SNUGLITE 3A, 3B (Hana, Duri)

SNUSGLITE 3 [SNU]

Snuglite-III A & B are two 3U-CubeSats developed by Seoul National University, South Korea. The satellites support amateur radio communications and serve as platforms for technology demonstration and Earth observation.

The primary mission objective is to provide twin low-Earth-orbit CubeSats functioning as amateur radio repeaters. The payloads use UHF and S-band systems to support radio training and communication for the amateur radio community. The satellites operate digipeaters based on AX.25 packet data, enabling users to exchange data via a half-duplex UHF transceiver.

A secondary mission element focuses on technology demonstration. Both satellites carry in-house developed GPS receivers used for GPS radio occultation (GPS-RO) measurements. The receivers collect positioning and atmospheric data, which are stored as housekeeping telemetry and distributed through satellite beacons and the SNUGLITE-III website. The mission supports research and training by providing openly accessible GPS-RO results to amateur radio operators and students.

Another mission component involves the acquisition of satellite imagery of the Korean Peninsula. The images are downlinked via S-band during passes over South Korea. Image reception and processing are conducted in collaboration with amateur radio operators in the country.

Snuglite-III was built at Seoul National University and integrates standard CubeSat technologies with university-developed subsystems. The design supports formation flying, requiring a separation system and precise GPS-based navigation capabilities.

Each satellite is a 3-unit CubeSat with a mass of under 3.6 kg. The two spacecraft are launched as a connected pair. After initial checkouts in orbit, a separation mechanism releases the satellites to enable coordinated formation operations.