CanSat, satellite in a soda can

• Main Author: Ho, Darwin Hao Guo
• Other Authors: Ling Keck Voon
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2016
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/67893
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

CanSat is commonly known as satellite in a soda can, which represents a miniature version of a satellite. Unlike normal satellite in space, CanSats are non-orbital and has never left the atmosphere in history. Instead, CanSats are normally deployed from variation of altitude, and released back to the ground after data measuring and gathering. Therefore, all CanSats can be generalized into two common categories, known as the telemetry and the comeback. The sole purpose of the telemetry category is to collect and transmit data, while the comeback category, as the name implies, is to facilitate the ease of retrieval and safety of the CanSat. Most of the CanSats either focus on the telemetry or comeback mission. However, for this project, the aim is to be able to design and develop a CanSat capable of both the telemetry and comeback capabilities. For the telemetry part, various modules, Adafruit 10-DOF IMU, Adafruit ultimate GPS with an Arduino UNO microcontroller has been successfully integrated. The CanSat is able to perform data measurements of GPS coordinates, acceleration, orientation, altitude, temperature and pressure. Furthermore, the CanSat is incorporated with an XBee RF module, thus allowing it to receive real-time readings of the data through a ground station. For the comeback part, by using GPS coordinates, upon descend, the CanSat will be able to guide itself back as close as possible to a target marked by GPS coordinates. With the integration of a pair of servos and paraglider, a steering algorithm has been designed. The algorithm has been successfully designed to calculate the bearing between two GPS coordinates, then compare against the current heading of the CanSat before aligning itself towards the predetermined point for descend. The autonomous landing can be achieved by controlling the servos through the microcontroller. With these, both capabilities can be incorporated into the CanSat.