Our CanSat

Building a Satellite to Support Agriculture

Primary Mission

Objectives

  • Measure temperature and air pressure
  • Send data to our ground station every second
  • Calculate altitude using pressure data
  • Monitor and analyze everything in real-time

Secondary Mission: Plant Health Monitoring

For our secondary mission, we use a near-infrared camera to measure plant health and help farmers prevent water waste and spot diseases early.

Goals

  • Measure plant vitality and link it to photosynthetic activity
  • Help farmers detect drought and water stress in crops
  • Catch diseases early by detecting reduced chlorophyll levels
  • Create NDVI maps showing vegetation health across different areas

What is NDVI?

NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) measures how healthy plants are by analyzing how they absorb and reflect near-infrared and red light. Used in farming, forestry, and checking water availability.

Technical Specifications

CanSat Hardware

Hardware

  • ESP32 chip for sending telemetry data
  • Raspberry Pi for video and image processing
  • Pi Camera Module 3 Wide NoIR (near-infrared capable)
  • Custom circuit board designed to save weight
  • Gimbal with servo motors to stabilize the camera
  • Backup systems in case of failure
CanSat Materials

Materials

  • Impact-resistant plastics (PA6 Nylon, Polycarbonate)
  • Carbon fiber reinforcement, handles 20G impacts
  • Heavy-duty connectors (XT60)
  • Designed to minimize wobbling during descent
CanSat Communications

Communication

  • 2.4GHz radio (NRF24L01 or APC220)
  • 5.8GHz video signal
  • GPS tracking
  • Works up to 2km away
CanSat Parachute

Parachute

  • Slows descent to about 13 m/s
  • Keeps us stable without spinning
  • Important for getting clear camera footage