Control for a Low-Powered Optoelectronic Characterizer for CubeSat: LOCC and III-V Nitride Based LEDs

Jakob Lovede*, Johnt'e Davis*, Bradley Cruise and Minh Nguyen*, Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26505

Field (Broad Category): Electrical Engineering (Physical Sciences & Engineering) 

Student’s Major: CPE/CS 

In 2015 design and construction of a low-powered optoelectronic characterizer (LOCC) for a CaubeSat with III-V Gallium Nitride based light emitting diodes (LEDs). CubeSats are miniature satellites typically only 10cmx 10cm x 10cm which have grown increasingly in popularity recently because of their low cost. Pachol’s III-V GaN LEDs were sent up with STF-1. STF-1 is West Virginia University’s first spacecraft that was designed and manufactured with NASA’s Independent Verification and Validation (IV&V) program— and launched in December 2018. Gallium Nitride LED lights are particularly useful for space applications because of Gallium Nitrides superior hardness against things like proton irradiation and other ionizing radiations. While the LEDs orbit in the STF-1 data is being collected on how it is being affected by radiation and atmospheric challenges such as proton damage, gama radiation, and temperatures ranging from 200K – 550K(-99.7 F – 530.33 F). The data collected will give indications of how useful the III-V LEDs will be for other space missions and even further insights on terrestrial applications. To increase the value of the information collected a control for the LOCC and III-V GaN LEDs was designed and constructed. The main differences between the control and the original design are: (1) there are no custom PCBs which were needed for communication between the ground STF-1, the LOCC and III-V GaN LEDs; (2) only one custom LED is used to collect data. We expect the data collected from the control to show where the main design is being affected the most. 

Funding: West Virginia 

Program/mechanism supporting research/creative efforts: WVU's Research Apprenticeship Program (RAP) & accompanying HONR 297-level course N/A