SamSat-ION Spacecraft

Study of the parameters of the upper ionosphere, the state of the plasma and the Earth's magnetic field along the motion trajectory.

The SamSat-ION nanosatellite is a CubeSat 3U satellite developed, manufactured and tested at the Interuniversity Department of Space Research of Samara University.

The basis for the development of the SamSat-ION nanosatellite is an agreement on the participation of Samara University in a consortium of Russian universities and scientific organizations to create a constellation of nanosatellites in the CubeSat 3U format for studying the ionosphere and magnetosphere of the Earth, signed in 2018. The initiator and organizer of the consortium is Samara University. The consortium included eight universities, the Institute of Physics of the Earth of the Russian Academy of Sciences, JSC Geoscan Technologies, LLC Astronomicon Laboratory, and in 2021 the Geographic Information Systems Unitary Enterprise (Republic of Belarus) joined the consortium. The creation of the consortium was supported by the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Applied Geophysics of Roshydromet.

SamSat-ION is designed to solve the following scientific problems:

• study of the parameters of the upper ionosphere, the state of the plasma and the Earth’s magnetic field along the trajectory of movement;
• study of the dynamics of the motion of a satellite with external structural elements while ensuring three-axis gravitational orientation due to the choice of design parameters (passive stabilization) and magnetic actuators (active stabilization).

SamSat-ION is designed to solve the following technological problems:

• development of technology for high-precision spatial and temporal reference of scientific measurements;
• verification of algorithms for preprocessing and compression of scientific information on board a nanosatellite;
• verification of motion control technology, orientation and stabilization algorithms;
• development of technology for deploying transformable nanosatellite structures;
• flight testing of service systems of the SamSat nanosatellite platform version 2;
• flight testing of the plasma parameters sensor;
• flight testing of the navigation receiver.

Since its launch on June 27, 2023, 2,465 packages of telemetry information have been received from the SamSat-ION nanosatellite (telemetry of the SEP, PrmPrd, on-board digital computer and the measuring system of the small spacecraft).

As a result of flight design tests, it was possible to completethe following tasks:

• the strength characteristics of the power frame of the nanosatellite were confirmed during insertion into orbit and separation from the transport and launch container (TPC): confirmed by video recording of the moment of separation from the TLC ;
• the strength characteristics and operability of the locking devices and remote structural elements of the nanosatellite under space flight conditions were confirmed: confirmed by on-board telemetry and the establishment of radio communication;
• the functionality of the onboard software of the nanosatellite was confirmed (correct reception and execution of telecommands from the control center, correct transmission of telemetry and scientific information): confirmed by onboard telemetry;
• the operational characteristics and correctness of the architectural and circuit solutions of the nanosatellite onboard computer were confirmed (the correct functioning of the ATxmega and LPC4300 microcontrollers, the data storage system, the measuring system and information interfaces in space flight conditions): confirmed by the onboard telemetry;
• confirmed the operational characteristics and correctness of the architectural and circuit solutions of the nanosatellite PrmPrd in space flight conditions (energy reserve of the radio link, stability of the carrier frequency, data transfer rate, correct functioning of ATxmega microcontrollers): confirmed by the on-board telemetry;
• partially confirmed operational characteristics of the nanosatellite power transmission system (stability of power supply channel voltages, correct control of the battery charge-discharge process): confirmed by on-board telemetry - the voltage on the 3.3V power channel was in the range of 3.27-3.29 V, the voltage on the 5V power channel was in the range of 5.16-5.18 V, the voltage on the U channel >was in the range of 15.3-15.6 V, the battery voltage was in the nominal values ​​of 14.6-15.6 V

An unexpected communication loss in August 2023 prevented us from completing all mission objectives. 

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