Preliminary digital control system design for the Petite Amateur Navy Satellite (PANSAT)

Abstract

The Petite Amateur Navy Satellite (PANSAT) project was initiated to demonstrate the feasibility of a quick reaction, low-cost communications satellite incorporating digital communications and a store and forward memory area for the use of amateur radio operators interested in spread spectrum and packet communications. Designed to operate autonomously and under the guidance of a ground station located at the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) in Monterey, California, it requires a reliable Digital Control System (DCS) to control operations white processing communications and telemetry. This thesis deals with a preliminary hardware design for the DCS and related subsystems. In addition to the design process, individual components were selected which were deemed suitable for the space environment while operating under project constraints of limited power and a desire to create a system using off-the-shelf devices capable of handling temperature and physical constraints equivalent to MIL-STD- 883. Reliability, redundancy, and flexibility were requirements of the DCS design