0.5U portion of Magneto that housed carbon fiber booms (blue).
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Cube Satellite: "Magneto"
Cube Satellite: "Magneto"
2019-2020
PURPOSE
To use low-cost COTS sensors to measure the Earth's magnetic field in LEO; to demonstrate utility of small and cheap doesn't mean inaccurate.
Terminology & Definitions
Terminology & Definitions
LEO - Low-Earth Orbit
COTS - Commercial Off-The-Shelf
Bus - the main body of a satellite. The bus holds the payload and sensors.
GPS - Global Positioning System.
Doppler Effect - the change in frequency of a wave in relation to an observer who is moving relative to the source of the wave.
WHAT DOES IT DO?
Magneto is a nanosatellite that measures 1.5U (1U is equal to 10x10x10 cm) that was constructed entirely by students at USC's Space Engineering Research Center, which is a part of the Information Sciences Institute. Our team aimed to measure the Earth's magnetic field using Magneto and compare the data collected to data collected from a more sophisticated spacecraft. If our data proved to be accurate, we could then work towards making space research and exploration more accessible to those with few resources.
A CAD model of the bus.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
Magneto was designed to be able to collect data without a GPS or a star tracker. Instead, Magneto was intended to determine its position from the USC ground-station by finding the closest time of approach using the Doppler effect. After multiple passes, the position of the satellite could be calculated within a few kilometers.
Our project sourced position data from a network of ground stations provided by an amateur radio community. This allowed for global coverage of readings.
Global coverage of readings.
RESULTS
Due to COVID-19, we were unable to launch Magneto as expected. However, our work can continue to be referenced by other research teams seeking to explore space with low-cost methods and sensors.
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