Clarification of hardware versions for PROVES v1.5

[joaopedrovbs]

Hello everyone!

First of all, I love this project and definitely plan to become a contributor!

Right now, I’m on a mission to build something quickly and affordably (I’ll be funding it out of my own pocket), together with some students from a Brazilian school near the Alcântara Launch Site. We’re aiming to take advantage of a launch slot generously offered to them by INNOSPACE Company on their maiden flight.

I’d like to base our project on PROVES v1.5, but I’ve been having trouble finding the correct combination of versions that work together. Is the following combination the right one?

• Structure: Doesn't have any versioning, any will do.
• Solar XY Boards are on the XY_Faces Folder?
• Solar Z- Board is on the Z_Face Folder?
• Is Z+ and Flight Computer Board FC_External?
• And for Battery Board is the battery_board_v2 the correct one?

[Mikefly123]

Hi João!

Thanks for reaching out and congratulations on securing that launch. I am planning to update our docs site to better explain exactly which hardware versions fit into each version of the PROVES Kit, but here is a quick explainer:

V1 PROVES Kit: Released in 2023

The was the initial version of the PROVES Kit based on the Yearling generation of satellites. Support for these versions is only available to existing users and they are not recommended for new missions.

Known Users:

• Northeastern Project Horizon
• UNLV RebelSat
• Montogomery High School
• St. Louis University
• Harvard SEDS (custom version?)
• Arizona State University COCONUT (created derivative architecture - the 6Py perhaps?)

Board Versions:

• Flight Controller Board V3
• XY Solar Panel Board V1
• Z- Solar Panel Board V1
• Battery Board V2a

Known Major Issues:

• Increased suspectability to thermal shutdown and radiation upsets due to the V3 Flight Controller Board

V1.5 PROVES Kit: Created in 2024

This version of the PROVES kit is a combination of significant improvements made in V4 flight controller boards along with a modified legacy battery board configuration (V2b). The VT InspireFly team will be flying this version of the kit on their Content Cube mission (already delivered for flight to the ISS!) in 2025 and we eagerly await their inflight results. This was also the first version to include a significantly improved radiation tolerant watchdog circuit.

Known Users:

• Virginia Tech InspireFly (Launching to the ISS in 2025!)

Board Versions:

• Flight Controller Board V4c InspireFly Special
• XY Solar Panel Board V1
• Z- Solar Panel Board V1
• Battery Board V2b
• Custom unreleased antenna board

Known Major Issues:

• Lack of stable and officially supported software

V2 PROVES Kit: Released in 2024

V2 of the PROVES Kit was developed for the Irvington High School Girls in STEM team to fly on the Orpheus satellite. This version of the kit was successfully launched in December 2024 on the SpaceX Bandwagon - 2 mission. On orbit performance was as expected aside from a major software error that caused the radio transmit power to be stuck at 100mW instead of 1W EIRP. As a result, the camera module included in this version of the kit could not be verified on orbit due to link budget issues.

Known Users:

• Irvington High School (Launched on Pleiades - Orpheus satellite!)
• Texas State Space Lab

Board Versions:

• Flight Controller Board V4c Express
• XY Solar Panel Board V1
• Z- Solar Panel Board Combi V1
• Mux Driver Board V1
• Camera Driver Board V1
• Battery Board V3c
• Antenna Board V1

Known Major Issues:

• Lack of stable and officially supported software
• Major software bug severely limiting radio transmit power (fix available)
• Power budget is extremely poor due to all of the additional components and no proper load switching circuits

Upcoming V3 PROVES Kit: Planned Release No Later Than August 2025

Known Developers:

• Bronco Space Lab (Lead Developer)
• Texas State Space Lab (Primary Software Development Team)
• UCSC SlugSat
• Northeastern Project Horizon
• Columbia Space Initiative
• NASA JPL Small Scale Flight Software Team (possesses Flight Controller Boards for evaluation - development of an F Prime PROVES deployment is planned for 2025)

Board Versions:

• Flight Controller Board V5x
• XY Solar Panel Board V2
• Z- Solar Panel Board V2a
• Battery Pack V2
• Antenna Board V2

Major Improvements

• Upgrade to RP2350 Microcontroller
• Additional S-Band Radio
• Proper load switching circuitry to manage the power used by peripherals
• Dramatically overhauled software and developer tools

Happy to provide more support as I can. Let me know if this helps and if you need any other context!