Software development for the operations and external communications of the OSCAR-QUBE project

Abstract

The measurement process, automation and system health monitoring are essential in remote sensing applications. The multiparametric systems, such as diamond quantum magnetic field sensors require constant monitoring to ensure reliability of the acquired data. As this system will be located onboard the International Space Station (ISS), there is constant stream of incoming data to acquire and process, as well as the need to schedule and handle automated measurement routines, and to resolve the situation during the loss of signal (LOS), and provide users with a clear GUI. This thesis aims to develop an automated control system capable of receiving telemetry, sending telecommands and performing scheduled tasks for the experiment onboard the ISS.

A user home base (UHB) was created to interface with the embedded system during the mission. To meet the requirements, a mission control software (MCS) was selected and configured. After this, a GUI was created using PyQt5 which interfaces with the MCS to operate the QUBE. Yamcs was selected as the MCS and after the networking and packet structure configuration it was able communicate with the embedded system. After which the control layout was developed and the supporting Python script for the system automation was written. The UHB was thoroughly tested on reliability and user experience during its development and the interface test campaign of the system. It was found it fulfilled all the requirements with substantial margins, meaning the system will be used during the mission.