TT&C system for the ALMASat-EO microsatellite platform

The microsatellite ALMASat-EO is the next generation of ALMASat satellites series; the first one called ALMASat-1 was successfully launched on-board the VEGA Maiden Flight on February 13
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, 2012. The Tracking, Telemetry and Command (TT&C) system is a vital subsystem of the spacecraft, performing the bidirectional link for telemetry transmission and commands reception. A low-cost and low-power communication system based on a System-on-a-Chip RF transceiver, was designed and tested at the Forlì campus of the University of Bologna. The mission requirements, architectural design and operational software are thoroughly described, together with the result of a test campaign.