Assembly, Integration, and Verification Activities for a 2U CubeSat, EIRSAT-1

TL;DR

This paper details the assembly, integration, and verification processes of the EIRSAT-1 2U CubeSat, including model development, testing phases, and payload integration, supporting Ireland's first satellite project by students at University College Dublin.

Contribution

It presents a comprehensive plan and execution of assembly, integration, and verification activities for a student-developed CubeSat, including model philosophy and testing procedures.

Findings

Successful assembly of the Engineering Qualification Model (EQM).

Completion of ambient functional and mission testing phases.

Implementation of a prototype approach with multiple models for validation.

Abstract

The Educational Irish Research Satellite, EIRSAT-1, is a project developed by students at University College Dublin that aims to design, build, and launch Ireland's first satellite. EIRSAT-1 is a 2U CubeSat incorporating three novel payloads; GMOD, a gamma-ray detector, EMOD, a thermal coating management experiment, and WBC, a novel attitude control algorithm. The EIRSAT-1 project is carried out with the support of the Education Office of the European Space Agency, under the educational Fly your Satellite! programme. The Assembly, Integration and Verification plan for EIRSAT-1 is central to the philosophy and the development of the spacecraft. The model philosophy employed for the project is known as the 'prototype' approach in which two models of the spacecraft are assembled; an Engineering Qualification Model (EQM) and a Flight Model (FM). The payloads, GMOD and EMOD, and the Antenna Deployment Module (ADM) platform element warrant a Development Model in addition to an EQM and a FM, as they have been designed and developed in-house. After successful completion of the Critical Design Review and Ambient Test Readiness Review phases of the project, the EQM of EIRSAT-1 will be assembled and integrated. After assembly and integration of the EQM, the project will begin the ambient test campaign, in which the EQM undergoes ambient functional and mission testing. This work details the preparation and execution of the assembly, integration, and verification activities of EIRSAT-1 EQM.