SOARR

STATISTICS

0 Satellite

Going To Space!

Q4 0

Launch

0 km

Target Altitude

0 Team Members

Contributing to space exploration

THE MISSION

The goal of SOARR is to give students the environment and the opportunity to gather hands-on experience in an interdisciplinary space engineering project, while delivering a real and lasting service to the global amateur radio community.

Bringing Amateur Radio to Space

The satellite receives signals from ground operators on one frequency band and retransmits them on another, allowing two stations far outside each other’s direct range to communicate through a single pass overhead. The relay operates by default and yields only when the satellite requires a command window or power margins are constrained.

Primary objective
Serve the amateur radio community
Deliver an open amateur radio relay service from low Earth orbit, accessible with modest, widely-available ground equipment, no professional station required.

Secondary objective
Train the next generation of space engineers
Demonstrate end-to-end CubeSat mission capability within a student team, from first concept through to in-orbit operations, adhering to space industry standards throughout.

From one satellite program into two projects

SOARR evolved from SAGE, ARIS’s pioneering CubeSat project. As the SAGE project was very ambitious, it has now been split into two independent projects: SOARR and SPARC, with their own teams running side by side.

Both projects inherit the systems engineering foundation and ground segment architecture developed during SAGE, and both represent the satellite pillar within ARIS. SOARR continues the goal of operating a satellite with an amateur radio relay mission, while SPARC focuses on developing the biological payload.

Days until Launch

Days

Hrs

Min

Sec

Architected 90%

Designed 40%

Built 20%

Qualified 10%

SYSTEM OVERVIEW

SOARR follows an adapted version of ESA and NASA’s development lifecycle. As we inherit certain components from SAGE some subsystems are further along than others. The team is currently preparing the functional baseline to finish the complete design by end of the next semester.

credits_2022.10.6.SPFC_(c)Regina Sablotny

SAGE CubeSat Development Model

SUBSYSTEMS

AmPay (Amateur Radio Payload)

The main payload: an in-house developed fully analog radio transponder which receives signals in the Amateur Radio UHF-Band and shifts them to the S-Band before emitting again. It shares the antennas with the COM module, meaning during spacecraft maintenance AmPay is electronically separated, and the signals are redirected into the COM subsystem. AmPay also has digital command decoding and encoding capabilities for limited control capabilities during operation.

ADCS (Attitude Determination and Control System)

The Attitude Determination and Control System (ADCS) is responsible for finding and controlling the current attitude and position of the CubeSat. This is done by using various sensors, such as gyroscopes, magnetometers, and sun sensors, to detect the environment. The information from the sensors is then processed and the actual position and attitude is estimated using our own state estimation software. Using this state, our actuators are then used to point the CubeSat with its antennas for example towards the ground station. We will be using magnetorquers, which use the earth magnetic field and three coils to move the CubeSat. This allows us to change the CubeSats attitude according to our needs.

COM (Communication Subsystem)

Building on work from SatNOGS, the COM subsystem provides the main control uplink and telemetry downlink using the antennas shared with AmPay. At the same time the same microcontroller onboard serves as the onboard computer (OBC) of the entire Satellite. It schedules all subsystem tasks and dictates operating modes, including when to switch between relay mode and command mode, based on available power and the overall health status of the satellite. Whenever an error occurs, the OBC responds accordingly to ensure safe operations, and if execution ever halts completely, a hardware watchdog timer automatically restarts the system and returns it to a safe state. The OBC also serves as the on-board data storage platform, logging system and flight information continuously.

EPS (Electrical Power System)

Four body-mounted solar panels charge a small lithium-ion battery, which carries the satellite through eclipse, the roughly 35 minutes of each 90-minute orbit when SOARR is in Earth’s shadow, and the panels produce no power. A power distribution board watches available energy and switches the relay transmitter off first when reserves run low, restoring it as soon as the panels come back into sunlight. The relay duty cycle, how much of each pass it can actually be on air, is dictated entirely by this energy balance.

STR (Structures)

The aluminium chassis that every other subsystem is bolted to. It must survive launch intact; the vibration and acoustic loads during ascent are severe, and then reliably deploy the antenna booms once in orbit. Antenna deployment is one of the highest-risk moments in the mission: if the antennas fail to extend, the relay never comes online, and the mission is over before it starts. The frame is also machined to the tight dimensional tolerances of the deployer mechanism, so SOARR ejects cleanly at the correct moment.

JOIN

Become part of our journey to space!

Are you interested in space and want to be a part of something bigger? We are looking for talented and motivated students to help us design, build, and launch the small satellite into orbit. You will gain hands-on experience with spaceflight hardware, learn new skills, make valuable business connections, and gain friends for life. What we require from you is 10-15 hours per week as well as motivation and team spirit.

Join now and work with a team of passionate students to realize the development of our CubeSat mission. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work on a real space mission and make a difference in the world of space exploration!

APPLY NOW

THE TEAM

We are SOarr

SOARR is a diverse team consisting of ETH, UZH, HSLU, and ZHAW students from various engineering and science disciplines. What brings us all together is our passion for space and contributing to novel technology for small satellites. We do all of this with a common goal: Launching and operating our very own satellite and thus, inspiring the next generation of aerospace engineers and professionals.

COLLABORATION WITH AMSAT-HB

The amateur radio payload is developed in collaboration with the
Ham Radio Community AMSAT-HB. Our communication engineers are in close contact with its members, who support us with their broad knowledge in our reviews.

Together with AMSAT-HB, SOARR is actively engaged in STEM education. With our in-house developed linear transponder, we want to inspire many young people to get involved with amateur radio. We take part in exhibitions such as the Air and Space Days at the Swiss Museum of Transport in Lucerne or present our project at tech-days in grammar schools.