apex Mk.2/Mk.3: Secure Live Transmission of the First Flight of Trichoplax adhaerens in Space Based on Components Off-the-Shelf

After the successful flight of the first Advanced Processors, Encryption, and Security Experiment (apex) Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) On-Board Computer (OBC) during the Propulsion Technologies and Components of Launcher Stages (ATEK)/Material Physics Experiments Under Microgravity (MAPHEUS)-8 sounding rocket campaign, a second generation of COTS OBCs were built, leveraging the knowledge gained. This new concept and improvements are provided. The Mk.2 Science Camera Platform (SCP) has an instrumented high-definition science camera to research the behavior of small organisms such as Trichoplax adhaerens under challenging gravity conditions, while the Mk.3 Student Experiment Sensorboard (SES) represents an Arduino-like board that directly interfaces with the MAPHEUS Service Module and allows for rapid development of new sensor solutions on sounding rocket systems. Both experiments were flown successfully on MAPHEUS-10, including a biological system as a proof of concept, and paved the way for an even more capable third generation of apex OBCs. This study is part one of a three-part series describing the apex Mk.2/Mk.3 experiments, open-source ground segment, and service module simulator.