CANSAT MISSION: DESIGN, IMPLEMENTATION, AND REAL-TIME DATA COMMUNICATION FOR CONTROLLED DESCENT

Mendez C.C.; Valentin E.H.; Gomez J.A.A.; Palomino S.C.; Antaurco P.P.; Gabriel M.R. · Proceedings of the International Astronautical Congress, IAC (2025) · DOI: 10.52202/083098-0035

Resumen

CanSats are low-cost educational platforms that simulate the basic functions of a real satellite. They are commonly used to collect and transmit atmospheric data or to achieve specific objectives in simulated space missions. This article focuses on the design of a CanSat following the guidelines provided by the Worldcup CanSat 2025 organized by UNAM. The design includes basic satellite functions, such as environmental data collection and real-time telemetry. The CanSat structure is made of ash and white oak wood, with compact dimensions suitable for its mission. The control system, based on an Arduino Nano as a flight computer, integrates altitude, temperature, pressure, acceleration, and gyroscope data sensors, along with a GPS module for location tracking. A transceiver is used for data acquisition, communication, and transmission to the ground station. In addition, a damping system was implemented to protect the payload, which includes an egg, a water container, and a packet of seeds The integrity of the payload is ensured by an autogyro system during the landing of the CanSats after they are launched from a drone at an altitude of 400 meters. At the ground station, the data sent by CanSat will be displayed on a dynamic graphical interface, allowing users to switch between time-dependent and altitude-dependent graphs. This facilitates data analysis during the descent of the CanSats. This work demonstrates the implementation of CanSat missions, highlighting the importance of subsystem integration for mission success. It also analyzes lessons learned and recommends for future missions, showcasing the potential of CanSats as educational and research tools. Copyright

Instituciones: Universidad Nacional de Ingeniería