CanX-2
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The CanX-2 Mission is the second nanosatellite within the Canadian Advanced Nanospace eXpermiment (CanX) program at the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies, Space Flight Laboratory (UTIAS/SFL). CanX nanospacecraft push the envelope of what can be achieved in space with small, low-power devices. With a focus on aggressive experimentation, CanX missions use the latest commercial technologies and manage moderate risks in exchange for low cost and quick turnaround.
[edit] System Overview
Structure : The aluminum 6061-T6 structure consists of six structural solar panels and a tray, to which most large internal components and payloads are mounted.
Thermal : Due to the harsh environment of space the spacecraft can experience extreme temperatures due to extreme sunlight and shade. With the use of mainly passive thermal control measures and prudent material selection, the incident fluxes are limited to ensure a suitable operating temperature range.
Power : Satellite power is provided by 22 triple junction gallium-arsenide solar cells using a direct energy transfer (DET) method.
On-Board Computer : The CanX 2 on-board computers (main and payload) were developed at SFL and each uses an ARM7 processor running at 15 MHz with 2 MB of SRAM equipped with triple-voting error detection and correction (EDAC), 6 MB without EDAC protection, for running spacecraft software. Each computer also contains 16 MB of Flash for storage of telemetry, science data, images and pre-positioned code.
Communications : The nominal communication system flown on CanX-2 is a full-duplex system which uses a UHF transceiver operating in an amateur frequency for the uplink and a S-Band transmitter for the downlink.
Attitude Determination : Attitude determination with an accuracy of ±1º is achieved using a suite of SFL-developed sun sensors, supplemented by a SFL-developed three-axis magnetometer deployed approximately 20 cm from the satellite on the end of a boom.
Nano-Propulsion System : The nanosatellite propulsion system (NANOPS) is a liquid-fuelled cold gas system using sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) as a propellant.
[edit] CanX-2 Payload
CanX-2 includes an extensive suite of engineering and science payloads.
These payloads consist of the following :
- A three-axis momentum bias coarse pointing attitude control system
- A Nanosatellite Propulsion experiment
- A high-data-rate S-Band transmitter
- Two CMOS imagers (colour and monochrome)
- A GPS receiver for radio occultation studies
- An Atmospheric Spectrometer
- A Surface Materials experiment
