Smallsat Resources
Need help with designing and testing a Smallsat?
Check out the links below for several valuable resources.
Wallops Flight Facility Intergration and Testing Customer Handbook
NASA Wallops Integration and Test Capabilities. For more information contact Scott Schaire at NASA at scott.h.schaire@nasa.gov
Virginia Ground Station Network
Read more on Virginia Tech’s Ground Station Services. For more information contact Jonathan Black at Virginia Tech at jonathan.black@vt.edu
DISCOTech - Smallsat Mission Analysis Tool
DISCOTech is a modular and highly customizable Variable-Length Genetic Algorithm that interfaces with Model-Based Systems Engineering tools to solve complex engineering challenges. DISCOTech pinpoints cost-effective solutions and maps out the tradespace to give users informed decision-making power. It produces solution for all phases of the mission lifetime, including constellation design, launch and mission execution. Open Data Cube data can be incorporated into DISCOTech objectives or models for data-driven designs, and the solutions can be published to the ODC for further analysis and future use. For more information contact Jonathan Black at Virginia Tech at jonathan.black@vt.edu
Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets Publication
Check out Virginia Tech’s paper on Genetic-Algorithm-Based Design for Rideshare and Heterogeneous Constellations
CubeSat Development Flowchart
A guide for CubeSat Developers. For more information contact Jonathan Black at Virginia Tech at jonathan.black@vt.edu
Universal CubeSat Chassis for Experimenters
The UtProSat-X is a Virginia Tech bus for SmallSats. Its current version comprises a modular structure and an onboard computer. This bus leverages flight heritage from multiple VT CubeSat missions throughout the last five years, and it is an ongoing development. Future versions of this bus will incorporate a VT-GPS module, a VT-UHF deployable antenna, and other components. For more information contact Jonathan Black at Virginia Tech at jonathan.black@vt.edu
American Astronomical Society
Read more on the Design of a Resilient Rideshare-Based Small Satellite Constellation Using a Genetic Algorithm