Project information
- Organization: TJ Space Program
- Position: Sat-4 Lead
- Project date: September 2017 - June 2021
- Project URL: Website
TJ REVERB
The TJ Space program is a high school club working with professionals from GMU, NASA, and other organizations to build and design cubesats. TJ REVERB is a 2U cubesat launched in November 29th, 2022 on SpaceX CRS-26 and deployed December 29th from the International Space Station. The cubesat is a 2U satellite testing the Iridium network in space. The Iridium network is a network of satellites that provide global communication. Currently, the Iridium network is primarily used on the surface of Earth, but the TJ REVERB mission will test the network in space. The Iridium network will also be utilized to geolocate the cubesat's position in space based on relative location to satellites.
Current Status
As of today (May 2023), the TJREVERB was not 100% successful. The cubesat was deployed from the ISS, after which a full power system failure occurred. The cubesat is currently providing a live update through a heart beat on the Sat-4 system providing us with the current location of the cubesat. The cubesat is currently in a stable orbit and is expected to stay in orbit for 2-3 years. The TJREVERB mission is still considered a success as the cubesat was deployed and is providing a live update. However, due to the power system failure, the cubesat is not able to provide the full functionality of the mission.
Roles
Sat-4 Lead
As the SAT-4 Lead for the TJREVERB mission, I was responsible for leading the team's development with the primary radio system. The primary radio system is a tested platform known to work under space conditions providing a way to communicate with the cubesat in scenarios where the Iridium network is not available.
Electronics Subteam
As a member of the electronics subteam I spent a majority of my time working on the power system for the cubesat. The power system is a critical component of the cubesat as it is responsible for providing power to all the subsystems. The power system is also responsible for charging the batteries utilizing the solar panels during the day and managing power consumption as well as power output to each subsystem through relays which designate different modes based on current battery levels.
BlueCube Lead
When starting out on the TJREVERB mission, I was the BlueCube Lead. The BlueCube is an outreach initiative by the TJ Space Program to provide a platform for other high school students to learn about cubesats through interactive demonstrations and physical models which can be utilized to interact with our Cubesat as well as understand the elements that go into building a fully functioning Cubesat. As the BlueCube Lead, I was responsible for leading the development of the prototype BlueCube as well as the development of the curriculum for the BlueCube. This role entailed reach out to foreign and local high school space programs to provide them with the opportunity to learn about cubesats and the TJREVERB mission as well as providing them with the opportunity to learn more.