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Overview

The CubeSat Laboratory at Vermont Technical College (VTC) is a collection of students, faculty, and staff building CubeSat technology spacecraft.

While CubeSats are being constructed by many groups around the world, both inside and outside of academia, what makes our work different is that we use the SPARK/Ada programming language for our software needs. As compared to the more commonly used C language, Ada makes it much easier to write correct, robust software. SPARK adds the ability to create mathematical proofs (with the aid of tools) showing freedom from certain classes of runtime errors and other correctness properties. Our BasicLEO CubeSat, launched in November 2013 is the first CubeSat programmed with Ada and the first spacecraft of any kind programmed with SPARK.

This is the official web site for VTC's CubeSat Laboratory providing information about all our missions, both in the past and ongoing. See the Flying Sparks blog for up to the minute information about our current work. To contact us, see the "People" section below.

This web site was designed, created, and is maintained by VTC students and faculty.

Papers and Presentations

News Coverage

  • Ada the Language: Alive and in Flight (2016-10-10). This blog post on the Hackbright Academy site gives a brief discussion of Ada and references both our BasicLEO and Lunar IceCube projects.
  • The Herald of Randolph (2015-12-03). This article in the local Randolph, Vermont paper describes the end of our BasicLEO mission.
  • WCAX (2015-11-29). A story about the end of our BasicLEO mission with comments about our upcoming IceCube collaboration.
  • BusinessWire (2015-07-14). This article is an announcement from AdaCore about the use of SPARK on the IceCube project.
  • The Herald of Randolph (2015-07-09). This article appeared in the local Randolph, Vermont paper about the IceCube project.
  • Discovery News (2015-06-29). This is a general article about interplanetary CubeSats but our work is mentioned just below the picture of Jupiter.
  • FOX News (2014-11-20). This piece is about the BasicLEO launch.
  • WCAX (2013-11-21). This piece is about the BasicLEO launch.
  • Vermont Public Radio (2013-11-21). This piece is about the BasicLEO launch.
  • The Herald of Randolph (2013-11-21). This article in the local Randolph, Vermont paper is about the BasicLEO launch.
  • My Champlain Valley (2013-11-20). This piece is about the BasicLEO launch.
  • Vermont Business Magazine (2013-11-20). This piece is about the BasicLEO launch.
  • WCAX (2013-11-20). This piece is about the BasicLEO launch.
  • The Chronicle of Higher Education (2013-11-20). This piece is about the BasicLEO launch.

People

  • Dr. Carl Brandon (2007 –), Principal Investigator.
    Dr. Brandon is a professor of physics at Vermont Technical College (VTC). He oversees and administers the project and does whatever else needs doing.

  • Dr. Peter Chapin (2007 –), Software Director.
    Dr. Chapin is a professor of computer information systems at VTC. He oversees and contributes to the software development done on the project, working especially with the SPARK tools.

  • Eric Berlin (May 2021 –), Software Engineering student.
    Mr. Berlin is working on the Blackfly project.

  • Sevan Golnazarian (November 2020 –), Software Engineering (MSEE) student.
    Mr. Golnazarian is working on CubedOS and, in particular, on extending CubedOS to work in a distributed environment.

  • Ty Silva (May 2021 –), Software Engineering student.
    Mr. Silva is working on the ScriptBuilder, a tool for scripting CubedOS commands.

Past Students, Faculty, and Staff


  • Jeremy Audet (May 2011 – Aug 2011), Computer Engineering Technology student.
    Mr. Audet worked on the preliminary version of the flight control software for our BasicLEO orbiting satellite, with an emphasis on hardware interfacing.

  • India Beauregard, Software Engineering student.
    Ms. Beauregard worked on the inertial measurement unit for our BasicLEO satellite.

  • Jonathan Broadfoot (May 2016 – May 2018), Software Engineering student.
    Mr. Broadfoot worked on Lunar IceCube.

  • Al Corkery (Sep 2010 – May 2011).
    Mr. Corkery worked on GPS interfacing for our BasicLEO satellite.

  • Justin D'Amour (Aug 2018 – May 2019), Computer Engineering Technology student.
    Mr. D'Amour worked on building a drone test platform for CubedOS as a senior project.

  • Devon Diianni (May 2020 – August 2020), Software Engineering Student.
    Mr. Diianni worked on an implementation of the JT65 communication protocol for CubedOS.

  • Christopher Farnsworth (May 2016 – May 2018), Software Engineering (MSSE) student.
    Mr. Farnsworth worked on Lunar IceCube. His Master's project was to implement the spiral thrusting technique required to dump thrust axis angular momentum using a single, two-axis gimbaled ion drive.

  • Sarah Ferland (March 2017 – May 2019), Software Engineering student.
    Ms. Ferland worked on Lunar IceCube and CubedOS.

  • Taylor Hegarty (September 2018 – May 2020), Software Engineering student.
    . Mr. Hegarty worked on the CubeSat Laboratory web site, helping to bring it into ADA compliance.

  • Jordan Hodge (Sep 2010 – May 2011).
    Mr. Hodge worked on our ground station.

  • Niels Huisman (Jan 2015 – May 2017), Electromechanical Engineering Technology student.
    Mr. Huisman worked on Lunar IceCube.

  • Nicole Hurley (Jan 2015 – May 2016), Software Engineering student.
    Ms. Hurley worked on CubedOS and also did website development.

  • Ashraf Khalil (Aug 2018 – May 2019), Computer Information Technology student.
    Mr. Khalil worked on a virtual machine for CubeSat Laboratory development and web site as a senior project.

  • Sean Klink (Sep 2016 – May 2018), Software Engineering (MSSE) student.
    Mr. Klink worked on CubedOS. His Master's project was to implement the Merc (formerly XDR2OS3) tool.

  • Chad Loseby (Sep 2008 – May 2009), Computer Engineering Technology student.
    Mr. Loseby focused on the integration of and communications between the software and the hardware in the Alaskan Ice project.

  • Jordan Lyford (Sep 2010 – May 2011).
    Mr. Lyford worked on our ground station.

  • William McGrath (Nov 2012 – ?), Communications.
    Mr. McGrath is a VTC alumnus who provided up and down link communications services to our basic low Earth orbiting CubeSat (BasicLEO) while we constructed our own ground station. He is the president and CTO of LEDdynamics.

  • Scott McGrath (Nov 2013 – ?), Communications.
    Mr. McGrath is a VTC alumnus who was invaluable with analyzing flight software and assisting with communications.

  • David Miserak ( May 2020 – Dec 2021), Software Engineering (MSEE) student. David worked on the CubedOS priority system, implementing a form of message priorities for his master's project.

  • Colin Myers (Sep 2012 – May 2013).
    Mr. Meyers worked on the flight control software for our BasicLEO satellite.

  • Dr. Jeremy Ouellette (May 2019 – May 2021), Former Software Director.
    Dr. Ouellette was a professor of computer information systems at VTC.

  • Oliver Piluski (Nov 2012 – Nov 2013).
    Mr. Piluski is a VTC alumnus who has assisted with the construction of our BasicLEO satellite. He is an employee of LEDdyanmics, Inc.

  • Wilson Schreiber (Sep 2010 – May 2011).
    Mr. Schreiber worked on our ground station.

  • Silas Smith (May 2020 – May 2021), Software Engineering student.
    Mr. Smith worked on an implementation of the JT65 communications protocol for CubedOS.

  • Dan Turner (May 2012 – Jan 2015), Software Engineering student.
    Mr. Turner worked on the flight and ground control software of our BasicLEO satellite.

  • Matthew Ward (May 2011 – Aug 2011), Software Engineering student.
    Mr. Ward worked on the preliminary version of the flight control software for our BasicLEO satellite, with an emphasis on SPARK development.

  • Michael White (Sep 2008 – May 2009).
    Mr. White worked on the circuitry involved in connecting sensors to the system as well as other hardware concerns in the Alaskan Ice project.

  • Carl Wolf (Sep 2012 – May 2013).
    Mr. Wolf is a professor of mechanical engineering at VTC. He worked on the solid model for our BasicLEO satellite.

Past Student Interns


  • Emily Friedman (Oct 2016 – January 2017), Student intern from Essex High School.

  • Tigran Ionnisian (Mar 2017 – June 2017), Student intern from Essex High School.

Acknowledgments

Our work is supported by grants from the Vermont Space Grant Consortium, a part of the NASA Space Grant program, NASA, and EPSCoR. Vermont Technical College has also received generous donations of commercial software from AdaCore, SofCheck, Altran, and Rowley Associates.

Software to analyze orbits of our spacecraft has been supplied as a generous donation from AGI of their Systems Tool Kit.

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