Application of Small Satellites for Low-Cost Remote Data Collection Using LoRa Transmitters

Abstract

The advancement of small satellites has greatly reduced the overall cost and development time of the satellite compared to conventional satellites fulfilling similar missions. Although there have been many developments on the satellite side, for missions like remote data collection the sensor nodes on the ground have been insubstantial because of its limitations in standalone operability and higher power consumption leading to higher cost and sparse area coverage. In this paper, we designed and developed a low power, low-cost remote sensor station with LoRa transmitters, which has the standalone operating capability. It is compact, mobile and it has a simple design. It is equipped with a self-sustaining power supply, LoRa transmitters, processors, antenna and sensors; mainly focusing on the weather monitoring parameters like humidity and temperature. The basic mechanism of data relay is to sense and transmit sensor data packets in real-time. The feasibility of the sensor station has been studied in terms of power budget, link budget, its operation outdoors and the overall development costs. The sensor station can be placed in areas where there are no ground infrastructures for communication.