With the launch of the first CubeSat a trend of easy access to Low Earth Orbit was started. Today many educational institutes around the world design, build and operate CubeSats for educational as well as scientific purposes. This paper presents designs and development in hardware and software made to achieve a flexible ground segment at the Luleå University of Technology Space Campus in Kiruna, Sweden. The existing ground station is adapted to support more frequencies and modes of operation to enable future satellite projects at the university easy access to space communications. New equipment has been procured and integrated with existing equipment in a new location using a 19-inch server rack. The article presents a ground segment design using software-defined radio to promote flexibility and adaptability. A in-house developed sequence control board is presented that enables the ground station to quickly switch between full duplex and half-duplex modes.

Kvarken Space Centre is a project conducted by a consortium of Finnish and Swedish academic institutions aiming to enhance the economic activities of the Kvarken region shared by the two countries, by improving the regional competence in space technology. In this framework, the consortium is developing a first 2UCubeSat, namely KvarkenSat, with the goal of exhibiting the regional capabilities in satellite developmentvia performing science and in-orbit demonstration of Finnish payloads. Since the main areas of interestare forestry and sea transportation, the CubeSat will integrate a multispectral camera for forest health and seawater quality analysis and an automatic identification system (AIS) receiver for sea vessel tracking. In addition, the spacecraft will perform the in-orbit demonstration of a miniature water-based resistojet thruster system. KvarkenSat’s last payload will comprise a GNSS receiver that will extract raw data inorder to conduct precise point positioning (PPP) algorithm research. This work is meant to present the mission concept, objectives and technical overview of the current design. The launch of KvarkenSat is planned for Q4 2022 from northern Sweden.

The Atmospheric Polar Transmission Alignment Satellite (APTAS), is a project initialized and carried out by students at Luleå University of Technology’s (LTU) northernmost campus located in the Norrbotten region of Sweden, above the Arctic Circle. The entire development process is done in-house by studentswith the support by staff and faculty of the LTU Kiruna Space Campus. The project aims to provide a proof of technology of a 1U CubeSat and strengthen LTU’s position as the Space University of Sweden. APTAS benefits from its proximity to the Swedish Space Institute (IRF), EISCAT and one of the new facilities of EISCAT 3D, as well as Esrange Space Center, which will be equipped in the near future with small satellite launching capabilities. The skills and expertise acquired during the course of this project do, without a doubt, aid the students involved, both in terms of future work in the space industry, and as a boost of confidence in their capabilities. An international team of students with various backgrounds having conceptualized and tested systems pertaining to different disciplines such as telecommunications, mechanical analysis, orbital dynamics, electronics and software development is meant to show and encourage that in combination with appropriate equipment and mentorship, such undertakings can be carried out by a team of university students.