Fly a narrowband UHF receiver to characterize the RF environment in wildlife tracking frequency bands and attempt to receive signals from a high-power ground test transmitter. Lay the groundwork for future space-based animal migration monitoring.
Fly a narrowband UHF receiver to characterize the RF environment in wildlife tracking frequency bands and attempt to receive signals from a high-power ground test transmitter. Lay the groundwork for future space-based animal migration monitoring.
This is an advanced-level project with an estimated timeline of 18-24 months using a 1U form factor.
Tracking animal migrations across continents and oceans is one of the most data-limited problems in ecology. Traditional methods require recapturing tagged animals or rely on sporadic ground station contacts. A satellite-based receiver could collect tracking signals from tagged animals anywhere on Earth during each orbital pass, revolutionizing migration science. This technology demonstrator takes the first step by flying a sensitive radio receiver tuned to wildlife tracking frequencies, characterizing the radio frequency environment in those bands from orbit, and attempting to receive a controlled test signal from the ground. The experiment does not attempt to track actual wildlife on the first mission tag signals are far too weak but instead proves the reception chain works and maps the noise and interference landscape that a future operational system would need to overcome. If successful, follow-on missions could increase receiver sensitivity, add directional antennas, and begin receiving actual tag signals from cooperating wildlife researchers. The project requires careful RF design including a deployable antenna, signal processing firmware, and coordination with the wildlife tracking research community. The novelty factor is high no university CubeSat has ever demonstrated this capability.
Shift from VHF (148-152 MHz, ~50 cm antenna) to UHF at 401.650 MHz (Argos band) where quarter-wave antenna is only ~18 cm deployable from 0.5U using coiled Nitinol wire with burn-wire release. TI CC1120 narrowband transceiver (~$5-15, SPI, -124 dBm sensitivity) with SPF5189Z LNA and custom bandpass filter. Rather than receiving actual wildlife tags (-130 to -140 dBm from orbit), characterize RF environment in Argos band and attempt to receive high-power ground test transmitter as proof of uplink. Partnership with CLS/Kinéis (Argos operators) or Max Planck ICARUS team could provide scientific context.
No university CubeSat has ever demonstrated wildlife tracking from orbit genuinely novel but genuinely challenging. ICARUS project CubeSat receiver (GENA-OT, launched November 2025 by TALOS) was miniaturized to 10 cm cube but represents years of professional development. Traditional VHF wildlife tags (10 mW) are too weak to detect from orbit with a student-built receiver. UHF Argos band approach is more feasible but deployable antenna mechanism is a single-point failure. Cost: $500-$3,000 (antenna deployment mechanism is the variable). Complexity: high deployable antennas are highest-risk CubeSat subsystem, RF receiver sensitivity requires careful impedance matching and filtering. 1U recommended due to antenna deployment volume. Tier 2 recommendation novel but risky.
This project spans 2 disciplines, making it suitable for interdisciplinary student teams.
Ready to take on this project? Here's a general roadmap that applies to most CubeSat missions:
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