Canadian Advanced Nanospace eXperiment Program
Encyclopedia
The Canadian Advanced Nanospace eXperiment (CanX) program is the only Canadian nanosatellite program at present. It is operated by the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies
, Space Flight Laboratory (UTIAS/SFL). The program's objectives are to involve graduate students in the process of spaceflight development, and to provide low-cost access to space for scientific research and the testing of nanoscale devices. The CanX projects include CanX-1, CanX-2, the BRIght-star Target Explorer (BRITE), and CanX-4&5.
, Space Flight Laboratory (UTIAS/SFL). The program was established in 2001 by Dr. Robert E. Zee, manager of UTIAS/SFL, and is based on the CubeSat
program started by Stanford University
and California Polytechnic State University
. Its projects include CanX-1, CanX-2, CanX-3 (BRITE), and CanX-4&5.
The program's objectives are to involve graduate students in the process of spacecraft development, and to provide relatively low cost access to space for scientific research and the testing of nanoscale devices in orbital space. In March 2009 CanX-2 completed its first year in orbit.
CanX-1 was completed in 22 months and was launched, along with the Microvariability and Oscillations of STars telescope
, on June 30, 2003 at 14:15 UTC by Eurockot Launch Services
from Plesetsk
, Russia
. It lost contact with Earth after launch.
In each mode, the OBC is always collecting telemetry data from the temperature, voltage, and current sensors present on every solar panel and interior circuit board.2
are switched off. CanX-1 switches into safe-hold mode in any emergency situation, and it stays in this mode until instructed to resume normal operations after any required fixes are implemented. It can also be placed in safe-hold mode by the ground operator whenever it is not performing any missions or experiment for a long period of time.
used for attitude determination and control.
detumbling the satellite to assure that any images taken by CanX-1 are not blurred due to the rotation of the picosatellite. Also, CanX-1 was scheduled to perform active coarse pointing.
In addition to evaluating these technologies, the satellite will also perform experiments for other university researchers across Canada. These experiments include a GPS radio occulation experiment to characterize the upper atmosphere, an atmospheric spectrometer to measure greenhouse gases, and a network communications experiment. It will also carry out several space materials experiments.
CanX-2 was launched on 28 April 2008 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre
(SHAR) as part of the NLS-4
group of satellites, aboard the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle
(PSLV) C-9.
According to the manufacturer of the reaction wheel used on CanX-2, "The wheel has been turned on and spun [and] is performing properly on orbit."
The satellite will be a 20 cm cube which uses a number of technologies qualified on CanX-2.
A preliminary design for BRITE has been completed with the support of ETech, and the components to be integrated into the nanosatellite are currently being evaluated at UTIAS/SFL.
The CanX-4 & 5 launch is planned for 2011 on the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle
(PSLV).
University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies
The University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies is an advanced research facility for aeronautics and aerospace engineering, located in the Downsview district of Toronto, Ontario, Canada...
, Space Flight Laboratory (UTIAS/SFL). The program's objectives are to involve graduate students in the process of spaceflight development, and to provide low-cost access to space for scientific research and the testing of nanoscale devices. The CanX projects include CanX-1, CanX-2, the BRIght-star Target Explorer (BRITE), and CanX-4&5.
The CanX Program
The Canadian Advanced Nanospace eXperiment (CanX) program is the first Canadian nanosatellite program, and the only one of its kind at present. It is operated by teachers and graduate students at the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace StudiesUniversity of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies
The University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies is an advanced research facility for aeronautics and aerospace engineering, located in the Downsview district of Toronto, Ontario, Canada...
, Space Flight Laboratory (UTIAS/SFL). The program was established in 2001 by Dr. Robert E. Zee, manager of UTIAS/SFL, and is based on the CubeSat
CubeSat
A CubeSat is a type of miniaturized satellite for space research that usually has a volume of exactly one liter , has a mass of no more than 1.33 kilograms, and typically uses commercial off-the-shelf electronics components...
program started by Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
and California Polytechnic State University
California Polytechnic State University
California Polytechnic State University, or Cal Poly, is a public university located in San Luis Obispo, California, United States. The university is one of two polytechnic campuses in the 23-member California State University system....
. Its projects include CanX-1, CanX-2, CanX-3 (BRITE), and CanX-4&5.
The program's objectives are to involve graduate students in the process of spacecraft development, and to provide relatively low cost access to space for scientific research and the testing of nanoscale devices in orbital space. In March 2009 CanX-2 completed its first year in orbit.
CanX-1
The Canadian Advanced Nanospace eXperiment 1 (CanX-1) is Canada's first nanosatellite and one of the smallest satellites ever built; it has a mass of under 1 kg, fits in a 10 cm cube, and operates on less than 2 watts.CanX-1 was completed in 22 months and was launched, along with the Microvariability and Oscillations of STars telescope
Microvariability and Oscillations of STars telescope
The Microvariability and Oscillations of STars telescope, better known simply as MOST, is Canada's first and only space telescope. It is also the smallest space telescope in the world...
, on June 30, 2003 at 14:15 UTC by Eurockot Launch Services
Eurockot Launch Services
Eurockot Launch Services GmbH is a commercial spacecraft launch provider and was founded in 1995. Eurockot uses an expendable launch vehicle called the Rockot to place satellites into Low-Earth orbit . Eurockot is jointly owned by EADS Astrium, which holds 51 percent, and by Khrunichev State...
from Plesetsk
Plesetsk
Plesetsk is an urban locality Plesetsk is an urban locality Plesetsk is an urban locality (a work settlement and the administrative center of Plesetsky District, Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia, situated about northeast of Moscow and south of Arkhangelsk. Municipally, it is the administrative...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. It lost contact with Earth after launch.
Operation Modes
The operation modes of CanX-1 are:- Safe-Hold/Sleep
- Detumbling/Torquing
- Payload Active
In each mode, the OBC is always collecting telemetry data from the temperature, voltage, and current sensors present on every solar panel and interior circuit board.2
Safe-Hold
In Safe-Hold mode, the OBC maintains minimum power and the radio is in receive mode. If there is sufficient power available, the radio will transmit a beacon pulse just under once per minute. All payloads, magnetorquers and the magnetometerMagnetometer
A magnetometer is a measuring instrument used to measure the strength or direction of a magnetic field either produced in the laboratory or existing in nature...
are switched off. CanX-1 switches into safe-hold mode in any emergency situation, and it stays in this mode until instructed to resume normal operations after any required fixes are implemented. It can also be placed in safe-hold mode by the ground operator whenever it is not performing any missions or experiment for a long period of time.
Detumbling/Torquing
CanX-1 only switches into the detumbling/torquing mode when it is instructed to do so. It is for reducing the tumbling rate of the nanosatellite so that any images taken are not blurred as a result of CanX-1's motion. This mode can also be used to increase the tumbling rate of CanX-1 so that images can be taken in multiple directions without long delays. It uses maximum power when all three magnetorquers and the magnetometer are on simultaiously, and all payloads are switched off because sufficient power may not be available.Payload Active
Payload Active is the normal operation mode of CanX-1. The picosatellite switches to this mode whenever it is instructed to do so. While in payload active mode all payloads are switched on, and CanX-1 transmits a beacon pulse every minute until it is instructed to send all collected telemetry and images to the ground operators.Payloads and Experimental Subsystems
The CanX-1 mission was intended to demonstrate a highly capable spacecraft, and it incorporates a number of payloads and experimental subsystems.1 These include:- Agilent CMOS Imagers
- Active Magnetic Attitude Control System (ACS)
- GPS Receiver
- ARM7-based On-Board Computer (OBC)
CMOS Imagers
The imager paylod aboard CanX-1 consists of two Agilent CMOS imagers. The color imager in conjunction with a wide-angle lens was intended primarily for taking photographs of Earth, and the monochrome imager in conjunction with a narrow-angle lens was for testing the feasibility of taking star, moon, and horizon pictures which could then beused for attitude determination and control.
Active Magnetic Attitude Control System
CanX-1 had a COTS magnetometer along with three custom-built magnetorquer coil systems as part of the active magnetic attitude control system (ACS). The magnetic ACS is fordetumbling the satellite to assure that any images taken by CanX-1 are not blurred due to the rotation of the picosatellite. Also, CanX-1 was scheduled to perform active coarse pointing.
GPS Receiver
A commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) GPS receiver was also aboard CanX-1. Connected to two antennas for omni-directional coverage, the picosatellite was meant to test the functionality of the GPS receiver in space in order to determine whether the receiver could be used to help determine the orbital position of CanX-1.ARMS7-based On-Board Computer
CanX-1 was launched with a custom designed On-Board Computer (OBC) based on the low-power ARM7 core, which operates on up to 40 MHz. The functionality of this OBC was to be monitored throughout the entire lifetime of CanX-1.CanX-2
The mission of the CanX-2 nanosatellite, weighing 3.5 kilograms, is to evaluate new technologies that will be used on the CanX-4/CanX-5 dual satellite mission in 2009 to demonstrate controlled formation flying in space. It is hoped that this formation flying technology will allow larger missions for high resolution Earth observation and interferometric imaging that can also be used for space astronomy. The technologies to be tested on the CanX-2 nanosatellite included:- A new propulsion system
- Custom radios
- Attitude sensors and actuators
- A commercial GPS receiver
- A nadir-pointed infrared spectrometer for pollution monitoring (ARGUS)
In addition to evaluating these technologies, the satellite will also perform experiments for other university researchers across Canada. These experiments include a GPS radio occulation experiment to characterize the upper atmosphere, an atmospheric spectrometer to measure greenhouse gases, and a network communications experiment. It will also carry out several space materials experiments.
CanX-2 was launched on 28 April 2008 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre
Satish Dhawan Space Centre
The Satish Dhawan Space Centre is the launch centre for the Indian Space Research Organisation . It is located in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, India, north of Chennai in South India. It was originally called Sriharikota High Altitude Range , and was sometime known as Sriharikota Launching Range...
(SHAR) as part of the NLS-4
Nanosatellite Launch System
The Nanosatellite Launch System is a series of satellite launch missions coordinated by the Space Flight Laboratory of the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies...
group of satellites, aboard the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle
Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle
The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle , commonly known by its abbreviation PSLV, is an expendable launch system developed and operated by the Indian Space Research Organisation . It was developed to allow India to launch its Indian Remote Sensing satellites into sun synchronous orbits, a service that...
(PSLV) C-9.
According to the manufacturer of the reaction wheel used on CanX-2, "The wheel has been turned on and spun [and] is performing properly on orbit."
CanX-3
CanX-3, also known as the BRIght-star Target Explorer (BRITE), is a nanosatellite planned to make photometric observations of some of the brightest stars in the sky in order to examine them for variability. These observations should be about ten times more precise than any ground-based observations.The satellite will be a 20 cm cube which uses a number of technologies qualified on CanX-2.
A preliminary design for BRITE has been completed with the support of ETech, and the components to be integrated into the nanosatellite are currently being evaluated at UTIAS/SFL.
CanX-4 & 5
CanX-4 & 5 are a two satellite pair that will be utilized to demonstrate formation flying using nanosatellite scale technology. These two satellites will be launched together, commissioned together, and then separated in orbit. Formations that will be examined include: a circulation of one space craft by the other (termed a projected circular orbit), an orbit where one satellite trails the other (termed an along track orbit), and a maneuver to move from the projected circular to along track formation.The CanX-4 & 5 launch is planned for 2011 on the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle
Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle
The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle , commonly known by its abbreviation PSLV, is an expendable launch system developed and operated by the Indian Space Research Organisation . It was developed to allow India to launch its Indian Remote Sensing satellites into sun synchronous orbits, a service that...
(PSLV).