Mechanical and Embedded Systems Design for Generic Nanosatellite Bus Spacecraft

The adaptation of the University of Toronto Space Flight Laboratory Generic Nanosatellite Bus (GNB) mechanical design to Earth-observation and communications applications is investigated. The ability of this bus to expand the capabilities of low-cost nanosatellites by accommodating large pre-deployed payload appendages, such as antennas, is demonstrated. In addition, the operational architecture of a cold-gas nanosatellite propulsion system, enabling small satellite constellations and formation flying, is described. Component testing of this system has validated compliance with subsystem requirements. Lastly, the design and development of a multi-mission embedded systems generic firmware is described. This firmware consolidates common and critical software functionality, greatly reducing both the risk and cost of developing software for new embedded systems. The firmware has been designed for a distributed-node microcontroller bus architecture in general, and the Nanosatellite for Earth Monitoring and Observation (NEMO) bus and Generic Nanosatellite Bus in particular.M.A.S