Abstract
A magnetic field measurement suite intended for CubeSat and ground-based
geomagnetic applications is presented. The system is composed of
commercial-off-the-shelf sensors (COTS), which include four PNI RM3100
magnetometers, a Bosch BMI270 inertial measurement unit (IMU), and a
TMP36 thermal sensor. The instruments are collectively operated by a
Texas Instrument’s MSP430FR5949 microcontroller. The novel measurement
principle employed by the magnetometers permits a low fabrication cost,
power consumption, and footprint; in turn, this enables the
incorporation of four magnetometers (theoretically many more), reducing
the magnetic noise floor and increasing the resolution by a factor of
two in this case. Additionally, the inclusion of a COTS IMU allows us to
reliably establish the orientation of the sensor package, thus
permitting a better understanding of the geometry of the surrounding
magnetic field under static or dynamic conditions. The system has been
tested and characterized in a controlled laboratory environment with the
intent of flying aboard the PR-CuNaR2 CubeSat, set to launch early next
year. This mission will raise the technology readiness level (TRL) of
the system (current TRL is approximately 4/5) and provide us with
valuable measurements of the magnetic environment at Low-Earth-Orbit.