The Flexible Microwave Payload -2: Design, Implementation, and Optimization of a GNSS-R and Radiometry Processor for CubeSat-Based Earth Observation Missions

The Flexible Microwave Payload 2 (FMPL-2) is a Remote Sensing payload carried on board 3Cat-5/A, one of the two 6-unit CubeSats of the FSSCat mission. FMPL-2 is a payload based on a Software Defined Radio (SDR), integrating two instruments in a single platform: a multi-constellation (GPS and Galileo) Global Navigation Satellite System Reflectometer (GNSS-R), and a Total Power Radiometer (TPR) with Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) detection and mitigation capabilities. This paper focuses on the description of the software developed for the platform, with a detailed description on the optimizations used for the two instruments.