Tech Briefs Magazine - August 2022 - 56

SPINOFF
Robust Bus Systems for CubeSats
NASA resources helped mature technologies to make CubeSats more capable.
T
his bus doesn't use wheels to
move around, but a CubeSat
can't get anywhere without it. In the
world of small, standardized, inexpensive
satellites, a " bus " refers to
the hardware foundation that provides
it with power, communications,
thermal stability, and other
" services " a payload needs to function.
Whether enabling data transfer
for internet-enabled appliances,
such as thermostats and refrigerators
or tracking weather conditions,
CubeSats continue to mature and
support everyday services.
These technological wonders are
also capable of hosting scientific
payloads. What makes CubeSats attractive
is that they're small enough
to " piggyback on other missions at a
reasonable cost, " said Luis Santos, Chief
Engineer with the Small Satellite Project
Office at NASA's Goddard Space Flight
Center in Greenbelt, MD. " Over the
years, we've been trying to mature technologies
to make CubeSats more capable,
so people can do more with them. "
Irvine, California-based Tyvak Nano-Satellite
Systems, a Terran Orbital
corporation, was developing technology
called Micro-Avionics Multi-Purpose
Platform (MicroAMPP) that could perform
various tasks supporting CubeSat
functionality. During its development,
the company needed to run a flight
test for its use in satellites and other
vehicles and turned to NASA's Tipping
Point funding. In 2016, Tipping Point,
which supports technologies that grow
commercial space capabilities and
benefit future agency missions, funded
terrestrial rocket test flights of the
technology with the agency's Flight Opportunities
program.
" Suborbital flight tests supported by
Flight Opportunities enable technology
developers to more rapidly and cost-effectively
mature their technologies and
demonstrate feasibility, " said Danielle McCulloch,
Deputy Program Manager for
Flight Opportunities at NASA's Armstrong
Flight Research Center in Ed56
and
development of Tyvak's Trestles
bus systems for CubeSats, according
to Marc Bell, CEO of Terran
Orbital. Anyone can purchase a
Trestles bus and add payloads such
as a camera for Earth imaging. The
company also offers services to
build the satellite, launch it, and
manage mission operations.
In the early days of CubeSats, difTrestles
CubeSat technology developed by Tyvak Nano-Satellite
Systems benefited from NASA-funded test flights to create a
platform that successfully integrates any payload such as radar
systems, remote sensing imagers, and more to support everyday
activities on Earth. (Image: Terran Orbital Corporation)
wards, CA. " With this support from NASA,
Tyvak was able to integrate, launch, and
test the MicroAMPP payload on a commercial
sounding rocket provided by UP
Aerospace in less than a year. "
Even though MicroAMPP was never
commercialized, the lessons learned included
improving the integration of circuit
boards and connecting redundant
and diverse external sensors. This approach
was incorporated into the design
ferent companies specialized in developing
various modular components.
The idea was that a bus could
be built to integrate with anything
developed by another company.
But the technology is complicated,
so the hardware didn't always work
together, and the software necessary
to operate a customized system
was difficult to write. Companies
are now adopting a vertical approach,
providing full-service hardware, software,
and even mission resources.
This kind of all-inclusive support is an
evolution that is of interest to NASA for
its improvements to cost, scheduling,
and quality while the mission team can
focus more on the payload development,
according to Santos.
" Nearly all Tyvak modules are manufactured
in-house.
This
integration
Tyvak's CubeSat technology is used by commercial
companies for collecting weather data, Earth imaging,
and more. These less expensive satellites
mean businesses and academic institutions no
longer need to rely on NASA for pictures of Earth,
such as this view of the Mississippi River, tributaries,
and lakes south of Memphis. (Image: NASA)
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methodology acts as a form of risk reduction, "
said Bell. This approach saves customers
time and money, reduces the
amount of documentation required to
hitch a ride on a rocket, and mitigates
potential delays in the supply chain that
can disrupt a scheduled launch.
Numerous companies and government
organizations use the Trestles technology
- now an integral part of the company's
offering - for applications like communications
activities, Earth observation,
and more. Their customers can count on
the successful integration of hardware
such as radar systems, remote sensing imagers,
telescopes, and technology demonstrations
due in part to NASA's support of
the bus development, according to Bell.
For more information, visit https://
spinoff.nasa.gov/CubeSats-Take-a-Businto-Space.
Tech
Briefs, August 2022
Spinoff is NASA's annual publication featuring
successfully commercialized NASA technology. This
commercialization has contributed to the development
of products and services in the fields of health and
medicine, consumer goods, transportation, public safety,
computer technology, and environmental resources.
https://spinoff.nasa.gov/CubeSats-Take-a-Bus-into-Space http://www.techbriefs.com
Tech Briefs Magazine - August 2022

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