| Univ. NICE Prof. F. Millour, G. Metris, L. Rolland, L. Del’Ece, S. Ottogali, Th. Viard | Build a Nanosatellite! (S3, elective, 6 ECTS) – renamed “Space mission 1: Building a small satellite!” from A.Y. 2024/2025 |
| Learning Outcomes: | Today, it is possible to test and validate scientific ideas and new technologies in space on small timescales (less than 5 years). This can be done aboard tiny satellites called “cubesat”. These are standardized satellite platforms made of cubes of 10 cm side and 1W of available electrical power (1U format). Several cubes can be combined (2U, 3U, etc.). Such a platform enables motivated students to learn on a hands-on project the technologies, project management, and all the space-related competences. The Nice university is working on a space mission called “Nice cube”. It will have two goals, one scientific goal of characterizing the atmosphere’s disturbances on an optical satellite-to-ground link, and one technology of demonstrating the ability to transmit the scientific data with an optical link between the satellite and the ground. In this context, the students will learn more about all the subsystems of a satellite mission (ground and space segments) through dedicated courses, and will have the opportunity to participate in one aspect of the Nice Cube mission, in the form of a mini project. A small satellite named Hipparcos has been a succès in Astrometry and in this course we shall describe it from its conception to its launch. That will give a concrete example of the realization of a satellite. |
| Knowledge and Understanding: | Learn the basics of some of the aspects you need to be aware of when pre-designing a satellite mission, with the specifics of smallsats. This course will give you both theoretical support and hands-on a small aspect of satellite mission dimensioning. |
| Applying Knowledge and Understanding: | After this course, you will know better about satellite dynamics, attitude determination and control, project management, positioning systems, and free space optical communications. |
| Prerequisites | You’ll need to like physics and mathematics! Indeed, space dynamics and problems are far from being intuitive. You’ll need to rethink many things you usually consider normal (everything related to gravity, being the “up” and “down” considerations, for example). |
| Program | The course is divided in several aspects related to smallsats, that should be known when considering to build an actual satellite. There is typically one week of courses, articles reading, and one month small project. project management space dynamics positioning systems (GNSS) attitude determination and control free space optical communications mission design The Hipparcos satellite od Astrometry |
| Description of how the course is conducted | The course contains a week of courses, an article-reading exercise and a hands-on project on a space mission aspect. |
| Description of the didactic methods | Powerpoint |
| Description of the evaluation methods | The evaluation is made in three steps: the articles reading exercise is evaluated at the end of the week, with a written report (articles summaries) and an oral presentation of the articles. Then, the mini-project is evaluated during its course, with an intermediate report and a final report that are evaluated. |
| Adopted Textbooks | The course is based on several textbooks: « Optical wireless communications » Murat Uysal & co., Springer « Optique sans fil » Olivier Bouchet & co., Hermes science « L’observation en astrophysique » P. Léna, EDP sciences « Space mission Engineering: the New SMAD» J. R. Wertz, Space Tech. Library |
| Recommended readings | See above |
