FSSCat

The FSSCat mission consists of two federated 6-Unit CubeSats, named ³Cat-5/A and ³Cat-5/B, supporting the Copernicus Land and Marine Environment services. As the fifth generation of the ³Cat series developed by the NanoSat Lab, these satellites aim to demonstrate advanced capabilities in Earth observation and satellite federations.

Mission Details

Mission Overview

The mission features:

• Dual microwave payload: GNSS-Reflectometer and L-band radiometer with interference detection/mitigation.
• Multi-spectral optical payload: Measures soil moisture, ice extent, ice thickness, and detects melting ponds over ice.
• Technology demonstrators:
  • Optical Inter-Satellite Link (OISL)
  • Federated Satellite System (FSS)

FSSCat was the winner of the 2017 Copernicus Master ESA Small Satellite Challenge S³ and the Overall Winner.

The NanoSat Lab developed the FMPL-2 and FSSExp payloads for this mission, described below.

Flexible Microwave Payload - Version 2 (FMPL-2)

The FMPL-2 integrates a GNSS-Reflectometer and an L-band Radiometer into a single Software Defined Radio (SDR) instrument. This payload enables:

• Sea-ice detection and thickness monitoring
• Water pond detection on ice
• Low-resolution soil moisture measurements
• High-resolution soil moisture when combined with HyperScout observables

FMPL-2 Components

1. Radio Frequency (RF) Front-End Module: Signal conditioning and calibration for the radiometer and amplifiers.
2. Interface Board Module: Unifies interfaces, defines communication/supply buses, and provides mechanical support for the GNSS receiver.
3. NanoSDR Module: Includes FPGA and ADC for signal processing and scientific data generation.

Federated Satellite System Experiment (FSSExp)

The FSSExp demonstrates the feasibility of Federated Satellite Systems (FSS), enabling satellites to share unused resources such as:

• Memory capacity
• Downlink opportunities

One satellite with available downlink contact can act as a service provider, allowing another satellite to transmit data. This win-win collaboration demonstrates the potential of satellite federations.

FSSExp Components

1. Software Component: Algorithms and code for federation deployment, hosted on a system developed by Golbriak Space.
2. RF Module: UHF communications module providing an Inter-Satellite Link (ISL) with:
   • 30% packet error rate
   • 9.6 kbps data rate
   • Maximum range of 1000 km