SPACE HAUC: An undergraduate CubeSat mission to demonstrate high bandwidth communication using a X-Band phased-array system

We describe SPACE HAUC (Science Program Around Communication Engineering with High Achieving Undergraduate Cadres), a 3U CubeSat project selected by NASA for flight in 2020. It is part of the NASA Undergraduate Student Instrumentation Program (USIP), that is designed to provide hands-on training in spaceflight missions to multidisciplinary teams of undergraduate students with a goal of developing future space explorers.

SPACE HAUC will demonstrate high rate data transmission (up to 100 Mbps) which is essential for imaging applications that dominate nanosatellite missions. It operates in the X-band (7.2 - 8.3 GHz) and uses a 16 element (4 X 4) patch antenna array. The phased array will create a 25°(FWHM) beam and will also demonstrate beam steering over ± 45°with less than 5°error.

The X-Band communication system consists of Commercial off-the-self (COTS) transceiver and student-designed patch antennae array, RF Front-end for signal processing and a beam steering system. The entire communication module occupies a 1.5U volume and weight less than 1 Kg. Its transmitter and receiver consume approximately 9W power each; its radiated power is 1.6 W with a receiver sensitivity of -115 dBm.

If successful, SPACE HAUC will introduce an important new tool to the CubeSat community developed by undergraduate students.