Development of a High-Altitude Balloon CubeSat Platform for Small Satellite Education and Research

The Missouri University of Science and Technology Satellite Research Team began its high-altitude balloon program as a high school summer camp in 2014. Since then, a new course has been added to the Aerospace Engineering curriculum, where students fly “BalloonSat” payloads to altitudes of ~100,000 feet. In order to enhance the educational outcomes and enable advanced SmallSat research, the BalloonSat payloads have been redesigned into a CubeSat form-factor payload to replace the previous high SWaP design. As new CubeSat teams may face technical challenges and daunting regulations, the “BalloonCubeSat” concept enables groups to test CubeSat systems and build their programs before attempting a launch to Earth orbit. This approach facilitates more launch opportunities at a reduced cost. The proposed BalloonCubeSat design conforms to the standard 1U CubeSat form factor, and employs an Arduino Uno or Raspberry Pi as the OBC. The payload PCB stack leverages the PC/104 header, and as the program develops it can serve as a platform for COTS component testing and a testbed for advanced mission concepts. It is anticipated that merging BalloonSat and CubeSat programs will increase the educational impact on students by enabling reduced-cost launches and providing an intermediate platform for SmallSat research, testing, and innovation