WARR MOVE: Innovating Satellite Technology

About WARR MOVE

MOVE is the student-run satellite technology research group at the Technical University of Munich(TUM) and part Scientific Workgroup for Rocketry and Spaceflight (WARR e.V). Since its inception in 2012 MOVE has launched 3 in-house developed 1U CubeSats (10x10x13cm) into orbit, one of which is still operational to this day. Nowadays, members are hard at work developing the MOVE-Beyond satellite-bus, a 1U-6U self-developed platform adjustable for different payloads, as well as its first mission MOVE-III. This mission shall provide the platform for the TUM-developed DEDRA sub millimeter particle detector inside a 3U self-developed CubeSat. With this sensor we can provide data towards verifying space-debris models for particles to small for observation via optical methods.

Fly Your Circuit – Student Technology on CubeSat (STONCS)

With our most recently finished project STONCS we have the opportunity to launch an educational payload aboard an OroraTech satellite to be flown in 2025. We implemented a compact version of many of our critical subsystems, such as our MCU, MRAM, IMU and in house developed sun-sensor SuS-Z. All this, as well as the necessary power distribution and communication lines were implemented on a 6-layer 60x60mm PCB. Furthermore, this project will allow us to test our Distributed Operating System Initiative for Satellites (DOSIS) and bootloader in a non-mission critical flight application.

Developmental Backplane and Standardized Subsystem Boards

As we are first and foremost an educational project, all our systems are developed by our members. Therefore, it is necessary to have a way to integrate and test iterations of different subsystems in a cost-efficient manner. Thus, we developed a 3U sized Backplane with adapters to our Standardized Subsystem Boards (SSBs).

A SSB contains the subsystem MCU, a CAN driver and provides different interfaces for a Protoboard (PB) to connect to. Doing this with larger PCBs rather than the satellite sized ones enables us to use less layers resulting in cheaper and faster prototyping and in general easier development.

Especially here support from industry partners like Eurocircuits proves to be invaluable to our efforts. They provide us with high quality products, manufactured here in Germany, which results in an all-around quick and easy process and enables us to focus on designing the best possible prototypes and achieving our goals, rather than dealing with supply chain issues.

For more information please visit the WARR website.