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Simulated Satellite Communications on Raspberry Pi

Walks through building a CubeSat Simulator Lite using a Raspberry Pi and software-defined radio to transmit mock satellite telemetry.

Summary

Hands-On Satellite Hardware Simulation

The CubeSat Simulator Lite project provides an accessible entry point into aerospace cybersecurity by emulating the digital and RF subsystems of an operational nanosatellite.

Building the Raspberry Pi Ground Node

The workshop setup configures a Raspberry Pi single-board computer running dedicated software packages to generate sensor telemetry, including battery voltage, temperature, and simulated altitude data.

Transmitting and Decoding Satellite Signals

Attaching a small antenna to the Pi allows it to broadcast digital telemetry frames over amateur radio bands, which participants capture and demodulate using software-defined radios.

Educational Applications in Aerospace Security

Simulating small satellite payloads provides security researchers with a safe, repeatable hardware environment to study telemetry formatting, frame encoding, and space communication link vulnerabilities.

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