Catarina Constellation

Catarina Constellation

Catarina-A1 and Catarina-A3 are nanosatellite missions developed by the Space Technology Research Laboratory (SpaceLab) at the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC) for the Catarina Constellation. They are part of Fleet A, dedicated to collecting environmental data from remote monitoring stations and supporting applications in meteorology, water resource management, agriculture, and civil defense.

Catarina Constellation

Led by the Brazilian Space Agency (AEB), the Catarina Constellation brings together universities, research institutes, and industry to develop national space technologies. Within this program, Catarina-A1 and Catarina-A3 combine environmental data collection with the development of reusable CubeSat systems and the training of students and engineers at UFSC.

Mission Objectives

The primary objective of Catarina-A1 and Catarina-A3 is to contribute to the expansion of satellite-based environmental data collection in Brazil. The satellites are designed to receive transmissions from Data Collection Platforms (DCPs) and relay their measurements to the ground segment, complementing the Brazilian Satellite Data Collection System (SBCD).

The mission also aims to:

  • Increase the availability of environmental measurements from remote areas.
  • Evaluate new communication technologies while maintaining compatibility with existing monitoring infrastructure.
  • Develop reusable CubeSat platforms and communication payloads in Brazil.
  • Strengthen cooperation between universities, industry, and public institutions.
  • Train students and engineers throughout the development of a space mission.

Satellite Platform

Catarina-A1 and Catarina-A3 are SpaceLab’s contributions to the fleet. Their service platforms build on the FloripaSat architecture, continuing the development of modular CubeSat technologies used in FloripaSat-2 and GOLDS-UFSC.

This reuse connects the constellation to SpaceLab’s experience in onboard computing, electrical power systems, satellite communications, and subsystem integration. The university missions also provide practical opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students to work on spacecraft development.

Environmental Data Collection

Catarina-A1 and Catarina-A3 connect measurements taken on the ground with satellite communication services. Remote stations transmit environmental observations to the spacecraft, which relay the collected data to ground stations for processing and distribution.

Research for Fleet A also explores LoRa communication as a complement to the established Argos-2 infrastructure. This approach aims to introduce new communication capabilities while preserving compatibility with existing DCPs, allowing the environmental monitoring network to evolve gradually.

Research and Education

As university missions, Catarina-A1 and Catarina-A3 support research and education in embedded systems and spacecraft engineering. Their development connects the experience acquired through earlier SpaceLab missions with the requirements of a constellation intended to provide environmental data collection services.

The projects give undergraduate and graduate students opportunities to participate in satellite development while contributing to Brazil’s capabilities in small satellite technology.

My Contributions

I serve as the technical lead for the Catarina Constellation project. My involvement in the UFSC missions builds on my experience with FloripaSat-1, the FloripaSat-2 platform, and GOLDS-UFSC.

My research contributions include a publication on the use of LoRa to complement Fleet A’s environmental data collection architecture, connecting new communication technologies with the existing Brazilian monitoring infrastructure.

More Information

Publications