Over the past few years, the number of CubeSats has been steadily growing, allowing them to be used successfully for many innovative and complex missions requiring much larger satellites. As a result, the space sector has seen a breakthrough in efficiency while reducing costs for designing, testing, and integrating these devices. In collaboration with Istanbul Technical University (ITU) and Sabanci University (SU), the Sharjah Academy for Astronomy, Space Sciences, and Technology (SAASST) has developed Sharjah-Sat-1, the first CubeSat mission of the University of Sharjah. This 3U+ CubeSat was launched on January 3, 2023, with two payloads on board. In addition, Sharjah-Sat-1 is dedicated to building the capacities of SAASST and exposing the students of the University of Sharjah to the world of space technology through a space engineering program. This paper will provide an overview of the dual camera system and a description of the tests conducted to ensure mission success. Following this, we will discuss in more detail how the images and data obtained from the camera were used to study the terrain in that region.
The space sector's rapid growth, coupled with increased accessibility to space, has led to the popularity of miniaturized satellites known as CubeSats. These cost-effective and agile nanosatellites have gained international recognition in government, education, and private sectors. CubeSats, standardized at 10 cm x 10 cm x 10 cm, come in various sizes (1U, 2U, 3U, and 6U) and are preferred by the GIS/RS community for earth observation capabilities. Sharjah Academy for Astronomy, Space Science and Technology (SAASST) in the UAE has established a CubeSat laboratory, launched the Sharjah-Sat-1 (3U+) and now embarking on the Sharjah-Sat-2 mission. Sharjah-Sat-2 is a 6U CubeSat equipped with an advanced high-definition hyperspectral camera, Hyperscape100, to enhance infrastructure projects and establish an early warning system for environmental phenomena. This paper will discuss advancements in spaceborne hyperspectral imagers, compare nanosatellites to larger satellites, highlight the Sharjah-Sat-2 project, and explore its positive impact on the GIS/RS community.
Sharjah-Sat-2 is a 6U Earth Observation (EO) CubeSat currently being developed by the Sharjah Academy for Astronomy, Space Sciences, and Technology (SAASST) and The University of Sharjah (UoS). The 6U CubeSat design is currently being Designed and Integrated with two payloads on board: (1) a High-Resolution Hyperspectral Imager with less than 5 Meters of Ground Sampling distance (GSD) and (2) an experiential payload consisting of a GNSS receiver. The mission’s primary scientific objective is to capture High-Resolution Hyperspectral images of the United Arab Emirates to provide a constant stream of reliable data that will be utilized to improve the country’s infrastructure and resource management. The secondary mission objective is to monitor and validate the integrity of GNSS signals. This paper will provide insight into the preliminary mission design of the Sharjah-Sat-2 Microsatellite, highlighting the mission’s payload, orbit determination, and coverage study.
Sharjah-Sat-1 is currently being developed as a collaborative research project between the Sharjah Academy for Astronomy, Space Sciences, and Technology (SAASST), the University of Sharjah, Istanbul Technical University, and Sabanci University. A 3U CubeSat design has been adopted with a dual payload onboard: (i) the improved X-ray Detector (iXRD) and (ii) a system of two optical cameras. The mission's primary scientific target is the observation of bright, hard X-ray sources in our Galaxy and the solar coronal holes. The paper discusses a high-level design, testing, and validation of the mission's primary science payload. The iXRD (Improved X-ray Detector) is equipped with a pixelated CdZnTe-based crystal as the active detection material and a Tungsten collimator with a field of view of 4.26 degrees. The detection range is from 20 to 200 keV with a target spectral resolution of 6 keV at 60 keV. The paper will cover a high-level design of the iXRD, environmental testing performed on the detector such as thermal-vacuum and vibration testing, anSharjah-Sat-1 is currently being developed as a collaborative research project between the Sharjah Academy for Astronomy, Space Sciences, and Technology (SAASST), the University of Sharjah, Istanbul Technical University, and Sabanci University. A 3U CubeSat design has been adopted with a dual payload onboard: (i) the improved X-ray Detector (iXRD) and (ii) a system of two optical cameras. The mission's primary scientific target is the observation of bright, hard X-ray sources in our Galaxy and the solar coronal holes. The paper discusses a high-level design, testing, and validation of the mission's primary science payload. The iXRD (Improved X-ray Detector) is equipped with a pixelated CdZnTe-based crystal as the active detection material and a Tungsten collimator with a field of view of 4.26 degrees. The detection range is from 20 to 200 keV with a target spectral resolution of 6 keV at 60 keV. The paper will cover a high-level design of the iXRD, environmental testing performed on the detector such as thermal-vacuum and vibration testing, and calibrating the detector.
Many components of our STELLA telescopes located on Tenerife, which were built by Halfmann in the 2000s have reached the end of their life with no replacement parts available. A solution was necessary to guarantee continuous operation and support for the next ten years. The prerequisite for the retrofit, however, was that the mechanical components remain largely untouched in order to simplify the upgrade. We decided to remove all the existing electronics in the main control cabinet. In order to avoid electronic interference in the scientific instruments, we took several precautions. This included an isolating transformer, line filters and power chokes for the servo drivers. All of the control electronics as well as the sensory inputs is now handled by Beckhoff components. A Beckhoff PLC CX5140 is the new ”electronic brain” replacing a Linux computer running the telescope control firmware. The new telescope control firmware written in TwinCAT3 is available as open source. MQTT messages are used to command the telescope and report sensor values and position information. Sensor measurements and the state of the telescope are logged in an Influx∗-database and visualized using Grafana†. Future enhancements include an improved guiding of the telescope using machine vision and a GigE camera in a closed loop on the PLC.
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