NIMPH (acronym for Nanosatellite to Investigate Microwave Photonics Hardware) is a Cubesat project federator of the CSU-T dedicated to demonstrating the reliability of a system Opto-Microonde in space.

Opto-microwave systems combine the circuits microwaves and elements to photonic. The use of fibered Opto-Microwave technologies in telecommunications satellites would significantly increase performance by reducing size and weight, and enhancing immunity to electromagnetic disturbances. However, the effectiveness and reliability of these systems in a space environment still need to be proven. The NIMPH project aims to provide initial answers.

The mission of NIMPH is planned for a duration of 2 years, which is already a challenge for a cubesat mission. The orbit was chosen to be circular at an altitude of 650 km to strike a good balance between mission duration, requirements for radiative environments, while complying with the space debris laws (LOS). The cumulative dose of radiative radiation received at the systems to be tested is projected to be 20 kRad.

Two payloads are onboard the nanosatellite:

• EDMON : it is the main payload that includes the optical components and the associated control and measurement electronics. The central element of the device is a doped optical fiber that will be used as an optical amplifier. (EDFA). This fiber, suspected to be particularly sensitive to radiative emissions, will be placed in direct contact with the space environment. In-situ gain and noise measurements will account for the system’s performance and detect any potential degradation.
• RADMON : It is a secondary payload developed by CERN whose purpose is to measure the radiation environment in which the nanosatellite finds itself throughout the mission.

To date, two institutions are particularly involved in this project: ISAE-Supaéro and the Paul Sabatier University of Toulouse (EEA department and the Mechanical Engineering and Production department, Aerospace Techniques of the IUT). This project is labeled within the JANUS project. Since June 2017, it has been in Phase B, the high-level design phase. However, some critical optoelectronic elements will need to be tested in a low-altitude flight (100km) aboard a rocket in March 2018 as part of the MORE-REXUS project.