The CUAVA-2 CubeSat: A Second Attempt to Fly the Remote Sensing, Space Weather Study and Earth Observation Instruments

This paper presents the 6U CubeSat mission conducted by the ARC Training Centre for CubeSats, UAVs, and their Applications (CUAVA) at the University of Sydney. CUAVA-2, the second CubeSat project following the CUAVA-1 mission, builds upon lessons learned from its predecessor. CUAVA-1, the first satellite launched by CUAVA, carried first-generation payloads for earth observation goals and technology demonstrations but experienced communication difficulties. A fault root analysis was performed on CUAVA-1 to inform the design of CUAVA-2. The CUAVA-2 satellite incorporates a hyperspectral imager for applications in agriculture, forestry, coastal and marine environments, urban areas, water hazard assessment, and mineral exploration. It also includes a GPS reflectometry payload for remote sea state determination, as well as secondary payloads for technology demonstration and space weather study. This paper discusses the fault analysis findings, lessons learned, and design inputs from CUAVA-1, showcasing their integration into the CUAVA-2 satellite, which is scheduled for launch in February 2024

Waratah Seed-1: Australia\u27s First Commercial Ride Share Satellite

In this paper, we report on a 6U CubeSat named Waratah Seed-1, designed by the ARC Training Centre for CubeSats, UAVs, and their Applications (CUAVA) and partners under the Waratah Seed project. Waratah Seed is a pilot Space Qualification Mission initiated under the NSW Government\u27s Space Industry Development Strategy with partial funding from Investment NSW. The goal of the mission is to allow NSW and Australian space industry groups to test their technology in space by flying on a 6U ride-share CubeSat. This project is the first of its kind in Australia, allowing space-tech start-ups and other groups to access a satellite spaceflight to test payloads at an inexpensive rate and in a more accessible way. The mission will help overcome one of the key barriers to gaining space flight heritage and should help accelerate the development of the Australian space ecosystem. The design of the WS-1 Satellite bus is based on its predecessor, the 3U CUAVA-1 CubeSat, and its sister 6U spacecraft CUAVA-2. The main payloads are a GPS reflectometry payload from UNSW and partners and a thermal management payload from UTS in collaboration with Mawson Rovers and Spiral Blue. Furthermore, there will be one edge computing payload from Spiral Blue, two solar cell test payloads, one each by Euroka Power and Extraterrestrial Power, a material test payload by Dandelions, a tactile, force, and torque sensor test payload by Sperospace and Contactile, an electropermanent magnetotorquer from DenebSpace and a space debris and plasma environment instrument from CUAVA and the University of Sydney. The satellite is scheduled for launch in July 2024 via SpaceX\u27s Transporter 11