SUCHAI-4 Nanosatellite Mission

Jul 7, 2026 · 2 min read
SUCHAI 4. Credit: Comunicaciones FCFM
projects

Overview

SUCHAI-4 is a 3U CubeSat nanosatellite (30 × 10 × 10 cm) developed under an inter-institutional collaboration led by the Space and Planetary Exploration Laboratory (SPEL) at Universidad de Chile, with key software, cybersecurity, and ground system engineering developed by researchers and students from the Department of Computer Engineering (DIINF) at Universidad de Santiago de Chile (USACH) / SCY-FI Lab.

Launched successfully on July 7, 2026, SUCHAI-4 acts as a multipurpose orbital laboratory hosting nearly 60 experiments in space physics, biology (extremophiles), Earth observation, and optics.

DIINF & USACH Contributions

The project was led by SPEL, with the collaboration of academic researchers and undergraduate/graduate students from DIINF / SCY-FI Lab (USACH), who developed key onboard software components, ground control interfaces, and security modules:

  • Status variables synchronization across OBC: Developed an algorithm to synchronize the status variables between the many OBCs of the CubeSat (Josué Quileñan). Thesis: https://repositorio.usach.cl/permalink/56USACH_INST/p6m9oe/alma992271347906116
  • Software in the Loop Testing interface: Developed an SIL testing interface for the SUCHAI-FS to interact with space and operational simulators (such as HoneySat) to help testing and validating the SUCHAI-4 Flight Software and the control algorithms early (Felipe Solís). Thesis: https://repositorio.usach.cl/permalink/56USACH_INST/p6m9oe/alma992271347906116
  • Automatic Flight Operation & Scripting: Developed automated “recipe” execution systems capable of running complex sequential command pipelines autonomously during short orbital communication windows (Lucas Mesías).
  • Ground Control Interface: Built an intuitive graphical control interface for the SUCHAI Flight Software (SFS), simplifying telecommand transmission and real-time satellite telemetry monitoring (Josué Mateluna).
  • Low-Cost Educational Groundstations: Developed budget-friendly receiver kits for high schools, enabling students nationwide to receive live telemetry from SUCHAI-4 (Claudia Villa).

People Involved & Collaborators

  • USACH / DIINF Team:

    • Carlos Gonzalez-Cortes (Academic Lead)
    • Lucas Mesías
    • Claudia Villa
    • Josué Mateluna
    • Josué Quileñan
    • Felipe Solís

  • Collaborating Institutions:

    • SPEL (Space and Planetary Exploration Laboratory - Universidad de Chile, Project Lead)
    • SCY-FI Lab (Department of Computer Engineering - DIINF, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, USACH)
    • Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso
    • Universidad de Antofagasta
    • Universidad Austral de Chile
    • Funding by ANID (Fondef, Fondecyt, Anillo)

Links & Resources

Space Systems CubeSat Flight Software Cyber-Physical Systems Cybersecurity AI & Autonomy
Dr. Carlos Gonzalez-Cortes
Authors
Dr. Carlos Gonzalez-Cortes
Principal Investigator
Professor in the Computer Engineering Department at the University of Santiago of Chile (USACH). He holds a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Chile and has extensive experience in embedded systems, nanosatellites, and flight software. Previously, he developed the SUCHAI family and PlantSat nanosatellites at SPEL, and worked at the Flight Software Department of the German Aerospace Center (DLR). Carlos is passionate about pushing the boundaries of distributed space systems and satellite flight software architectures.