unisat

CanSat Standard — Operations Guide

Profile key: cansat_standard · Mass cap: 500 g · Volume: 290 cm³ Template: mission_templates/cansat_standard.json · BOM: hardware/bom/by_form_factor/cansat_standard.csv

🇺🇿 Targeting UzCanSat 2026? This generic profile runs at 10 Hz telemetry and leaves the buzzer / camera settings default. The UzCanSat rulebook pins specific values for telemetry cadence, the post-landing locator, and camera specs — use the cansat_uzcansat.json preset instead, and see missions/cansat_radiation/UZCANSAT_COMPLIANCE.md for clause-by-clause traceability.

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1. Mission class

Full-stack CanSat for ESERO / national rulebooks. Adds GNSS, a small camera, and a payload-sensor channel on top of the minimal profile. Baseline for teams targeting the European CanSat Competition and similar events.

2. Physical envelope

Parameter	Value
Mass (with 20 % margin)	≤ 500 g
Outer diameter	68 mm (ESERO standard)
Inner (usable) dia.	64 mm
Height	80 mm
Internal volume	257 cm³ (cylinder interior)
Nominal consumption	1.0 W
Battery	2× 14500 Li-ion, ~2.5 Wh

3. Regulatory context

• ESERO CanSat 2024 rulebook §2 — mass, dimensions, descent rate 6–11 m/s, parachute deployment at ≥ 300 m AGL.
• Radio: UHF 433 MHz with ≤ 250 mW transmit power. Verify regional allocation before picking a frequency (e.g. EU licence-exempt 433.05–434.79 MHz / 10 mW ERP).
• Airspace: launch vehicle registered with the national aviation authority; CanSat itself has no separate licensing.

4. Subsystem matrix

Subsystem	Required	Allowed	Forbidden
OBC	✅
EPS	✅
IMU (ICM-20948)	✅
Barometer (BMP388)	✅
GNSS (u-blox MAX-M10S)	✅
UHF telemetry	✅
Descent controller	✅	parachute eject + altimeter
Camera (low-res)		✅ (5 MP)
Payload sensors		✅
ADCS			❌
S-band			❌

5. Build

make target-cansat-standard

Compile-time macro: MISSION_PROFILE_CANSAT_STANDARD=1.

6. Mission config

cp mission_templates/cansat_standard.json mission_config.json

Fields to review:

• mission.competition.descent_rate_range_m_s — adjust to match your event’s rulebook (ESERO: [6.0, 11.0]).
• mission.competition.min_telemetry_samples — ESERO requires ≥ 100 usable samples during the flight.
• subsystems.descent_controller.mode — single_deploy or dual_deploy depending on rulebook.
• subsystems.camera — set enabled: false if disqualification rules forbid imagery.
• ground_station.antenna — configure a yagi / moxon orientation for the launch site.

7. Mass & volume validation

With the default subsystem set:

Metric	Value	Status
Total mass	0.408 kg	≤ 0.50 kg ✅
20 % margin	0.068 kg	included
Total volume	155 cm³	≤ 290 cm³ ✅
Utilization	53 %	healthy

Adding a 12 MP camera will push mass to ~460 g — still valid with 7 % margin. Adding reaction wheels will be refused by the form- factor gate (AdcsTier.NONE only).

8. Typical mission phases

pre_launch → launch_detect → ascent → apogee → descent → landed

Phase transitions match the minimal profile. Additional duties per phase:

Phase	Extra module activity
pre_launch	GNSS fix acquired & logged
ascent	Camera begins recording at 5 fps
apogee	Parachute eject + log peak altitude
descent	Verify descent rate inside 6–11 m/s window
landed	GNSS position downlinked for recovery

9. Testing checklist (bench)

Legend: [x] = verified in software / CI / SITL (passes in the current release); [ ] = requires bench hardware, RF range test, or flight-day field activity — team must sign off manually.

• Green ./scripts/verify.sh.
• Telemetry link closes at worst-case launch-site distance (≥ 2 km with yagi).
• GNSS cold-start ≤ 45 s indoors with an active antenna, ≤ 90 s outdoors on battery.
• Parachute eject mechanism fires within 50 ms of apogee detection (SITL).
• Descent rate stays inside [6, 11] m/s in a 1 : 10 drop test from a tower or UAV.
• Camera records ≥ 1 minute of 5 fps video without frame drops.
• On-board CSV logger writes at 10 Hz for 15 minutes without loss.
• HMAC key rotation check: KeyRotationPolicy.check_before_send() returns ok.

10. Flight-day checklist

• Battery > 95 % charged.
• mission_config.json flashed and verified over UART.
• Launch-pad UHF channel clear of interference (scan with SDR).
• Camera SD card formatted, ≥ 2 GB free.
• GNSS antenna patch cable seated.
• Parachute folded per procedure; restraint wire intact.
• Team confirms redundancy on key generation tracking (see §11 of the security guide).

11. Known limitations

• No attitude control: descent orientation is gravity-and-chute only. Expect spin at 0.5–2 Hz.
• GNSS outage during ascent: antenna is shadowed by the ejection mechanism while the chute is folded. Fix typically re-acquired within 10 s of deployment.
• Single UHF radio: any RF failure ends telemetry. Ground team must record local sensor logs as a secondary data source.

12. Post-flight debrief

Capture:

1. Ground capture (AX.25 PCAP format).
2. On-board CSV log + camera SD card.
3. Descent-rate plot derived from barometer + IMU.
4. GNSS ground track.

Analyse against rulebook thresholds:

• ≥ 100 usable samples (ESERO);
• descent rate inside 6–11 m/s window;
• landing GNSS coordinate within 500 m of predicted drift drop zone.

File a flight report under docs/operations/flight_reports/.

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