Radio Frequency Spectrum Monitoring System at Low Earth Orbit by MRC-100 Satellite

Abstract

The ongoing development of modern telecommunication technologies is leading to a steady increase in electromagnetic pollution on Earth and space. This pollution in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) can impact space-based systems and operations, making it difficult to control small satellites. Furthermore, it can interfere with scientific measurements and experiments conducted in space. The primary objective of this paper is to demonstrate the ability to design and develop a 3-unit PocketQube-class student satellite, MRC-100, as an extension of the SMOG-1 one-unit PocketQube satellite, the fourth satellite of Hungary. The MRC-100 satellite comprises several scientific payloads. The main one is a wide-band spectrum analyzer that operates in the frequency range of 30 MHz to 2.6 GHz and is used to measure electromagnetic pollution in Low Earth Orbit. This paper's measurements were conducted on an extended band ranging from (2–3.1 GHz). We present the capabilities of the extended band spectrum analyzer to measure electromagnetic pollution with the designed system's limited size 40 × 40 mm, weight, and power consumption of less than 400 mW. The working extended band spectrum analyzer was tested on the satellite flight module in the laboratory.