Improving Throughput of CubeSats Through Variable Power Modulation

Abstract

Increasing the data throughput of CubeSats is essential to any mission, as a CubeSat without the capability of downloading the data fully to earth could result in the loss of major and useful information for the success of the mission. This study presents a framework that provide an increase in the data throughput without the need of any complex algorithms or customized components. Instead, varying the transmission power of the transmitter employed in the CubeSat, allowing starting communication in elevation angles below 10 degrees, which therefore increases the duration of the pass. Variable Power Modulation (VPM) resulted in increasing the data throughput of a normal 1U CubeSat by approximately 43%, and in conjunction with Variable Coding and modulation, the CubeSat was able to download up to 12.5 GB worth of data within the duration of one month. The study concluded, that VPM can indeed increase the data throughput of a CubeSat, however, it is dependent on the power availability and comes at cost of link reliability. Thus, it is important for the developers to consider such constraints upon applying the framework suggested.

Date of Award	May 2021
Original language	American English