Call for Proposals – 6th IEEE GRSS Student Grand Challenge (SGC)

Topic: A 1P PocketQube to monitor Radio-Frequency Interference (RFI) in Microwave Radiometry bands

Overview

IEEE GRSS invites student teams worldwide to propose, design, and build a payload for a 1P PocketQube (PQ), a 5×5×5 cm³ size pico-satellite dedicated to in-orbit RFI monitoring across priority passive-sensing bands used by current and upcoming microwave radiometry missions. The 6th SGC builds on the tradition of previous editions—hands-on projects tackling real remote-sensing challenges and culminating in public results at IGARSS—while introducing a spaceflight-grade, open, reproducible small-satellite platform. (GRSS-IEEE)

Scientific & Programmatic Context

Persistent and emerging RFI threatens the quality of passive microwave measurements (soil moisture, SST, sea ice, precipitation, temperature sounding, etc.). This challenge targets in-situ, spaceborne RFI situational awareness to inform mitigation measures for missions such as CryoRad (wideband 400–2000 MHz) and CIMR (L/C/X/K/Ka channels). Teams will design and deliver a flight-model PQ payload that characterizes occupancy, power spectral density, time–frequency dynamics, and geospatial statistics of RFI within the specified bands. (See “Target Bands” below).

PocketQube Platform: the IEEE GRSS Open PocketQube Kit

All teams will base their pico-satellite payload on the IEEE GRSS Open PocketQube Kit (mechanical/electrical/software baselines and documentation), with repositories and wiki maintained by UPC NanoSat Lab. If needed, teams may propose justified modifications (mass, power, EMC, interfaces) required by the RFI monitoring payload they design. (wiki.nanosatlab.space)

• Project page / docs (wiki): (wiki.nanosatlab.space)
• Hardware repository: (GitHub)
• Software repository (Lektron/PoCat lineage): (GitHub)
• ESA “Fly Your Satellite!” feature on PoCat-Lektron: (esa.int)

Target Bands for RFI Monitoring

Proposals shall address at least one of the following, with a compelling rationale for channelization, dynamic range, calibration, and on-board detection:

• CryoRad-like wideband: 400–2000 MHz (swept or sub-bands).
• CIMR L-band: 1.4135 GHz, BW 25 MHz → 1.401–1.426 GHz.
• CIMR C-band: 6.875 GHz, BW 400 MHz → 6.675–7.075 GHz.
• CIMR X-band: 10.65 GHz, BW 100 MHz → 10.60–10.70 GHz.
• CIMR K-band: 18.7 GHz, BW 200 MHz → 18.60–18.80 GHz.
• CIMR Ka-band: 36.5 GHz, BW 300 MHz → 36.35–36.65 GHz.

Expected Outcomes

• An open RFI monitoring payload compatible with the IEEE GRSS Open PocketQube, including the design (schematics, layout, Gerber files, BOM…): RF front end (LNA/filters/attenuators), spectrometer (e.g., FPGA, SDR-based, or using the own onboard computer), frequency/time references, onboard calibration (noise diode / reference) or if a RSSI is used, and on-board processing (feature extraction, compression), etc.
• Ground test campaign results (radiated/conducted interferences), on-air campaign with antenna pattern and system linearity characterization, and reproducible pipelines.
• Release of all code and data under permissive licenses in public repositories (GitHub + GRSS page).

Notes for proposing teams:

• Include strategies for detection (energy, time and/or frequency domains, spectral kurtosis, cyclostationarity), classification (narrowband, pulsed…), geolocation proxies (orbital correlation), and resilience (blanking, adaptive thresholds).
• Payload testing will be performed first at team’s premises using e.g. a Nucleo board with an STM32L microprocessor to mimic the PocketQube On Board Computer (OBC), later at UPC NanoSatLab premises by integrating it in a real 1P PocketQube.
• Teams willing to develop on their own the full 1P PocketQube following the IEEE GRSS Open PocketQube kit standard are welcome to do it, and may get additional financial support (within the maximum budget limit per team).

Eligibility & Team Composition

• Teams must be student-led (undergrad/grad), with at least one mentor from academia/industry.
• Strongly encouraged composition: electrical/electronic, telecommunications, aerospace engineers, and computer scientists (signal processing, embedded SW, ML).
• Commitment: Teams must demonstrate commitment for sustained participation during 2026–2027 (PDR→CDR→EM→FM milestones and reviews). Past SGCs typically span 18 months with formal design reviews; plan accordingly. Teams must commit also to attend submit a full abstract to IGARSS 2027, and attend the conference to present their results in a dedicated session, and to submit the full paper to the JSTARS Special Issue associated to IGARSS 2027.

Selection Criteria

Evaluations will weight:

1. Background of the team (relevant experience, labs, prior builds/tests).
2. Team composition & roles (coverage of RF/HW/SW/AIT, mission/ops).
3. Commitment & planning (resourcing, schedule realism, risk mitigation, QA).
4. Technical merit (RFI payload architecture, sensitivity, dynamic range, spectral/temporal resolution, calibration, EMC/EMI control, ITU-RR awareness).
5. Openness & impact (reusability, documentation quality, education/outreach).

Support & Budget

Subject to GRSS approval and available funds, selected teams may receive seed funding up to USD 10,000 per team, a travel grant up to 2,000 USD for one presenter per team to present at IGARSS 2027 in a dedicated session, and the publication fees of their JSTARS paper if accepted for publication.

Milestones & Reviews – Important Dates

• Project Kickoff & Requirements Review – January 2026
• Preliminary Design Review (PDR) — architecture, RF budget, sensitivity/RFI detection plan – April 2026
• Critical Design Review (CDR) — detailed design, EMC plan, test procedures – July 2026
• Engineering Model (EM) tests — functional/RF/thermal-vac…  – October 2026
• Flight Model (FM) AIT — environmental tests and end-to-end tests – March 2027
• Final Review and final paper submission to IGARSS 2027 – May 2027
• IGARSS Session — public presentation & dataset release

Application & Selection Process

Applications must follow the official SGC process described below. Only complete submissions will be considered.

Submission Package (max 15 pages, plus appendices)

1. Executive Summary (1 page): concept, bands covered, key innovation.
2. Technical Description:
   • RF architecture, filters/LNAs/attenuation plan, ADC/FPGA/SDR choice, spectrometer specs (RBW, VBW, ENOB), calibration (hot/cold, noise diode, use of RSSI as power detectors…), time/frequency reference, EMC design.
   • Performance budgets: sensitivity (K/Hz), dynamic range, out-of-band rejection, frequency accuracy/stability.
   • Detection & analytics: algorithms, on-board feature extraction/compression, downlink strategy.
   • Ground & in-orbit test plan: conducted/radiated tests, calibration validation, data products.
3. Mission & AIT plan: development phases (PDR/CDR/EM/FM), facilities, environmental tests. If the team does not these facilities, tests could be arranged free of charge at the UPC NanoSatLab (shipping and transportation are team’s responsibility).
4. Team & Governance: org chart, roles, advisor(s), risk & quality management.
5. Workplan & Commitment: 2026–2027 Gantt, reviews, internal gates, aligned with the general Milestones & Reviews.
6. Budget & Resource Plan (with open-source release plan).
7. Compliance: ITU-RR considerations (allocations, RR 5.340 zones, national regs), spectrum use during tests, export control. (Cite the regulations you rely upon.). Note: the PQ use LoRa ISM bands for communication.

Data, Software, and IP

All design files, software, and documentation must be released openly (permissive licenses). Derived RFI data products and analysis code must be archived in open repositories linked from the GRSS SGC page. Data sets could be used for future GRSS activities (e.g. hackathons, challenges etc.)

Submission of Applications

Please send your proposal BEFORE November 30^th 2025 at: 6.ieee.grss.sgc@gmail.com indicating “[6-IEEE-GRSS-SGC Proposal]” in the subject.

NO DEADLINE EXTENSIONS WILL BE GRANTED.