Digital Commons Network^™

Kulr One Space, Chase Rodriguez

Small Satellite Conference

Small spacecraft battery packs are both mass and cost prohibitive if they are to meet the thermal runaway requirements for manned missions. Exploratory Mission 1 (EM-1), also known as Artemis 1 had 13 secondary, intended small spacecraft payloads. Many of these payloads would have exceeded the 80WHr energy threshold, and these would have been required to adhere to thermal runaway standard JSC 20793. All 13 payloads were covered under the EM-1 thermal runaway waiver for secondary payloads; however, EM-2 is not expected to grant such waivers. Further, the EM-2 secondary small spacecraft payloads are growing in size and the battery …

Adaptive On-Board Signal Compression For Sar Using Machine Learning Methods, Craig Hay, Lucy Donnell, Charlotte Crawshaw, Murray Ireland, Mehrdad Yaghoobi

Small Satellite Conference

Satellites with synthetic aperture radar (SAR) payloads are growing in popularity, with a number of new institutional missions and commercial constellations launched or in planning. As an active instrument operating in the microwave region of the electromagnetic spectrum, SAR provides a number of unique advantages over passive optical instruments, in that it can image in all weather conditions and at night. This allows dense time-series to be built up over areas of interest, that are useful in a variety of Earth observation applications. The polarisation and phase information that can be captured also allows for unique applications not possible in …

3d Printed Loop Heat Pipes For High-Performance Small Satellites, Rohit Gupta, Chien-Hua Chen, William G. Anderson

Small Satellite Conference

Advanced Cooling Technologies has been developing 3D printed loop heat pipes as low-cost, rapidly-manufacturable alternatives to standard loop heat pipes. With 3D printing, the evaporator build can be entirely automated leading to significant savings in costs and lead times. The 3D printed loop heat pipe can enable high-performance small satellites with significant enhancement of the heat rejection capability. This paper provides a comprehensive narrative of the 3D printed loop heat pipe development, including an exposition of the wick and evaporator development, and a discussion of select test results acquired in the laboratory. The evaporator wick was achieved by carefully controlling …

Extension Of Cloud Computing To Small Satellites, Kathryn O'Donnell, Meghan Weber, Joy Fasnacht, Jeff Maynard, Margaret Cote, Shayn Hawthorne

Small Satellite Conference

Time-to-insight is a critical measure in a number of satellite mission applications: detection and warning of fast-moving events like fires and floods, or identification and tracking of satellites or missiles, for example. Current data flows delay the time-to-insight on the order of minutes or hours, as all collected data must be downlinked in one or more contact windows, then transited over terrestrial networks to the location of the analytic software. Additionally, mission applications on spacecraft are often static: built prior to launch, they cannot rapidly adapt to changing needs based on these insights.

To reduce time-to-insight and provide a dynamic …

Attitude Control Systems For Imaging The Moonlit Ground: Development And On-Orbit Updating Results Of Ce-Sat-Iib, Tomoya Inakawa, Shinji Matsuzawa, Nobutada Sako

Small Satellite Conference

Canon Electronics Inc. (CEI) is developing optical micro satellites “CE-SAT” for demonstrating in-house attitude determination and control systems (ADCS) and optical systems in order to achieve high-resolution and high-sensitivity imaging. CEI is now operating two satellites on orbit. The second satellite CE-SAT-IIB has the ability to take images of the ground surface with 5m GSD in the night using an Ultra High Sensitivity Camera (UHSC) and a highly accurate ADCS. The satellite has ability to track the ground with 20 arcsec/s or better of pointing stability, and this makes 100 milliseconds or longer exposure time possible. As the result, the …

Demonstrating New Attachment Technology For On-Orbit Docking, Simon Lee, Kathryn Forhan, Victor Aguero, Kalia Crowder, David Smith

Small Satellite Conference

Cambrian Works has developed eTAP (electric, Thin Attachment Pad) based on the principle of Electroadhesion (EA) as a general attachment technology particularly suitable for the space environment. eTAP addresses multiple in-space applications such as docking, in-space assembly, transportation, refueling, and orbital debris removal. These objectives have received significant attention in recent years, with many new space companies and business models receiving large government contracts and private funding. In this paper, Cambrian Works demonstrates the feasibility of eTAP to support these various missions by 1) examining the quantitative attachment force levels achievable with common aerospace materials under laboratory conditions, and 2) …

Nasa Space Launch System Cubesats: First Flight And Future Opportunities, Russell Lane, Courtney Ryals, Carole Mclemore, David Hitt

Small Satellite Conference

On Artemis I, within the integrated SLS upper stage under the Orion spacecraft, there were 10 6U CubeSats. The spacecraft all had different mission objectives, ranging from studying the lunar surface for water and minerals, landing on the Moon, studying deep space radiation, studying the Sun, studying Earth-Moon LaGrange Point 2, and characterizing a near-Earth asteroid, to name a few. This paper discusses the conditions of the CubeSats’ flight on the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and their deployments. Statistics concerning the 10 CubeSats will be provided relating to radio contact and mission performance. For those still in operation at …

Esep: An Experimental Onboard Computing System For Localized Capacity Building And Future Philippine Microsatellites, Kenneth John Ibarra, Floyd Ferrant Fortes, Elaiza Pontrias, Victor Joseph Ochave, Gracielle Capardo, Noniel Paul Novabos, Julie Ann Banatao, Marc Caesar Talampas

Small Satellite Conference

The Experimental Science & Engineering Payload (ESEP) platform is a bus and payload system designed to host and perform the functions of the primary components of a satellite bus system. This engineering platform is intended to act as an experimental redundant bus & payload system to the primary Diwata-2 system. This will allow testing of experimental bus and payload modules which will then be the base platform for future satellite developments in the Philippines for small satellites. The bus segment consists of the satellite command & data handling, satellite attitude control & management, and the communications subsystem. Consequently, the mission …

Attitude Determination And Control System With Variable-Speed Single-Gimbal Control Moment Gyroscopes For Nanosatellites, Jordan H. Hsieh, Thomas Yen, Sam Lee, Austin Chang, Luke Hou

Small Satellite Conference

This paper presents a novel Attitude Determination and Control System (ADCS) utilizing Variable-Speed Control Moment Gyroscopes (VSCMG) tailored explicitly for nanosatellites. The VSCMG was realized by spherical motor technology, in which a patented magnetic field design controls the inner rotor and gimbal. Because of the characteristics of the control moment gyroscope, the proposed ADCS offers improved attitude maneuverability and reduced power consumption, addressing the limitations of traditional ADCS solutions for nanosatellites. Furthermore, the adoption of spherical motor technology shrinks the VSCMG into a smaller form factor, which allows the VSCMG to be fitted into a nanosatellite. This research paper introduces …

Highly Miniaturized Swir Off-The-Shelf Camera Head For Space Applications, Julien Bezine, Charles Sellier, Ange Djouaka Nguimfac, Clément Delahouliere, Paul Serrano, Wissam Durand-Mouallem, Jean-Marc Belloir, Valerian Lalucaa, Cédric Virmontois

Small Satellite Conference

3D PLUS has developed in the framework of its camera products development, and in collaboration with the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES), an off-the-shelf highly miniaturized SWIR camera head for space applications. This opto-electronic module has been integrated using 3D PLUS packaging technology and electronics design expertise to design a product as compact and optimized as possible, suitable for wide range of space applications. This poster presents the development and manufacturing of 3D PLUS 3DCM830 SWIR Space Camera Head.

Do Multisat Constellations Make It Easy For The Bad Guy?, Brandon Cesul, Edgar Ryan

Small Satellite Conference

With the United States moving toward fielding "massive multi-satellite constellation" architectures of small satellites for national security missions (to include dual-use commercial services), a radical change in the strategic calculus associated with space defense and space superiority is forthcoming. While many aspects of natural defenses of massive multi-satellite constellation architectures have been presented by U.S. government advocates such as the Space Development Agency, acquisition executives and strategic thinkers must consider additional factors for potential vulnerabilities and some potentially non-intuitive strategic impacts. Here, we specifically focus on the space situational awareness needs of potential attackers when considering conterspace actions against the …

Optical Ground Station For 10 Gbps Or More Leo-To-Ground Link Utilizing Tilba-Atmo For Turbulence Mitigation, M. Meunier, D. Schanne, G. Vallet, A. Beauland, H. Lehec, P. Jian, G. Labroille, O. Pinel

Small Satellite Conference

No abstract provided.

Optimization Of A Constellation Deployment And Renewal With Petri Nets, Anton Roig

Small Satellite Conference

This poster analyzes deployment scenarios of the IoT constellation SIROCO in order to characterize the impacts of the working hypotheses – including the type and number of satellites, the in-orbit stock management, the reliability of the satellites and launchers – on the expected performances and costs of the system.

Case Studies Of The Addvalue's Inter-Satellite Data Relay System ("Idrs") For Commercial Leo Satellites Based On The Inmarsat Bgan Satellite Network, Francis Low, Eyal Trachtman

Small Satellite Conference

Existing LEO satellites have short connection times due to the limited coverage from ground stations. Addvalue has taken an evolutional approach to relay the connection via GEO satellites providing global coverage to LEO constellations.

The Rogue Alpha And Beta Mission: Operations, Infrared Remote Sensing, Leo Data Processing, And Lessons Learned From Three Years On Orbit With Two Laser Communication-Equipped 3u Cubesats, Dee W. Pack, Pradeep Thiyanaratnam, Brian S. Hardy, Tom Freeze, John R. Santiago, David Pietrowski, Michael Leon

Small Satellite Conference

The Aerospace Corporation's Rogue-alpha, beta program was a rapid prototyping demonstration aimed at building and deploying an infrared remote sensing capability into low Earth orbit within 18 months. The two satellites and their data were then used for three years as an experimental testbed for future proliferated low Earth orbit (pLEO) constellations. Their launch took place on November 2, 2019, followed by boost and deployment of two identical spacecraft (Rogue-alpha and beta) by the Cygnus ISS cargo vessel into circular 460-km, 52° inclined orbits on January31, 2020. The primary sensors were 1.4-micron band, InGaAs short wavelength infrared (SWIR) cameras with640x512 …

Simple Scheduling Algorithm For Growing Constellations, Lauren Fitzgibbon, Chris Shaffer

Small Satellite Conference

As the number of satellites in orbit grows, satellite constellation operators must consider better ways to balance the usage of ground assets. In general, ground asset availability does not grow linearly with the number of satellites launched, so alternative approaches to divide usage amongst a limited number of ground assets are required. While advanced techniques exist to manage these factors, they are often not practical for small and growing constellation managers.

The authors have developed a computationally simple method for dividing available antenna time between satellites, considering available access windows. This was designed to adapt to any number of heterogenous …

Using Space Games Like Simplerockets, Spaceflight Simulator, And Kerbal Space Program To Teach Kids Orbital Mechanics, Ryan Cahoy, Joey Murphy

Small Satellite Conference

Kids love space exploration, but they do not necessarily know how rockets and spacecraft actually work. Kids can use space-themed games based on physics to learn more about how metal cylinders full of propellant move and interact in space while still having fun. We talk about our example videos with a focus on kid space fans to help them get started. We use games that are currently available in stable releases, starting first with basic concept 2D games like Simple Rockets, and then to Spaceflight Simulator, which is also 2D. From there, we give examples of progressing to 3D motion …

The Arkisys Port Module: An Orbital Platform For Hosted Payloads In Low-Earth Orbit, Rahul Rughani, David A. Barnhart, Dan Lopez

Small Satellite Conference

Advances in Small Satellite technology combined with the availability of low-cost rideshares to Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) have led to an increasing number of space missions. However, the underlying technology for small payload missions has been relatively constant over the past two decades: CubeSat form factor platforms for free-flying missions in LEO. Arkisys is working to change this, and allow a wider variety of payloads to reach LEO which don't include an immediate free-flying requirement. This platform is called The Port, and is an autonomous long-duration orbital platform for a multitude of uses, including hosting payloads in LEO.

Currently, avenues …

An Update On The Virtual Mission Control Room, Felix Sittner, Oliver Hartmann, Sergio Montenegro, Jan-Philipp Friese, Larissa Brübach, Marc Erich Latoschik, Carolin Wienrich

Small Satellite Conference

In 2021 we presented the Virtual Mission Control Room (VMCR) on the verge from fun educational project to testing ground for remote cooperative mission control. Since then, we successfully participated in ESA's 2022 campaign "New ideas to make XR a reality", which granted us additional funding to improve the VMCR software and conduct usability testing in cooperation with the chair of human-computer-interaction. In this paper and the corresponding poster session we give an update on the current state of the project, the new features and project structure. We explain the changes suggested by early test users and ESA to make …

Using Space Domain Awareness Tools And Electric Propulsion To Evade Space Debris, Patrick R. C. Neumann, Steven Despotellis, Hervé Astier

Small Satellite Conference

As more spacecraft use electric propulsion for altitude change, constellation management, and end-of-life disposal, attention is being given to other use-cases such as debris avoidance. While the growing population of all-electric GEO satellites and all-electric LEO megaconstellation satellites have demonstrated successful collision avoidance to date, they either operate in orbits with a smaller debris population (e.g., the GEO satellites) or have power budgets scaled to support high communications throughput which can be applied to propulsion systems as needed[1]. There has been doubt expressed that small spacecraft of more limited power supplies can host electric propulsion systems with sufficient thrust to …

Multidimensional Analysis Of Future Leo Environment & Associated Challenges For Space Sustainability, Nana Gordon, Dylan Reeves

Small Satellite Conference

For 66 years the space sector has experienced tremendous growth. More than 13,000 satellites have been successfully launched into orbit, of which 4,600 are smallsats launched in the last decade alone. Untapped market potential and the anticipation of ongoing growth in smallsat launch rates is undisputed as early constellations implement replenishment cycles and budding start-ups and national security programs are deployed at scale. Given this growth, in the presence of existing satellites and the 130+ million debris objects on-orbit, satellite operators are faced with the challenge of operating in a complex environment and addressing space sustainability.

In-Orbit Demonstration Of Technology For Thermal Management And Highly Integrated Electronics On A 3u Cubesat: Curtis Satellite, Jose Rodrigo Cordova-Alarcon, Eyoas Ergetu Areda, Hari Ram Shrestha, Victor Hugo Schultz, Necmi Cihan Orger, Hirokazu Masui, Mengu Cho, Nobuyuki Koyama, Izumi Tomohiro, Masato Mori

Small Satellite Conference

No abstract provided.

Satellite Software Development Framework With Rust That Improves Developer Enablement, Yuta Sakamoto, Hidekazu Kobayashi, Ryo Suzumoto, Toshifumi Akima, Shumon Fujita, Masato Hoshika, Yoshiki Iwasa, Kanta Yanagida

Small Satellite Conference

Our challenge: developing various satellites with a small team in a short period

Enhancement Of Satellite Free-Space Laser Communication Systems Using Machine Learning Methods, Mikulas Cebecauer, Cameron Anderson, Georgia Harvey, Craig Colquhoun, Murray Ireland, Rob Hunter, Afonso Nunes, Rob Stansfield

Small Satellite Conference

Laser communication systems have many advantages over conventional radio frequency (RF) systems. Using light instead of RF supports significantly higher communication data rates. However, such optical payloads are currently mainly used in non-optimised SatCom systems, and thus their full capabilities remain unexploited. In response to this Craft Prospect with CGI UK is focused on upgrading optical systems by using machine learning (ML) methods to improve link acquisition of laser communication terminals (LCTs) and to manage networked laser SatCom system outages.

Designing A Model-Based Systems Engineering (Mbse) Template For Satellites, David Walker, Dan Christensen, Brad Mercer, Gavin Payne

Small Satellite Conference

The goal of this project has been to digitally transform SDL systems engineering methods for scoping small satellite missions, developing system architectures, documenting the engineering solution, and verifying design solutions from being document-intensive (gathering non-transformable information in discrete, disjoint documents) to being model-based (employing cohesive, traceable, transformable graphical models).

We have produced a set of models that give satellite development programs (and any "model-based" program) a head start that enables the modeling effort to drive the systems engineering process instead of catching up with a document-driven design. We plan to use these models to develop, train, and encourage consistent modeling …

A Low-Cost Mobile Ground Station Architecture For Amateur Uhf Communications: Pointy, Adam Elsharhawy, Ali Malik

Small Satellite Conference

Small satellites, also known as CubeSats and Small Sats, have revolutionized the space industry by providing cost-effective solutions for satellite deployment and operation. Although permanent ground stations are more desirable, for student groups and other satellite organizations building something permanent on the roof is not always an option. POINTY (Pleiades Omnidirectional Interface Node to Yearling) presents a low-budget mobile ground station for communication with CubeSats and Small Sats using a tracking telescope mount, a handheld Yagi antenna, and tracking software. The system was designed to be portable and cost-effective, making it accessible to amateur satellite enthusiasts and educational institutions.

The …

Nasa Operational Simulator For Smallsats (Nos3) – Design Reference Mission, John P. Lucas, Matthew D. Grubb, Justin R. Morris, Mark D. Suder, Scott A. Zemerick

Small Satellite Conference

The NASA Operational Simulator for Small Satellites (NOS3) has undergone significant advances including updating the framework to be component based and expanding the open-source code to include a generic design reference mission to enable advanced technologies. This paper details the changes to the framework as well as a number of innovative use-cases the team is currently supporting such as 1) the expansion of NOS3 to support distributed systems missions in collaboration with NASA GSFC, 2) the integration of NASA JPL’s Science Yield improvemeNt via Onboard Prioritization and Summary of Information Systems (SYNOPSIS) for on-orbit science data prioritization, and 3) the …

Enabling Mission Success: A Student's Perspective On Developing A Ground Station, Sean Svihla, Adrian Bryant, Lucia Witikko

Small Satellite Conference

In recent years, The University of Colorado Boulder’s Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) has grown its SmallSat Operations (SMOPS) program into a large team of students and professionals managing the operations of multiple SmallSat missions. The team responsible for the on-site ground station (GSOPS) includes a small team of students alongside professionals who help manage the on-site UHF and S-band antennas, making use of open-source, commercial, and in-house software. In this process, the student ground station team has adapted the limited time and resources of a single ground station to accommodate the needs and science objectives of multiple …

Educational And Real-World Satellite Mission Operations Center At The Us Naval Academy, Noah Loftis, Ethan Schneider, Christine Maceo, Jin S. Kang, Michael Sanders

Small Satellite Conference

For successful satellite missions at the United States Naval Academy (USNA), a critical element is the
establishment of a capable and dynamic Satellite Mission Operations Center (SOC). In addition to powerful hardware, flexibility and adaptability allow the SOC to continue to support operations, even as new protocols arise and communication architectures change with the rapid pace of small satellite advancement. Software-defined radios (SDRs) provide the necessary flexibility for the SOC to easily change configurations and network with other ground stations. However, the resulting high-tech, turn-key operations of an advanced SOC tend to alienate students from hands-on learning experiences. The USNA …

Space Station Operations Capabilities In A Shoebox: Marshall Space Flight Center’S Telescience Resource Kit, Jeff Lippincott, Michelle Schneider, Steve Chubb, Sam Digesu, Darren Wallace

Small Satellite Conference

The International Space Station (ISS) has provided the world an unprecedented capability, establishing a continuous human foothold in outer space for more than 22 years now. But maintaining that capability and supporting the ambitious portfolio of scientific research it hosts has required another unprecedented capability – providing ground-based operations support for the crew and a diverse manifest of research payloads, all simultaneously. To help meet this challenge, NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) developed TReK, the Telescience Resource Kit, providing a robust solution for data, command, metadata, and file transfer capabilities. In response to an increasingly wide and diverse need …