ENG-CANSAT-PICO-BELGIUM

Cansat in Python

Thank to MicroPython, you can program your CanSat with Python.

Other solution CanSat Arduino with Feather M0

What is CanSat?

CanSat Contest simulates the fly of miniaturized satellites named CanSat (Can Satellite).

The CanSat is an autonomous devices enclosed within the volume of a soda can.

The volume of a CanSat has the following characteristics: 66mm diameter, 115mm height for a mass of 350gr.

As the CanSat have small volume and are very affordable, the CanSat contest is great for learning more about space technologies.

The CanSats are deployed from a rocket (the launch vehicle) at a height of about 3000m depending on the competition (see all the details in the contest rules).

The CanSats are not orbited and are always deployed in the athmosphere. So they always comes back to the earth.

The CanSat volume cannot increase until the CanSat is deployed out of the rocket.

This means that external antenna is allowed only after the CanSat left the rocket.

A parachute (that increase the volume of the CanSat) is usually used to limit damages. The aim is to reuse the CanSat for several missions.

In Europe, the CanSat contest includes two missions:

• Mission 1: mesure pressure and temperature and transmit data in real time.
• Mission 2: free choice mission (using Intertial Measurement Unit, GPS, MPX differential pressure sensor, etc).

Getting Started

Hardware discovery

Discover the various items included within the kit.

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Kit Assembling

Assembling the Pico Cansat Kit

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Thonny IDE

Prepare your Python IDE environment

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Pico User Guide

The Raspberry-Pi Pico user guide.

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Pico Powering

How to properly power up your Pico

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MicroPytho HowTo

Tips and tricks to write Python code for on MicroControler.

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Data Logging

How to log data into a file (on MicroControler)

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Schematics

Need to have a look on the board schematis?

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Dimensions

Technical size and dimensions for the cansat

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The Raspberry-Pi PICO can also been use with Arduino IDE and C/C++ compiler. It's means that you can also write Arduino alike C code on this microcontroler. This point is not covered in this tutorial series, we do MicroPython programming.

Test the devices

BMP280 sensor

Test the BMP280 pressure and elevation sensor.

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TMP36 sensor

Test the TMP36 analog temperature sensor

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RFM69HCW radio

User guide for the RFM69HCW radio module.

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RFM69HCW Testing

Testing the communication with RFM69HCW and sending data through the radio module.

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Radio Antenna

A well designed Antenna can increase the communication distance.

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Mission 1

The team must build a CanSat and program it to accomplish the primary (mandatory) mission, as follows:

After release and during descent,

• the CanSat shall measure several parameters,
• the data should be transmitted as telemetry information to the ground station.
• the telemetry should, at least, be send once every second.

The following informations should be captured:

• Air temperature
• Air pressure

It must be possible for the team to analyse the data obtained (for example, make a calculation of altitude) and display it in graphs (for example, altitude vs. time and temperature vs. altitude).

So, don't forget to also capture the time for each data collected. This information is as critical than pressure and temperature

Frequency Plan

Be courteous, share the radio bandwidth.

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Mission 1: Emitter

Wiring sensors, capturing datas and sending over radio.

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Mission 1: Receiver

Receiving the transmitted data.

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Mission 1: Going autonomous

Receiving the transmitted data.

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Ressources

CanSat samples

CanSat models and ideas

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Radio Antenna

A well designed Antenna can increase the communication distance.

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Parachute

Some reference to design the parachute

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Shopping

Need to refill some parts?

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Optional: Adding a GPS module to transmit the CanSat position with the telemetry data would ease to positioning when back on the earth.

Other ressources:

• CanSat Europe on WikiPedia - Lot of informations
• This wiki as PDF (pdf)
• Raspberry-Pi Pico RP2040 Presentation (pdf)
• CanSat Kit Presentation v3 (Belgium) (pdf, nov 2023)
• CanSat Kit Presentation v1 (Belgium) (pdf)

How to subscribe the contest?

In Europe, the CanSat competition is promoted by the ESA (source).

• For Belgium: the CanSat Belgium competition is promoted by InnovIris (CanSat Belgium NL, CanSat Belgium FR, CANSAT Belgium FaceBook ).
  Innoviris is the Brussels Institute for the encouragement of scientific research and innovation.

• For Luxembourg: the CanSat Luxembourg competition is promoted by Esero Luxembourg (www.cansat.lu) .

About this Wiki

MC Hobby does promote, mainly in French, the Arduino Open-Source plateform, MicroPython, Raspberry-Pi, coding, electronics to made knowledge freely available de the mass.

This CanSat Belgium Wiki is one of the MC Hobby documentation project.

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Written by Meurisse D. for MCHobby