## 1 Introduction  
Today, small satellites in Low Earth Orbit are typically deployed as constellations to achieve global coverage. To ensure this coverage, hundreds or even thousands of satellites may need to be deployed [1]. Within the classification of small satellites based on weight, nanosatellites (1-10 kg) are one of the most popular categories. One commonly used standard in this category is the CubeSat, which is manufactured in a size of 10 \(\times\) 10 \(\times\) 10 cm\({}^{3}\), also known as 1U [2].  
Some advantages of manufacturing small satellites are as follows: cost reduction, short development times, launches at an affordable price, commercial applications, and flexibility [3]. Many projects today use commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components and there are even companies that offer complete systems on the market [4].  
Communication between satellites in Geostationary Orbit (GEO) and ground stations usually require large antennas with high transmit power, additionally, they present a high propagation delay due to the long propagation path [5].  
Small satellites in LEO offer strategic advantages such as low propagation times, low propagation loss, as well as network robustness. In addition, the power required for data transmission and reception is lower [6].  
The concept of satellite constellation is not new and emerged with pioneering companies such as Iridium and GlobalStar twenty years ago. They offered global communication link services that directly competed with cellular networks but had limited success due to high costs [7].  
Satellite communication can be classified into two different groups. The first is based on a ground station network architecture, where information is transmitted from the satellite to a ground station and then relayed through existing ground links. This approach requires the deployment of numerous stations for global coverage [8]. The second type is based on a space-based network architecture, which utilizes intersatellite links between satellites and only requires a small number of gateways [9].  
In this work, we present a hybrid approach where the GlobalStar constellation is based on the first type of architecture, while the AztechSat-1 nanosatellite is based on both the first and second types of architecture. In the first type, the nanosatellite allows communication with ground stations for radio amateurs, while in the second type, the nanosatellite establishes intersatellite links with the GlobalStar constellation, which subsequently relays the information to its gateways. The information transmitted remains the same in both cases.  
There are some initiatives from Space Agencies to promote the use of space using CubeSat-based missions [10]. For example, the ESA Education Programme is composed of many hands-on projects, the Fly Your Satellite (FYS) program is intended to give university students the opportunity to design, and launch and operate their own CubeSat [11]. On the other hand, NASA's CubeSat Launch Initiative provides universities with the opportunity to launch small satellites into space, enabling students to gain hands-on experience in developing space hardware [12]. It is noteworthy to mention that the AztechSat-1 nanosatellite was part of NASA's ELANa 25B and 28 mission alongside other experiments such as CryoCube-1, SORTIE, CIRiS, and EdgeCube [13].