideas in the state of Kentucky. KySat-1 is the first satellite developed by Kentucky and its outreach capabilities will inspire K-12 students to purse Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM).
KySat-1 Quick Facts:
External Dimensions – 10 cm x 10 cm x 11.35 cm (3.94” x 3.94” x 4.47”)
Mass – 1 Kg (2.2 lbs)
Orbit – Sun Synchronous 650 Kilometer (405 miles) Altitude
Operating Power -1 Watt (typical light bulb operates between 60 – 100 watts)