Description: The Radio and Laser Path Agnostic Communications Experiment (RALPHIE) is a cube satellite selected for development as a part of the 11th group of satellites funded by the Air Force Research Laboratory’s (AFRL) University Nanosatellite Program (UNP). RALPHIE aims to break down CubeSat barriers of data throughput and electrical power system (EPS) development time through flight demonstration of a Path-Agnostic Communication (PAC) System, a high-throughput optical communication link, both developed by Blue Cubed, and Amplified Space’s Software-Defined Power Controller (SDPC) charge controller. RALPHIE is designed to be a 6U cubesat that draws on flight heritage from the MAXWELL and SWARM-EX CubeSats. As part of UNP, RALPHIE will participate in the Flight Selection Review in January of 2024 where it has the possibility to be chosen for launch.
Sponsors: Blue Cubed, Amplified Space, University Nanosatellite Program
PI: Scott Palo
PM: Ashotosh Kalsi
Team Roster: Sam Goodwin, Dietrich Klemm, Madeleine Bahorski, Khaled Alnaqbi, Samantha Zerbel, Apurva Sharma, Connor Masaulay, Tristan Workman