Alma Mater Ground Station transceiver: A software defined radio for satellite communications

Software Defined Radio (SDR) technology offers a great opportunity for enabling spacecraft (S/C) engineers to create reconfigurable, lightweight communications systems that can be easily prototyped and, if needed, upgraded to add improved functionalities and support new protocols. In the framework of ESA´s European Student Earth Orbiter (ESEO) project, the University of Bologna is responsible for the mission control centre, and is currently developing a SDR ground station (G/S) section, to enhance the current capabilities of the existing Alma Mater Ground Station (AMGS). The enhanced G/S will be used in both uplink and downlink operations, communicating with the ESEO S/C using amateur-radio frequencies at UHF-band. It is also capable of receiving data from several other small satellites transmitting at UHF-band and orbiting in low Earth orbit (LEO), offering a great hands-on experience to students.