Evaluating a Ground-Based Testbed for CubeSat Communication
Abstract/Description/Artist Statement
CubeSats are low-cost, modular satellites that remain vulnerable to cyberattacks due to limited onboard security and constrained computational resources. Many missions lack strong encryption or real-time fault recovery, making communication failures common. As demand for secure space-based communication grows, adaptive cybersecurity strategies tailored to resource-constrained satellite platforms are increasingly necessary. This project presents a FlatSat-based testbed running the Raspberry Pi operating system to study CubeSat communication security using GNU Radio and software-defined radios. GNU Radio flowgraphs are developed to transmit and receive data using various software-defined radio (SDR) platforms, such as ADALM-Pluto, RTL-SDR, and USRP. They were used to emulate adverse radio-frequency (RF) conditions, such as interference and jamming. Packet-level security mechanisms inspired by the CubeSat Space Protocol (CSP) and the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) are explored using Python and User Datagram Protocol (UDP). SparkFun environmental sensors integrated into the FlatSat platform provide real-time monitoring of the system and environment, with Python scripts used for data collection and performance observation. Experimental results highlight the practical challenges of achieving reliable and readable data transfer across various SDR platforms, including synchronization loss, packet corruption, and framing mismatches. System performance is evaluated using metrics such as packet integrity, latency, and error behavior under degraded RF conditions. This work provides a practical, low-cost framework for evaluating CubeSat communication security using open-source tools and commercial off-the-shelf hardware, emphasizing real-world limitations and design considerations for developing resilient small satellite communication systems for NASA and academic research.
Faculty Advisor/Mentor
Dimitrie Popescu
Faculty Advisor/Mentor Email
dpopescu@odu.edu
Faculty Advisor/Mentor Department
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
College/School Affiliation
Batten College of Engineering & Technology
Student Level Group
Undergraduate
Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Evaluating a Ground-Based Testbed for CubeSat Communication
CubeSats are low-cost, modular satellites that remain vulnerable to cyberattacks due to limited onboard security and constrained computational resources. Many missions lack strong encryption or real-time fault recovery, making communication failures common. As demand for secure space-based communication grows, adaptive cybersecurity strategies tailored to resource-constrained satellite platforms are increasingly necessary. This project presents a FlatSat-based testbed running the Raspberry Pi operating system to study CubeSat communication security using GNU Radio and software-defined radios. GNU Radio flowgraphs are developed to transmit and receive data using various software-defined radio (SDR) platforms, such as ADALM-Pluto, RTL-SDR, and USRP. They were used to emulate adverse radio-frequency (RF) conditions, such as interference and jamming. Packet-level security mechanisms inspired by the CubeSat Space Protocol (CSP) and the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) are explored using Python and User Datagram Protocol (UDP). SparkFun environmental sensors integrated into the FlatSat platform provide real-time monitoring of the system and environment, with Python scripts used for data collection and performance observation. Experimental results highlight the practical challenges of achieving reliable and readable data transfer across various SDR platforms, including synchronization loss, packet corruption, and framing mismatches. System performance is evaluated using metrics such as packet integrity, latency, and error behavior under degraded RF conditions. This work provides a practical, low-cost framework for evaluating CubeSat communication security using open-source tools and commercial off-the-shelf hardware, emphasizing real-world limitations and design considerations for developing resilient small satellite communication systems for NASA and academic research.