Level of Education of Students Involved

Undergraduate

Faculty Sponsor

Dan White

College

College of Engineering (COE)

Presentation Type

Poster Presentation

Symposium Date

Spring 4-30-2026

Abstract

The BCON-2 mission is a collaboration between Valparaiso University and NearSpace education to design and develop a 0.5U ThinSat. The mission serves as a research platform for autonomous bulk data downlinking in low earth orbit (LEO). In collaboration with the University of Luxembourg, BCON-2 is hosting the Space Systems Engineering (SpaSys) group’s Attitude Determination and Control System (ADCS) for its first on-orbit demonstration. The ADCS system has X, Y, and Z magnetorquer coils embedded in PCB boards.

Pre-flight activities emphasized subsystem integration and software validation via an emulator. A vital part of the readiness process involved extensive testing with the Engineering Model (EM) to validate firmware stability and ensure the satellite communicates as intended. To support these operations, students developed  the ground control systems used for satellite interrogation. This includes defining the uplink command set and the specific structure of downlink packets. By categorizing packets, from health beacons to payload data, the team ensured efficient decoding of satellite state-of-health and ADCS performance.

A critical milestone in pre-operations involved brief ground access provided by NearSpace Launch (NSL). This access allowed the team to validate real-time communication and command processing; resulting actions included refined transceiver tuning and updated onboard scheduling logic to ensure reliable data recovery. By optimizing link budgets and maintaining signal integrity, the development of this infrastructure ensures that students gain hands-on experience in RF communications. The lessons learned from BCON-2 continue to shape a sustainable satellite initiative by fostering skills in problem-solving and interdisciplinary collaboration.

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