Analysis of Telemetry, Tracking and Command Requirements, and Design of On-Board Data Handling Software for a Multi-mission Microsatellite

This work reports the main aspects analyzed for effective design of the telemetry, tracking and command (TT&C) subsystem of a university microsatellite for remote sensing applications, currently being developed by the Second University of Naples, Italy, and the University of Naples “Federico II", Italy. Hardware configuration of the selected on-board sensors and telecommunication and data handling subsystems is presented, together with link budgets to assess performance and robustness of the radio link to and from the ground station. After a critical analysis of the telemetry and telecommand standards issued by the European Space Agency (ESA), an in-depth view of the kernel software, written in OCCAM, for on-board data handling and proper formatting of the data packets by means of a transputer-based subsystem is presented, outlining the main procedures required to support the spacecraft integration activities.