Advances in Small Satellite Payload Validation: The Environmental Data Collector on INPE’s Multi-Mission Platform

Abstract

The National Institute for Space Research (INPE), through its Small Satellite Division located in São José dos Campos, São Paulo, and the Northeast Space Coordination, based in Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, is responsible for the technological development of the Environmental Data Collector (EDC), designed as a payload for several small satellite missions, including CONASAT, FloripaSat, and BiomeSat. Other satellites, such as those in the CBERS family, will also incorporate the EDC as part of their payload. The primary function of the EDC subsystem is to receive and decode signals transmitted by Data Collection Platforms (DCPs) belonging to the Brazilian Data Collection System (SBCDA) and the Argos-2 system. INPE’s Northeast Spatial Coordination leads the activities related to the design of an EDC compatible with the CubeSat platform, while the Small Satellite Division manages technological satellite missions through multidisciplinary laboratories equipped for the development, integration, and testing of satellites, as well as their reception systems, ground command, and control infrastructure. In this context, several steps are required to validate the EDC payload prior to its launch into space. This process involves laboratory experiments, open-field radio frequency tests, and the use of a specialized system known as the Georeferenced Multi-Mission Platform (MMP), carried by High-Altitude Balloons (HAB). The stratosphere, due to its extreme environmental conditions of temperature, pressure, and radiation, represents a viable and cost-effective environment for the development and testing of space system prototypes. The MMP is responsible for collecting environmental data from scientific and technological experiments and transmitting them to one or more low-cost ground stations. These stations, in turn, perform tracking, telemetry reception, and telecommand transmission. This paper presents the architecture of INPE’s Multi-Mission Platform, developed according to Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) principles. The architecture comprises hardware based on the CubeSat structure and onboard software for platform control. The ground segment, consisting of ground stations and the application segment, is also described. Furthermore, the paper details the integration and testing of ground stations, the execution of laboratory experiments, the validation of radio frequency links in open-field conditions, and the testing activities conducted at INPE’s Integration and Testing Laboratory (LIT), coordinated by multidisciplinary teams. Finally, the results of the MMP launch campaign with the EDC payload from Natal are presented, including the tracking and recovery of the platform. The campaign aims to validate the EDC payload onboard the HAB and decode the data transmitted by the DCPs located near the city of Natal. The lessons learned and contributions to overcoming the challenges associated with the development of the Multi-Mission Platform, as well as to ensuring the successful implementation of the EDC system, are discussed.