Suborbital Mission #1
This page is the hub for all things involving the suborbital mission.
The final system will have three parts – a high-altitude balloon (HAB) filled with helium, a parachute, and the flatsat payload.
The concept of operations for this mission has 5 stages. Stage 1 is the assembly and release of the balloon-payload system. Stage 2 is the ascent of the system. During ascent, the system will demonstrate functional ADCS. This will be verified through communications to the ground stations. Stage 3 initiates descent. At around 80,000 feet of altitude, the payload will be released, and the parachute will deploy. Stage 4 is the descent of the system. Once the payload lands on the ground, stage 5 will begin, and data from the mobile ground station will be used to retrieve the system.
The flatsat payload will be contained in a protective box, the payload box, and will consist of 5 major subsystems:
1. The cameras, which act as the “payload” of this flatsat.
2. The power system, which will supply power to each subsystem with onboard batteries.
3. The Attitude Determination and Control System (ADCS), which will measure and adjust the orientation of the satellite about the vertical axis.
4. The communications subsystem, which will transmit and receive signals to and from the ground stations.
5. The flight computer, which will handle all data and commands that goes through the flatsat.
Additionally, two ground stations will be utilized for this mission. One of these stations will be mobile and will help us recover the payload after it falls to the ground in real time. This will be realized with a handheld radio that will display all data on a laptop. The other station will be the RHIT ground station supported by SEDS USA and will receive all information transmitted from the flatsat system.
The criteria by which this mission abides are split up into minimum requirements and ideal requirements. Minimum requirements are those which MUST be accomplished for the mission to be considered a success. Ideal requirements are those which are preferred of the system, but not necessary to consider the mission a success. See them in the respective page.