A CanSat is a simulation of an actual satellite integrated within the volume and shape of a soft drink can and could be the basis of a real space mission. The challenge for our team is to fit all the major subsystems found in a real satellite, such as power, sensors and communication system, into this minimal volume.

 

The CanSat is launched to about 1000m altitude in the sky and a parachute is deployed. During descent, scientific data is collected to be later analyzed.​ Our goal is to record atmospheric parameters during descent and after landing - at ground level - and to analyze the nutrient availability and humidity of the soil. Besides, the solar irradiance and the UV light reaching the surface of the planet will be measured.

 

Our mission idea poses a huge potential because of its scalability. The soil assessment could be carried out on a vast surface of the planet. The soil analyzing module would be an external device with communication ability to a centralized data collecting system.​During descent and after landing our CanSat will collect air-related measurements: air pressure; air temperature; air humidity; particulate matter concentration; concentration of gases that are pollution indicators: carbon monoxide CO, carbon dioxide CO2, sulfur dioxide SO2, nitrogen dioxide NO2. Also, light-related measurements will be carried out: UV index and solar irradiance.  A camera will record the descent and its footage will be used to determine autonomously with Artificial Intelligence the terrain i.e. the habitat types: steep rocky cliffs, platforms, rock pools, boulder fields, craters, riverbeds, frozen lands and erosional features.

 

Given that the launch will be on Earth, features like crop fields, trees, bushes, plowed land or roads will be, basically, determined.  Furthermore, GNSS positioning, acceleration and angular velocity recording, battery level monitoring, as well as GSM connectivity and radio signal strength measurement will be performed. The parameters analyzed from the soil are the PH level, soil moisture, soil temperature, nutrient availability i.e. NPK levels: Nitrogen, Phosphorous, Potassium; soil electrical conductivity and salinity.​

 

The air, gas, pollution and light sensor measurements become valuable after the descent begins. Carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter concentrations will be tracked down during the estimated 100 seconds descent. Air temperature, humidity and pressure are also recorded, the last allowing the calculation of the altitude with the barometric formula, aside from the altitude picked up by the GPS positioning. Ultraviolet light intensity and solar irradiance will be measured, too. The mechanism releasing the metal probes of the soil sensor will activate during descent, protruding them out of the bottom of the CanSat.

 

Upon landing, by cause of the vertical impact of approximately 15N (calculated), the probes will get inserted into the soil. The assessment of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium levels, in addition to the soil temperature, humidity, PH and electrical conductivity will begin, aside from all of the aforementioned measured data. All the sensor information is transmitted by a radio module to the ground station and is concomitantly saved to an SD memory card on the CanSat. The onboard video camera will record the descent, which footage will be analyzed after the retrieval.  The retrieval is composed of multiple elements.

 

The GPS position will be transmitted by a GSM module connected to the cellular network, conjointly with the GPS position transmission by the radio module. The retrieval will be facilitated by the implemented system that activates a piezoelectric buzzer when a specific SMS message is sent to the GSM module and the team is close to the landing zone. The bright neon color of the material of the parachute will also help to locate the satellite. During the descent, at the ground station, the received sensor information from the data packets will be plotted graphically on the specifically designed custom software interface.​

 

The CanSat structure is made of polylactic acid filament, also known as PLA. We chose this filament for the frame, the supports and the caps of the CanSat because PLA is a bioplastic and biodegradable polyester.

 

​The parachute is made with a strong material based on nylon that is waterproof, tear-resistant, lightweight and has good elasticity. The cords are made up of braided nylon and sewn on the bottom of the parachute.​

 

The main component of the CanSat is a frame that can be detached into two parts for easy inside access. These two pieces are fixed together with four M2 screws.

 

The electronic components are mounted to the structure with standoffs to provide a secure and more stable fixation.​​