Design and Development of Ground Segment Software and Hardware for Nanosatellie Space Missions

Contributions to two nanosatellite missions are discussed. First, the design and development of a test system for an advanced nanosatellite power board is discussed. Details of software and hardware design process involved in the implementation of automated test procedures are presented. The system has been deployed for unit-level testing of power boards for several nanosatellite missions, significantly reducing testing cost and time. Next, a Mission Planning and Scheduling Software platform is proposed for Earth Observation missions. The motivation is described for the development of a stand-alone application enabling satellite operations teams to identify suitable observation scenario parameters. Attitude and orbital trajectory estimation algorithms constituting the computational model are integrated and implemented within a graphical visualization environment to allow interaction with the user in an efficient and intuitive manner. Key results of major component-level testing are presented, showing the behaviour and accuracy of analytical components satisfy mission requirements.MAS