5 Stack

Open-Source ESP32 CubeSat 5-Stack Electronics Architecture with LoRa, APRS, SSTV and WSPR Telemetry 🛰️

A modular 1U CubeSat electronic stack developed for balloon-based communication and telemetry experiments.

This project focuses on the design, development, integration, and validation of a complete CubeSat electronics platform consisting of five modular PCB subsystems, embedded firmware, ground station software, and 3D mechanical integration.

System Architecture

The CubeSat architecture consists of five modular subsystems:

1. Communication Board
2. Main On-Board Computer (OBC) Board
3. Secondary Controller Board
4. Power Management Board
5. Battery and Payload Board

Hardware Implementation

The electronics system was designed using KiCad with custom schematic and PCB layouts.

Main hardware components:

• ESP32-WROOM-32 based On-Board Computer
• Arduino Nano secondary controller
• LoRa SX1278 telemetry transceiver
• SA868 VHF/UHF communication module
• ESP32-CAM SSTV imaging payload
• Si5351 WSPR beacon transmitter
• Neo-6M GPS module
• HW-290 IMU sensor
• INA219 power monitoring sensor

PCB Stack Assembly

The CubeSat electronics were implemented as five vertically stacked PCB modules.

PCB design files are available in:

Hardware_Design/

Includes:

• KiCad schematic files (.kicad_sch)
• PCB layout files (.kicad_pcb)
• KiCad project files (.kicad_pro)

Individual PCB Stack Modules

Communication Board	Main OBC Board	Secondary Controller Board
Power Management Board	Battery & Payload Board

3D Design

The complete CubeSat mechanical structure was designed using:

• Fusion 360

Includes:

• PCB stack integration
• Structural frame design
• Component placement visualization
• Complete assembly model

Individual PCB Stack Modules

Communication Board	Main OBC Board	Secondary Controller Board
Power Management Board	Battery & Payload Board

3D_Design/

Firmware Development

Embedded firmware was developed for:

Firmware/

Includes:

CubeSat Onboard Firmware

• ESP32 main controller code
• ESP32-CAM SSTV payload code
• Arduino Nano WSPR beacon code

Ground Station Software

A web-based dashboard was developed for real-time telemetry visualization.

Features:

• GPS position monitoring
• Altitude display
• Sensor data visualization
• Solar Charging monitoring
• Orientation information

Ground Station

The ground station receives and displays telemetry transmitted from the CubeSat system.

Testing and Validation

The system was validated through rooftop ground-based experiments.

Validated communication modes:

✅ LoRa telemetry transmission
✅ APRS communication
✅ SSTV image transmission
✅ WSPR beacon decoding

Detailed test results and screenshots:

Text_Images/

Testing Video

Rooftop demonstration video showing:

• Integrated CubeSat hardware
• Communication testing
• Ground station operation

((https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SzN-sQUl8R-h_qq5jK-UIxGzSsxhfScu/view?usp=drivesdk))

Documentation

Complete project documentation:

Documentation/

Includes:

• Complete CubeSat Project Report
• Complete System Schematic

Repository Structure

CubeSat-5Stack-Architecture

├── Documentation
├── Hardware_Design
├── 3D_Design
├── Firmware
├── Calculations
├── Cubesat_Pictures
├── Text_Images
├── Testing_Video
└── README.md

Project Team

B.Tech Final Year Project
Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering
NSS College of Engineering, Palakkad

Team Members:

• Abhishek B
• Akshay S
• Arunkrishna P U
• Kiran S M

Acknowledgement

Developed as part of the B.Tech Final Year Project under the Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, NSS College of Engineering, Palakkad.