This document summarizes the goals and organization of the Canadian Satellite Design Challenge (CSDC) team at York University. The team aims to design and build a cubesat carrying an infrared camera to obtain spectral imagery of the upper atmosphere and analyze greenhouse gases. The diverse team of engineering, science, and business students works towards this goal through designing the satellite, managing the project, and securing facilities. The experience provides hands-on learning for students while pursuing the mission objectives.

1. IEEE Communications Magazine • May 20152 0163-6804/15/$25.00 © 2015 IEEE
The authors are with York
University.
INTRODUCTION
The primary goal of the POLARIS (Polar Orbit,
Lower Atmosphere Research Instrument using
Spectroscopy) cubesat is to provide infrared
spectral imagery from the Earth’s upper atmo-
sphere using the cost-efficient Aurora multi-
pixel camera made by Thoth Technologies. The
captured images will allow for analysis of numer-
ous greenhouse gases in the atmosphere that is
useful for understanding climate change (Fig. 1).
This mission will demonstrate the radiation bal-
ance of the Earth by understanding the upwelling
radiation and help to quantify the effects of
clouds, aerosols, water vapor, and carbon diox-
ide on the climate (Fig. 2). Our secondary objec-
tives are to:
• Promote space exploration to our local
community and university.
• Demonstrate in a cost-effective manner the
extensive capabilities of nano-satellites.
• Provide a hands-on learning experience for
our engineering and science students.
In order to achieve these goals we needed a
great team to ensure they could be met.
TEAM ORGANIZATION
We established the Canadian Satellite Design
Challenge (CSDC) team in order to improve the
university experience of students with an interest
in space science and exploration. In a short peri-
od of time, we found quite a few like-minded
students. Part of the attraction was the manner
in which CSDC integrates many components of
space engineering, computer, software, electrical
and mechanical engineering, as well as the space
and atmospheric science curriculum. Through
software analysis of orbits, space hardware, con-
trol systems, payload design, remote sensing, and
space mission design, CSDC allows the students
to apply what they are learning in class to a real-
istic project.
By establishing the club under the York Fed-
eration of Students, we were able to obtain basic
support from the university. Our team includes
engineering and science students, as well as busi-
ness majors and liberal arts students. Finance
students help with money management, Human
Resources resolve any conflicts between the sub-
system teams, and the Liberal Arts majors are
responsible for public relations and communica-
tions. To attract the most dedicated members,
we created videos and text messages that were
sent to each college at York University. As a
result, we found various members that were will-
ing to devote their extracurricular time for the
challenge. This is why we have such a diverse
and committed group. The outcome of these
efforts has been a strong turnout and a signifi-
cant increase in the number of participants.
DEVELOPMENT AND TESTING
Our CSDC team has been working diligently on
designing our satellite and creating technical
documentation. Early on in the competition we
prepared a project management plan, the first
required deliverable document of the competi-
tion. This document outlined how the team will
be structured and managed. We also prepared a
presentation explaining the basic characteristic
of our satellite and its purpose for the CSDC
workshop that was held at Magellan Aerospace
in Winnipeg, MB in February 2015.
The CSDC team at York is moving forward
into the next couple of months by obtaining
more facilities and training for the team. We are
arranging our expenses for the year so we can
purchase materials for developing our satellite
engineering model after the competition’s pre-
liminary design review. Team meetings are held
every week in the Space Engineering Laboratory
of the Petrie Science and Engineering Building.
ABSTRACT
The mission of the Canadian Satellite Design
Team at York University is to develop a Cubesat
payload that will use the AURORA line scan
camera to obtain infrared spectral imagery of
the upper atmosphere. The imagery will be used
to assess the concentration of greenhouse gases
in the atmosphere and thereby advance our
understanding of climate change. The team com-
prises a diverse group of students with a variety
of backgrounds. The manner in which our group
has been organized and the facilities that we
have obtained access to will be a critical factor in
our ultimate success.
COMMUNICATIONS EDUCATION AND TRAINING
Keith Menezes and Tremayne Gomes
Obtaining Infrared Spectral Imagery of
the Upper Atmosphere using a Cubesat

2. IEEE Communications Magazine • May 2015 3
We adhere to a strict format where meetings are
kept under an hour and our project manager
oversees the discussions to keep the meetings on
schedule. The format of our meetings begins
with general announcements for the entire team.
After this, members are branched into sub-teams
(which are divided by interest, specialized major,
year of study, and critical importance of the sub-
system) where they can conduct their own briefing.
Our members have access to numerous exper-
imental facilities at York University, including a
space instrumentation laboratory, spacecraft
assembly clean room, electronics and machining
facilities, spacecraft testing vacuum chambers,
and vibration tables, which can all be found
inside the Petrie Science and Engineering Build-
ing at The Centre for Research in Earth and
Space Science.
NEXT STEPS
For the current CSDC competition our team
plans to continue refining our preliminary nano-
satellite design. Our team is looking to involve
other educational institutions and amateur radio
operators from around the world in an effort to
make communication with the satellite possible
at all times, as opposed to only when the satellite
is passing over the operations and support cen-
ter. It is hoped that by doing so we will not only
allow for more data to be received and analyzed,
but that people worldwide can experience com-
municating with a satellite in orbit. These users
will not have access to the spacecraft software or
sub-systems. However, they will be able to down-
load data from the spacecraft and relay it via the
Internet to the operations and support center.
We plan to demonstrate the practicality and
flexibility of nano-satellites and how they can be
used to produce useful data. Furthermore, our
team is determined to seek expert opinions and
advice from industry professionals and aca-
demics on any new technology that we can cre-
ate using software or hardware. Due to our
budget we may have to create our own electron-
Figure 1. Typical infrared spectrograms [1].
Wavenumber (cm-1)
Spectrum of greenhouse radiation
800600
2e-6
Radiance(W/(cm2srcm-1))
0
4e-6
6e-6
8e-6
1000
CO2
HNO3
O3
CH4
N2O
CO
CFC11
CFC12
1200 1400 1600 1800 2000
Figure 2. Earth’s energy budget [2].
64% 6%
Absorbed by land
and oceans 51%
Reflected by
atmosphere
6%
Reflected by
clouds
20%
Reflected from
earth’s surface
4%
Radiated to space
from clouds and
atmosphere
Absorbed by
atmosphere 16%
Absorbed by
clouds 3%
Conduction and
rising air 7%
Carried to clouds
and atmosphere by
latent heat in
water vapor 23%
Radiation
absorbed by
atmosphere
15%
Radiated
directly
to space
from earth
Incoming
solar energy
100%

3. IEEE Communications Magazine • May 20154
ics, which is something we would like to mini-
mize. There will also be some creation of our
own products, such as software or hardware, that
will undergo rigorous testing. With more fund-
ing, we hope to purchase more components with
a high technology readiness level (TRL) that are
considered ‘off-the-shelf’ commercial items that
are already space-qualified like our payload.
CONCLUSION
Foremost, our team at York University will ben-
efit through participation in the Canadian Satel-
lite Design Challenge by learning the life-cycle
design, manufacturing, building, and testing of a
nano-satellite. Moreover, the practical experi-
ence the students will gain from being involved
in space mission design and understanding how
to work in a multidisciplinary project with a
broader spectrum of skilled individuals in areas
such as business personnel, human resources,
and communications is invaluable. Furthermore,
the new opening of the The Bergeron Centre for
Engineering Excellence by the Lassonde School
of Engineering is where we will have a satellite
ground-station on the roof for establishing reli-
able communications, and it will definitely be a
great assistance to our team (Fig. 3)
REFERENCES
[1] W. F. J. Evans, Spectrum of Greenhouse Radiation, Digi-
tal Image, North West Research Associates, 30 Jan.
2006, Web, 01 Mar. 2015.
[2] J. Medigan, Earth’s Energy Budget, Digital Image,
National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 28 Jan.
2014, Web, 03 Feb. 2015.
BIOGRAPHIES
TREMAYNE GOMES is a fourth year English undergraduate
major at York University. During his time at York he was
involved in student activities, being a member of the York
University Model United Nations and also the Canadian
Satellite Design Challenge Team at York University. For the
latter he was the director of public relations, which was his
first experience in the field. For the club he did things such
as updating social media, assigning tasks to assistants,
constructing ideas for campaign videos, creating sponsor-
ship packages, and constructing ideas for pitches. His goal
is to work in a public relations firm.
KEITH MENEZES is a third year space engineering undergrad-
uate major at the Lassonde School of Engineering at York
University. As an undergraduate, he has balanced a rigor-
ous course load with a number of extracurricular activities
to enhance his skills for future career aspirations in the
space industry. Keith is passionate about unmanned aerial
vehicles, satellites, and sustainable energy. As president he
led the team, drove growth within the organization, pre-
sented and facilitated all executive team meetings while
addressing any concerns that were raised. As part of the
engineering and science team he helped define system
requirements, define project scope, identify risks to the
project, and enforce the completion of satellite subsystem
tasks.
s
Figure 3. The Canadian Satellite Design Team at York University; L to R
by last row: Manik Gupta, Ishfaaq Muhammad Jookun, Alex Bocaud,
Tremayne Gomes, Thomas Giles, Gleb Sitigun; Saquib Ansan, Keith
Menezes, Lucien Devon, Tetiana Sitiguina, Shamil Samigulin, Peter
Dunsworth; Elisa Mesaroli, Sonal Ranjit, Bobby Ingino, Arthur Wong,
Mohammed Kagawala; Hugh Chesser.