Digital Commons Network^™

Satellite For Estimating Aquatic Salinity And Temperature (Seasalt) A Payload And Instrumentation Overview, Shreeyam Kacker, Mary Dahl, Albert Thieu, Cadence Payne, Kerri Cahoy, Paul Fucile, Viviane Menezes, Sean Mccarthy

Small Satellite Conference

The Satellite for Estimating Aquatic Salinity and Temperature, or SEASALT, is a 6U CubeSat designed to acquire coastal images to measure Sea Surface Temperature (SST) and to develop and utilize an algorithm to estimate Sea Surface Salinity (SSS). SSS can be retrieved in coastal zones by utilizing atmospherically corrected optical images to retrieve remote sensing reflectance (Rrs). Rrs and SSS can then be empirically related through algorithms specific to different aquatic bodies. Current satellite instruments used for SSS calculations, such as MODIS and VIIRS, have limited revisit times and low spatial resolutions that make it challenging to implement SSS retrieval …

Raise-3 For Agile On-Orbit Demonstration Of Innovative Satellite Technologies: Mission Definition And Conceptual Design, Yutaka Komatsu, Yuki Tsutsui, Haruhi Katsumata, Atsushi Wada, Yuya Kakehashi, Keiichiro Fujimoto, Kengo Nakamura, Yutaka Kaneko, Takanori Iwata

Small Satellite Conference

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has selected on-orbit demonstration missions for the Innovative Satellite Technology Demonstration-3 project in May 2020, as part of the Innovative Satellite Technology Demonstration Program. Seven on-orbit demonstration missions were selected in a category of " parts, components and subsystems" and those missions will be demonstrated onboard the RApid Innovative payload demonstration SatellitE-3 (RAISE-3). This 100kg-class satellite developed by JAXA is a flagship of the "Innovative Satellite Technology Demonstration-3" fleet. This paper describes an overview of the demonstration missions and system specifications of RAISE-3, as well as results of conceptual design of the satellite and …

Raise-2 For Agile On-Orbit Demonstration Of Innovative Satellite Technologies: Program Strategy, Mission Definition, And Preliminary Design, Yuki Tsutsui, Kentaro Nishi, Yasuyuki Takahashi, Matsuaki Kato, Tsuyoshi Toriumi, Yutaka Kaneko, Takanori Iwata

Small Satellite Conference

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has provided the second demonstration opportunity of the Innovative Satellite Technology Demonstration Program. In this second mission, JAXA develops the Rapid Innovative Payload Demonstration Satellite-2 (RAISE-2) that carries six components and parts as on-orbit demonstration themes. This paper presents an overview of the RAISE-2’s demonstration themes, mission definition including standard platform specifications, results of Phase-A study and preliminary design.

Design And Prototyping Of A Superheated Steam Electric Powered Propulsion System For Cubesats, Pablo Leslabay, Franco Scarone, Tomás Giraudy

Small Satellite Conference

A water-based ResistoJet type propulsion system is designed for its use in CubeSats larger than 6U as an orbital maneuvering system. Designed to be self-contained in 1U, its electrically powered evaporator and high-temperature superheater systems are fed by a self-pressurized liquid water tank, thus characterized by simplicity due to the lack of pumps or external pressurizing systems. Moving parts and the use of toxic materials are minimized.

The analytical and parametric models introduced allow an engineer to introduce the changes needed to adapt the propulsion system to different missions, maintaining efficiency. Steady-state thermodynamic and heat transfer analytical models are used, …

Design Of An Imaging Payload For Earth Observation From A Nanosatellite, Elliot Saive, Liam Droog, Katelyn Ball, Jari Swanson, Elizabeth Chao, Michael G. Lipsett, Amina E. Hussein, Carlos F. Lange, Bruce F. Cockburn, Duncan G. Elliott

Small Satellite Conference

A compact imaging payload consisting of visible-near infrared and short-wave infrared capability is being developed to demonstrate low-cost wildfire monitoring among other Earth observations. Iris is a 1U multispectral push-broom imager that is capable of generating spectral data pertinent for wildfire science and wildfire risk analysis from a CubeSat platform. This payload is slated to fly on-board Ex-Alta 2, the University of Alberta’s second CubeSat and Alberta’s contribution to the Canadian CubeSat Project, to be deployed from the International Space Station in 2022. Iris features four closely integrated designs: optical, structural, electronics, and firmware. The mechanical and electronic interfaces of …

On-Orbit Polymer Degradation Results From Makersat-1: First Satellite Designed To Be Additively Manufactured In Space, Ben Campbell, Connor Nogales, Braden Grim, Mitch Kamstra, Joshua Griffin, Stephen Parke

Small Satellite Conference

MakerSat-1, a 1U cubesat, is a proof-of-concept mission from Northwest Nazarene University (NNU) and Made In Space (MIS). It demonstrates microgravity additive manufacturing of a cubesat aboard the International Space Station (ISS). It is the first satellite specifically designed to be 3D printed and easily snap-assembled in microgravity. Its structural frame was 3D printed on the ISS AMF printer in August 2017. In late 2019, MakerSat-1 was loaded in a SEOPS Hypergiant Slingshot deployer and then launched to the ISS aboard SpaceX CRS-19 Dragon on Dec. 5, 2019. On Jan. 31, 2020, this deployer was mounted on the hatchdoor of …

Design Of Modular Star Tracker Software, Luca Merlo Paula Soares

Small Satellite Conference

The current CubeSat attitude sensor landscape is bimodal. One end of the spectrum is occupied by solar angle sensors, magnetometers, and rate gyros. However, these low-cost sensors offer insufficient performance for missions that need higher pointing accuracy. Star trackers occupy the other end of the spectrum, providing much greater pointing knowledge accuracy. Unfortunately, the commercially available star trackers are prohibitively expensive for most modest-budget CubeSat missions. To address this problem, the Cal Poly CubeSat Lab (CPCL) decided to implement a star tracker targeted at filling the gap between commercial options and coarse sensors.

Design And Development Of On-Orbit Servicing Cubesat-Class Satellite, Ansley N. Knight, Trent R. Tetterton, Alec J. Engl, Peter M. Sinkovitz, Bailee J. Ward, Jin S. Kang

Small Satellite Conference

The long term vision of the Naval Academy Satellite Team for Autonomous Robotics (NSTAR) is to lower both the risk and cost of on-orbit space system construction and repair through the use of a CubeSat robotic arm system. NSTAR developments will enable space agencies and private companies to construct large, complex structures in space at a reduced cost with greater diagnostic assessment ability. Robotic Experimental Construction Satellite (RECS) is designed as NSTAR’s second project iteration and works to meet five different capabilities for semi-autonomous orbit assembly. RECS is a 3U CubeSat with two extendable robotic arms, each with six degrees …

Cellular Based Aggregated Satellite System: The Design And Architecture Of A Three Degree Of Freedom Near-Frictionless Testbed For Ground Validation Of Cubesat Operations, Michael Smat, David Barnhart, Lizette Villafaña, Kirby Overman

Small Satellite Conference

As small and nano-satellite operations become more complex and increase in functionality, the need to validate new concepts prior to deployment in a low-cost and time efficient manner has further increased. While computer simulations have traditionally provided acceptable results for guidance navigation and control (GNC) algorithms, more complex actions such as rendezvous and proximity operations and docking (RPOD) require alternative methods, which often require ground-based platforms. The concept of on-orbit autonomous docking of small satellites has grown in popularity due to its broad range of applications. However, most existing ground testing platforms (GTP) are expensive due to the technologies used …

Design Of A Custom Secondary On-Board Computer For The Neudose Cubesat Mission, Mostafa Ayesh, John Barberiz, Paula Bosca, Aaron Bruinsma, Soo Hyun Byun, Michael Chen, Andrei Hanu, Akiv Jhirad, Eric M. Johnston, Hira Nadeem, James Warburton, Devan Wagner

Small Satellite Conference

The NEUtron DOSimetry & Exploration (NEUDOSE) CubeSat is the first small satellite mission from McMaster University. The mission includes two on-board computers (OBCs): a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) board as the primary OBC, and a custom student-designed board, the secondary on-board computer (SOBC), as a secondary payload to the mission.

Analysis And Design Of A Sub-Optimal Mekf For Low Earth Orbit Attitude Estimation Using A Radically Inexpensive Mems Imu, Peter J. Jorgensen, Omar F. Awad, Robert H. Bishop

Small Satellite Conference

A previous study investigated the feasibility in using a radically inexpensive MEMS IMU with a GPS and a model of Earth’s magnetic field for attitude determination. A Multiplicative Extended Kalman Filter was designed to estimate the biases and errors associated with the IMU and reduce attitude uncertainty. States with large influence on overall uncertainty were identified through error budget and sensitivity analysis. It was determined that the complexity of the Kalman filter could be significantly reduced by removing 18 of the 42-element state vector. In this study, the sub- optimal filter is designed and its feasibility for attitude determination is …

Design Drivers For A Viable Commercial Remote Sensing Space Architecture, Walter S. Scott, Neal Anderson, Aaron Q. Rogers

Small Satellite Conference

Private sector investment into new commercial remote sensing constellations over the past five years has exceeded $1B. The capabilities of these systems—many still in development or at pre-initial operational capability (IOC) thresholds—are intended to address a combination of new or underserved global markets. Additionally, the combination of ever-increasing technical collection requirements with static programmatic resources, has now driven historically traditional space system operators to embrace hybrid architectures that leverage commercially-sourced data into their service baselines. While enticing to many new entrants, many considerations must be practically addressed to field an enduring, commercially viable space architecture solution. Foremost it must deliver …

Design And Prototyping Of A Nanosatellite Laser Communications Terminal For The Cubesat Laser Infrared Crosslink (Click) B/C Mission, Peter Grenfell, Paul Serra, Ondrej Cierny, William Kammerer, Grant Gunnison, Joseph Kusters, Cadence Payne, Kerri Cahoy, Myles Clark, Tyler Ritz, Danielle Coogan, John Conklin, David Mayer, Jan Stupl, John Hanson

Small Satellite Conference

The CubeSat Laser Infrared CrossLink (CLICK) mission goal is to demonstrate a low cost, high data rate optical transceiver terminal with fine pointing and precision time transfer in aleq1.5U form factor. There are two phases to the technology demonstration for the CLICK mission: CLICK-A downlink, and then CLICK-B/C crosslink and downlink. The topic of this paper is the design and prototyping of the laser communications (lasercom) terminal for the CLICK-B/C phase. CLICK B/C consists of two identical 3U CubeSats from Blue Canyon Technologies that will be launched together in Low Earth Orbit to demonstrate crosslinks at ranges between 25 km …

A Pico-Satellite Design To Demonstrate Trajectory And Science Applications, Mehmet Sevket Uludag, Stefano Speretta, Alessandra Menicucci, Michael Van Den Bos, Casper Hendrik Broekhuizen, Maxime Bielders, Jasper Haenen, Eberhard Gill

Small Satellite Conference

This paper presents the design, integration and testing of a pico satellite, Delfi-PQ, a 3P PocketQube developed by Delft University of Technology, expected to be launched at the end of 2020. The main goal of this project is creating a miniaturized platform for future space missions with performances comparable to CubeSats, taking advantage of the miniaturization of electronic components and their integration. Education of aerospace engineering students is a second key goal of the project, where students involved in the project as part of their curricular activities.

Gpu-Accelerated Optimization Of Cubesat Constellation Design Considering Cloud Cover Uncertainty, Hsiu-Hsuan Huang, Hyochoong Bang

Small Satellite Conference

Constellation of CubeSats has potential to provide comparable or even greater capabilities than a single large satellite but with lower cost and higher robustness. To design such a CubeSat constellation entails solving large-scale multi-objective optimization problems, but the computation time is not reasonable with existing tools. One promising way to address this issue is probably the GPU computing.

An Automated Constellation Design & Mission Analysis Tool For Finding The Cheapest Mission Architecture, Martin Fugmann, Sabine Klinkner

Small Satellite Conference

Identifying the optimal mission architecture for a space mission is critical for mission success, especially for large constellations. Here, optimizing the entire mission architecture for cost is necessary for the business case to work. This paper presents an automated system that combines constellation design and mission analysis functions in the context of a distributed engineering environment. It utilizes analytical methods, commercial simulation software and other specialized tools to identify multiple eligible constellations for the user-defined case, perform the associated mission analysis tasks, and provide input for additional tools like cost estimation software to eventually identify the optimal constellation. This allows …

Applying Modern Software System Design To Small Satellite Development And Operations, Michael Wilson

Small Satellite Conference

Small satellite development and operations can be dramatically improved using contemporary software practices and such technologies as system monitoring, containerization, and data analytics. By logging system metrics at all stages of satellite development and operation, as is common practice in current software development operations practices, satellite operators can implement new software more quickly, detect failures sooner, and analyze information more effectively. Michigan eXploration Laboratory (MXL) at the University of Michigan has created a system that aggregates millions of data points from a wide range of sources including our satellite development units, our servers, our ground stations, open source ground station …

Active Thermal Architecture: Design And Status, Lucas Anderson, Charles Swenson, A. J. Mastropietro, Jonathan Sauder

Small Satellite Conference

This paper presents a design update for the Active Thermal Architecture (ATA) project. ATA is a joint effort between Utah State University and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, funded by the NASA Small Spacecraft Technology Program (SSTP). The objective of the ATA is to develop advanced active thermal control technologies for Small Satellites in support of cryogenic electro-optical instrumentation.

Specifically, the development of a 1U ground-based prototype of a single-phase, two-stage mechanically pumped fluid loop based active thermal control subsystem targeted at 6U CubeSat platforms and above. The first stage utilizes a micro-pump to circulate working fluid between an integrated heat …

A Versatile Magnetorquer Design For Microsatellite Constellation Missions, Philip R. Hampton

Small Satellite Conference

Attitude determination and control hardware for small satellites is constantly transforming to improve pointing accuracy and stability for target tracking missions. Magnetic attitude control is an effective and inexpensive approach when developing microsatellites for low earth orbit constellation missions. The Space Flight Laboratory (SFL) has implemented magnetic torquers (magnetorquers) and permanent magnets in previous missions for active and passive magnetic attitude control. A magnetorquer generates a magnetic dipole that torques the spacecraft when in the presence of Earth’s magnetic field. This paper outlines the design, analysis, and testing of an embedded coil magnetorquer for SFL’s SPARTAN and DEFIANT platforms. The …

Architecture And Design Of The Mcmaster Neudose Communication Radio Subsystem, J. Nguyen, S. H. Byun, Will Donaldson, Andrei Hanu, Eric M. Johnston, Devin Klepp, Zack Manesiotis, Shashank Manikonda, J. Phram, A. D. Pitcher, D. Sabljak, D. Tajik, N. Vrzovski

Small Satellite Conference

The communication subsystem is responsible for ensuring robust communication between the McMaster NEUDOSE CubeSat and the Ground Station located at McMaster University. This subsystem sends the collected scientific data, system telemetry (health), and telecommand from the onboard instruments using two different communication radio frequencies.

Thermomechanical Design And Testing Of The Deformable Mirror Demonstration Mission (Demi) Cubesat, Paula Do Vale Pereira, Bobby Holden, Rachel Morgan, Jennifer Gubner, Thomas J. Murphy, Christian Haughwout, Gregory Allan, Yinzi Xin, William Kammerer, Kerri Cahoy, Ewan Douglas, John Merk, Mark Egan, Gabor Furesz

Small Satellite Conference

The Deformable Mirror Demonstration Mission (DeMi) is a 6U CubeSat that will operate and characterize the on-orbit performance of a Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) deformable mirror (DM) with both an image plane and a Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor (SHWFS). Coronagraphs on future space telescopes will require precise wavefront control to detect and characterize Earth-like exoplanets. High-actuator count MEMS deformable mirrors can provide wavefront control with low size, weight, and power. The DeMi payload will characterize the on-orbit performance of a 140 actuator MEMS DM with 5.5 μm maximum stroke, with a goal of measuring individual actuator wavefront displacement contributions to a precision …

Design And Verification Of A Clock System For Orbital Radio Interferometry, Nicholas Belsten, Cadence Payne, Paul Serra, Kerri Cahoy, Frank D. Lind, Mary Knapp, Philip J. Erickson, Frank Robey

Small Satellite Conference

Radio interferometry using multiple small satellites will enable measurements with high angular resolution for remote sensing and astronomy. The NASA sponsored Auroral Emissions Radio Explorer (AERO) and Vector Interferometry Space Technology using AERO (VISTA) CubeSats will demonstrate orbital interferometry from 0.1 MHz to 15 MHz, frequencies which are largely blocked by the ionosphere. We report on the design and testing of a clock system for radio interferometry between these orbital receivers. We discuss the clock system design up to PCB fabrication, including requirements flow and major hardware trades. The performance of the timing components has been verified using a phase …

Design Of An In-Situ Sensor Package To Track Cubesat Deployments, Aaron P. Aboaf, Nicholas W. Renninger, Lara C. Lufkin

Small Satellite Conference

Currently, radar measurements of low-earth-orbit CubeSats are only possible during a small portion of a CubeSat’s orbit – typically long after the CubeSat’s deployment – making near real-time space situational awareness (SSA) difficult. The CU Boulder Smead Aerospace Engineering Department has developed a concept to monitor CubeSat deployments from the deployer itself and provide relative position and velocity measurements of deployed payloads to provide faster orbital parameter estimation. Teaming with NanoRacks LLC, the VANTAGE team (Visual Approximation of Nanosat Trajectories to Augment Ground-based Estimation) has developed an innovative sensor package prototype consisting of an Infra-red (IR) Time of Flight (ToF) …

Design And Testing Of The Cubesat Form Factor Thermal Control Louvers, Allison Evans

Small Satellite Conference

As CubeSat and SmallSat missions increase in complexity and power consumption they present innate thermal challenges. Science instruments may require thermal stability while a variety of factors such as high-powered components, sunlight and shadow on orbit, or tight spacecraft layout may produce a wide range of temperatures. The CubeSat Form Factor Thermal Control Louvers are a passive method of stabilizing the thermal environment inside of small spacecraft via miniature thermal louvers. These louvers are a patented design, with a technology demonstration version of the louvers operating correctly in flight on the Dellingr CubeSat in 2018. This paper will describe the …

Design And On-Orbit Experience Of Reaction Wheels For Small Satellites, Walter Frese, Udo Renner, Klaus Brieß, Zizung Yoon

Small Satellite Conference

The history of reaction wheel development at the Technische Universität Berlin (TUB) begins early in the 90s. Since then many of these reaction wheels performed on-orbit without a single failure as a part of six micro- and nanosatellite missions. The last one is the S band Network for co-operating Satellites (S-Net). S-Net is a cluster of four nanosats successfully launched in February 2018. Since then a number of communication experiments using intersatellite links have been performed by the S-Net satellites. This paper is focusing on the design and on the on orbit performance of the reaction wheels for S-Net nanosatellites. …