Navy Education through Amateur Satellite Development

PANSAT will be a low-Earth orbit, free-tumbling satellite providing digital, store-and-forward communication using spread spectrum modulation. The satellite structure is composed of aluminum in a spherical configuration with a diameter of about 19 inches. PANSAT can be launched from a Shuttle Get Away Special (GAS) canister, which provides a typical orbit of 480 km at 28.5o inclination. An average of 6 minutes of communication per pass is possible with this orbit, providing brief communication possibilities throughout the day. The satellite is expected to remain operational for two years. A general user on Earth will be able to connect with the orbiting PANSAT. While connected, the user may send and receive mail that is stored on-board PANSAT, upload and download files, and read spacecraft telemetry. Multiple users will have the capability of communicating with PANSAT during the same window of time over the one physical communication channel. The use of sophisticated protocols allows users to interleave their activities with PANSAT. The NPS ground station will be used to command PANSAT. It will also be used to gather telemetry not destined for the ordinary user, and to command any one of the spacecraft’s subsystems. Furthermore, the NPS ground station will be able to communicate with an on-board experiment module, or future software programs, all of which are still unspecified or not selected. These features give PANSAT the ability to evolve and also correct deficiencies in software.