Scalable and Configurable Electrical Interface Board for Bus System Development of Different CubeSat Platforms

Marloun Sejera; Takashi Yamauchi; Necmi Cihan Orger; Yukihisa Otani; Mengu Cho

doi:10.3390/app12188964

Applied Sciences (Sep 2022)

Scalable and Configurable Electrical Interface Board for Bus System Development of Different CubeSat Platforms

Marloun Sejera,
Takashi Yamauchi,
Necmi Cihan Orger,
Yukihisa Otani,
Mengu Cho

Affiliations

Marloun Sejera: Laboratory of Lean Satellite Enterprises and In-Orbit Experiments (LaSEINE), Department of Electrical and Space Systems Engineering, Kyushu Institute of Technology, Kitakyushu 804-8550, Japan
Takashi Yamauchi: Laboratory of Lean Satellite Enterprises and In-Orbit Experiments (LaSEINE), Department of Electrical and Space Systems Engineering, Kyushu Institute of Technology, Kitakyushu 804-8550, Japan
Necmi Cihan Orger: Laboratory of Lean Satellite Enterprises and In-Orbit Experiments (LaSEINE), Department of Electrical and Space Systems Engineering, Kyushu Institute of Technology, Kitakyushu 804-8550, Japan
Yukihisa Otani: Laboratory of Lean Satellite Enterprises and In-Orbit Experiments (LaSEINE), Department of Electrical and Space Systems Engineering, Kyushu Institute of Technology, Kitakyushu 804-8550, Japan
Mengu Cho: Laboratory of Lean Satellite Enterprises and In-Orbit Experiments (LaSEINE), Department of Electrical and Space Systems Engineering, Kyushu Institute of Technology, Kitakyushu 804-8550, Japan

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/app12188964
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 12, no. 18
p. 8964

Abstract

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A flight-proven electrical bus system for the 1U CubeSat platform was designed in the BIRDS satellite program at the Kyushu Institute of Technology. The bus utilizes a backplane board as the mechanical and electrical interface between the subsystems and the payloads. The electrical routes on the backplane are configured by software using a complex programmable logic device (CPLD). It allows for reusability in multiple CubeSat projects while lowering costs and development time; as a result, resources can be directed toward developing the mission payloads. Lastly, it provides more time for integration and system-level verification, which are critical for a reliable and successful mission. The current trend of CubeSat launches is focused on 3U and 6U platforms due to their capability to accommodate multiple and complex payloads. Hence, a demonstration of the electrical bus system to adapt to larger platforms is necessary. This study demonstrates the configurable electrical interface board’s scalability in two cases: the capability to accommodate (1) multiple missions and (2) complex payload requirements. In the first case, a 3U-size configurable backplane prototype was designed to handle 13 mission payloads. Four CPLDs were used to manage the limited number of digital interfaces between the existing bus system and the mission payloads. The measured transmission delay was up to 20 ns, which is acceptable for simple serial communications such as UART and SPI. Furthermore, the measured energy consumption of the backplane per ISS orbit was only 28 mWh. Lastly, the designed backplane was proven to be highly reliable as no bit errors were detected throughout the functionality tests. In the second case, a configurable backplane was implemented in a 6U CubeSat with complex payload requirements compared to the 1U CubeSat platform. The CubeSat was deployed in ISS orbit, and the initial on-orbit results indicated that the designed backplane supported missions without issues.

Published in Applied Sciences

ISSN: 2076-3417 (Online)
Publisher: MDPI AG
Country of publisher: Switzerland
LCC subjects: Technology: Engineering (General). Civil engineering (General); Science: Biology (General); Science: Physics; Science: Chemistry
Website: http://www.mdpi.com/journal/applsci

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