Digital Commons Network^™

Swap Optimized, Optical Communications Terminal Concepts For Lunar, Mars, Jupiter And Neptune Solar System Missions, Keith G. Petrillo, Mark Storm

Small Satellite Conference

Trinity: Fibertek's Lunar terminal

• Trinity provides a good basis for providing a low SWaP terminal for deep space communications
• Leveraging Trinity and high-power LiDAR lasers enables communications to 32AU
• Appropriate for deep space small satellites

Recap: A Study Of Downlink Optimization Methods Using Mms As A Template, Connor Firth, Conrad Schiff, Stephen Kreisler, Alexander Barrie

Small Satellite Conference

Motivations: MMS as a paradigm for downlink optimization

• MMS is a multi-agent mission requiring downlink optimization. ReCAP (Remote Coordination, Actuation, and Planning) assigns ground contacts using auctions.
• Five realistic downlink optimization cases are studied, and the amount of data downlinked is tracked to illustrate ReCAP’s ability to optimize for different criteria.
• ReCAP demonstrates value as a real-time, onboard downlink optimization tool.

Development Of The Korea's First Hyperspectral Microsatellite Constellation For Local-Scale Methane Monitoring: Narsha, Geuk-Nam Kim, Jinyoung Shin, Museong Park, Sang Hun Lee, Heewon Park, Taemin Kim, Jooin Lee, Dohyun Kim, Insun Jung, Marcin Badowski, Kiyun Park, Jae-Pil Park, Jaemin Hong, Yu-Ri Lee, Sujong Jeong, Alexandra Jercaianu, Pawel Snopek

Small Satellite Conference

Poster presented at the 2026 Small Satellite Conference

Design And Implementation Of A Semi Automated Uhf Ground Station For Small Satellite Missions: A Case Study From India, Binoop Joseph, Vinayak Manoj, Thomas Francis, Madhav Vinod, Nikhil Jacob, Salih Majeed, Prajin I. R., Meghana Suresh, Salman Al Fariz K., Sijo George, Anish Chandra B. S., Anamika Kamath, Anjay Sudesh, Anurag Reghu, Aravind M. B., Manu Mohan, Ashfaque K. P., Amal Chandran

Small Satellite Conference

Mission success ultimately depends on reliable telecommand and telemetry links between spacecraft and Earth. For small satellites operating under tight power, size and link margin constraints, a technically robust and regulation compliant ground station is a mission critical enabler rather than an afterthought.

This poster presents a case study of a semi automated UHF ground station designed, built and commissioned by HEX20 in Thiruvananthapuram — one of the earliest privately owned and operated satellite ground stations in India — covering the hardware signal chain, the tracking and decoding software stack, integration and calibration, and the regulatory path to operation.

An Operator-In-The-Loop Smallsat Operations Simulation For Classroom Training, Samuil Nikolov, Kaelyn Tindall, Lana Laskey

Small Satellite Conference

Training spacecraft operators through a hybrid environment combining live telemetry, game-engine visualization, subsystem consoles, and real-time anomaly response.

An End-To-End Optical And Ethernet Networking Architecture For Next-Generation Satellite Constellations, Gianluca Giuffrida, Francesco Falaschi

Small Satellite Conference

• Modern satellites generate ever-increasing data volumes, increasingly challenging traditional RF links. IngeniArs combines very high speed optical links, up to 10 Gbps, with an onboard Ethernet routing fabric
• Optical data is packetized and dynamically routed for onboard storage or processing, or relayed across the constellation from satellite to satellite until it reaches an available ground station
• The result is reduced time-to-ground, increased contact opportunities, and more resilient end-to-end data delivery across the space and ground segments, despite intermittent link availability

Feasibility Of Failure-Resilient Swarm Formation Flying And Multi-Beam Coherent Apertures In 10000+ High-Density Satellite Swarms, Sumio Morioka

Small Satellite Conference

Direct-to-Device (D2D) communication links satellites directly to ground terminals without large antennas, supporting future Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) and IoT. Our earlier work [1] showed that a formation of 10,000+ ultra-small satellites, as a coherent phased-array aperture, closes the D2D link budget. This study asks whether the formation can be operated within each satellite’s available power.

Validation Of A Modular Adcs Architecture For Small Satellites, Saish Sridharan

Small Satellite Conference

Poster Presented at the 2026 Small Satellite Conference

Magnetic Balancing For Microvibration Reduction In Passive Magnetic Bearings For Smallsat Reaction Wheels, Deckers Niel, Baekeland Mante, Cuypers Cedric, Seiler Rene, Vandepitte Dirk, Delabie Tjorven

Small Satellite Conference

Reduction and mitigation of microvibrations constitutes a crucial field of interest in the research of spacecraft reaction wheels. This applies all the more so in small satellites, where even minimal sources of vibrations lead to imprecision of onboard instruments. To address this, magnetic bearings offer contactless support, and thus prevent several sources of microvibrations that exist in classical ball bearings, for instance the mechanical imperfections in rolling elements. The inherently low stiffness of magnetic bearings also significantly reduces the transmitted forces in reaction wheels. Another advantage of contactless support is its potential longer lifetime because of the absence …

Manufacturing Advances For Cost Effective, Large Aperture Monolithic Telescopes, T. Suratwala, R. Steele, G. Tham, J. Ross, J. Johnson, O. Herrera, M. Cahill, D. Bechtold, R. Bechtold, F. Ravizza, J. Cortes

Small Satellite Conference

Space has become increasingly more contested over the last decade, with the proliferation of satellites and space assets that require new levels of Space Domain Awareness (SDA). Space is often described by the US Government as the next warfighting domain. Control, understanding and dominance over this vast domain requires exquisite and complex optomechanical systems.

Lawrence Livermore National Lab’s Space Science and Security Program (SSSP) has developed unique monolithic optics, which are ground-aligned during manufacturing and are nearly athermal. These qualities greatly reduce the complexity of the optical payload when compared to legacy telescope designs. Monolithic optics deliver excellent imaging capabilities, …

Modeling Liquid Propellant Slosh Disturbances For Small Satellite Attitude Control, Phillip Miret, Nathan Cole, Robert E. Zee

Small Satellite Conference

Objective:

Develop and optimize a reduced order spring-mass-damper (SMD) analogue of propellant slosh using computational fluid dynamic (CFD) analysis. Evaluate the efficacy of generating feedforward compensation terms using the SMD model to improve attitude control performance during rapid spacecraft slews.

Lego®-Based Cubesats For Space Outreach, Stefan Brandle, Joshua Brown, Evan Smith, Drew Nye, Sydney Reddy, Twidy Kwae, Kaiya Grzesiak, Matthew Roderer, John Hetz

Small Satellite Conference

Taylor University Computer Science and Engineering is building a satellite having a LEGO®-robotics-based payload.

Mission Goals

• Have university students build a novel ELEO satellite
• Demonstrate viability of LEGO robotics electronics in space for short-term low-altitude missions
• Enhance space awareness by capturing the public's imagination through integral use of LEGO in an actual satellite
• Identify partners willing to provide advice and promote this project
• Create additional pathways for K-12 and university student participation in building satellites and satellite-related projects
• Support other space-education organizations through a high-visibility satellite project
• Continue space outreach efforts in the spirit of the ThinSat project
• ThinSat was …

Multiclass Satellite Payload For Sar, Leonardo Carrer, Davide Giudici, Fabio Gerace, Paolo Falcone, Davide D'Aria, Giuseppe Leccese, Vincenzo Pulcino

Small Satellite Conference

SAR enables reliable all-weather, day-and-night Earth observation. Conventional SAR missions rely on large satellites, high power and costly development cycles.

NanoSat and SmallSat platforms offer faster deployment and lower mission costs, but face strict mass, volume, power and antenna constraints.

A modular multiclass payload allows the same SAR electronic core to be adapted to different satellite platforms.

Distributed SIMO/MIMO operation shares Radar resources across multiple spacecraft, improving scalability, resilience and revisit time. The proposed architecture enables high-performance X-band SAR missions using compact and cost-effective satellite systems.

Rad-Hard Circuits For Complete System-On-Chip Integration Of Smallsat Electronics On Standard Non-Rad-Hard Cmos Including Finfets, Ignatius Bezzam, Dhandeep Challagundla, Riadul Islam

Small Satellite Conference

1. SmallSat Compute Is Thermally Constrained

• SmallSats are packing more autonomy, sensing, and payload processing into tighter volumes.
• Power budget, heat removal, and radiation reliability constrain sustained on-orbit computation.
• Off-chip shielding increases mass and volume
• Redundancy and guard-banding increase switching energy. 
• This work targets lower heat generation and higher reliability inside the silicon.

Multipoint Sensor Constellations Demonstrated On Spear-1 Using Radstar, Black Box, And Fastbus+, Jeff Dailey, Matt Orvis, John Pugsley, Matt Voss, Hank Voss, Nathan Turner, Dillon Embry, Gretchen Barnes, Mike Schuckel, Nathan Daniels

Small Satellite Conference

NearSpace Launch (NSL) has developed and flown both multipoint sensor constellations and hosted-payload smallsat constellations since 2014, supporting missions for educational, commercial, and government partners. These missions enable distributed, multipoint sensing by combining compact sensor suites with persistent, low-latency satellite links and a common, time-ordered data architecture suitable for constellation operations. Recent flight heritage includes 24/7 space-to-Internet communications and rapid Launch and Early Operations Phase (LEOP) telemetry acquisition to support early identification, commissioning, and anomaly response. Most recently, the Space Power and Energy Advanced Reconnaissance (SPEAR-1) constellation demonstrated this multipoint architecture while maturing advanced power-generation and energy-storage technologies relevant to …

Systems Progress Overview Of Rosisat: The Radiation Orbital Shielding Investigation Satellite, Chase Patterson, Jacob Blanton, Jayden Mcdonald, Kylie Nager, Colson Walker, Francisco Crespo Cutillas

Small Satellite Conference

Exposure to space weather in the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) space weather environment poses significant challenges to both the integrity and longevity of orbital hardware, as well as the health of astronauts, driving the necessity for improved means of radiation shielding for future manned and unmanned missions. With a 1U CubeSat formfactor, ROSISat is a planned LEO mission that aims to characterize the radiation shielding capabilities of seven candidate materials. By comparing the shielding performance of each composite and constituent material, ROSISat will place a specific focus on correlating how molecular structure influences radiation shielding. Further, current simulations lack the …

Reacquiring Satellites After Unknown Maneuvers In Sensor Blind Spots: A Physics-Informed Behavioral Framework For Closed-Loop Custody Recovery, Naushad Rahman, Niha Agarwalla, Hardik Patel

Small Satellite Conference

Operational problem

After a maneuver during a sensor blind spot, a pre­-gap catalog state may no longer be operationally sufficient. A null look at GS2 must become evidence for where the object could be­ – and where to task next – before access expires.

The Quantum Cubesat: A Perspective For Quantum Technology In Orbit, Natalie Pearson, Andrew Kelly, Curtis Talbot, Colin Aitken, Kevin Quillen, Sandy Provan

Small Satellite Conference

Motivation

The ability to measure, control and exploit quantum effects has shown significant potential to outperform classical devices across a variety of applications in computing, sensing and communication. However, quantum devices today typically depend equipment that is large, heavy, expensive and delicate. Bringing quantum capability to space requires a relentless focus on miniaturisation, ruggedisation and applicability. Focusing engineering efforts on the most promising technologies to realise their benefits in orbit is a crucial step in this process.

Validation Of Steering Law For A 4-Variable-Speed Single-Gimbal Control Moment Gyroscope Pyramid Cluster Via Spherical Air-Bearing Testbed, Kai Kuo Liao, Chih Ta Wu, Jen Hao Cheng, Po Hsun Yen, Shang Jung Lee

Small Satellite Conference

• VSCMG: wheel speed is commanded with gimbal rate — the extra DOF lets the cluster slide past singularities.
• HIL: a Helmholtz cage replays the on-orbit field and a solar simulator sets the Sun line.
• This work: HIL validation of a weighted-pseudoinverse steering law, 4-unit pyramid.

University Ground-Station-As-A-Service: Promoting Space It Education And University Collaboration, Daniel Freburg, Will Lewis, Charles Edamala, Phoenix Alpine

Small Satellite Conference

Poster presented at the 2026 Small Satellite Conference

Vpx/Sosa Systems: Enabling Multi-Vendor Interoperability, Novo Space

Small Satellite Conference

Poster presented at the 2026 Small Satellite Conference

Zerodur®: Tailoring Opportunities For Your Thermal Environment And Second-Order Optimum Factors, Jesse Bonfeld, Dustin Ruth, Florian Gollier, Janina Krieg, Thomas Westerhoff, Tony Hull, Jacqueline Caraballo

Small Satellite Conference

Poster Presented at the 2026 Small Satellite Conference

Reinventing The Reaction Wheel, I. Penchev, N. Andrada

Small Satellite Conference

Rapid growth of microsatellite missions and constellations in the 10–600 kg class is increasing the demand for scalable, high-performance attitude control solutions. Advanced payloads for Earth Observation, Synthetic Aperture Radar, complex science missions, and geolocation systems require:

• Low microvibration performance
• Precise pointing stability
• High angular momentum capacity
• Reliable across mission lifetimes

Space Inventor is qualifying a new generation of 1 Nms-class reaction wheels optimized for microsatellite platforms. The innovative mechanical design, combined with manufacturing-aware system design, unlocks expanded performance and mission opportunities for microsatellites and constellations.

Satellite Autonomous Launch Assembly (Satlass): Cold Gas Propulsion System Testing, Anthony Todisco Jr., Jaden Caradine, Justin Della, Essence Howard, Colin Mccaughey, Andrew Hawks, Alexander Kushto, Javier Narvaez, Gabriella Colon O'Hara, Franyerson Lopez Ochoa, Elizabeth Ptak, Diana Tormo, Francisco Crespo Cutillas, Sean Crouse, Lary Finberg

Small Satellite Conference

Project SATLASS plans to become one of the first cold gas propelled CubeSat Deployers used. Using Nitrogen gas, SATLASS will be able to place multiple CubeSats into customizable orbits autonomously. A modular housing unit will allow for 3-1U CubeSats to 1-3U CubeSat to ride along with SATLASS through Low Earth Orbit.

Development Of Wavelength-Division-Multiplexed All-Optical Relays For Low-Earth Orbit Free-Space Optical Communication Networks, Travis Jones, Justin Cook, Chris Krush, Doruk Engin, Keith G. Petrillo

Small Satellite Conference

In this work, we designed, built, and tested an all-optical relay amplifier to enable a space-based all-optical backbone for laser communications networks. The design sought to optimize links for LEO-based networks incorporating appropriate span lengths and optical terminal specifications. We incorporate an add-drop multiplexer for rerouting signals and designed the system to be flexible over span lengths with a nominal range of 1,800 km. We performed several tests of the nominally 60 dB gain amplifier to assess link dynamics unique to free space optical communications (FSOC) including the impact of pointing jitter, nonlinearities, gain flattening, and wide-band filters on an …

Intel® Government Technologies Space Products: Leading Edge Compute For Space, Robert Ciccariello, Ricardo Ascazubi, Kyle Dobkins, Nitesh Melwani, Ed Mily, Mike Nassan, Sean O’Neill, Ruchika Singh, Dan Weinstein

Small Satellite Conference

Commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components are unlikely to meet the environmental survivability and assurance requirements to accomplish mission objectives in the harsh space environment. On the opposite end of the spectrum, developing custom space components on leading-edge technologies will often require multiple contractors and lengthy R&D efforts that significantly increase development costs and timelines. Intel Government Technologies (IGT) is introducing a space product roadmap, focused on space grade systems-in-package (SiPs) designed to address the transition from bespoke legacy architectures to low-SWaP, high-performance processing platforms for on-orbit systems. IGT Space Products are derived from Intel’s latest commercial technology and are uniquely configured, …

Demonstration Of Bidirectional Tracking And Data Transfer With The Cubeisl Optical Communication Terminal, Jan Hildebrand, Hannes Zeihsel, René Rüddenklau, Jorge Rosano Nonay, Lukas Rodeck, Olman Quiros Jimenez

Small Satellite Conference

This paper presents the experimental results of a free-space optical link validating the capabilities of two integrated CubeISL terminals. The campaign serves as a verification of the tracking, pointing and acquisition of the terminals before launch of the CubeISL mission. The link was conducted over a distance of 6600 m between the rooftop of the DLR Institute of Communication and Navigation in Oberpfaffenhofen and a 80 m high radio tower in Schöngeising. To ensure robust link establishment, the system employed a Pointing, Acquisition, and Tracking scheme utilizing both a 10 kHz modulated beacon for initial acquisition and a Continuous Wave …

Design And Qualification Of A Compact, Deployable Dual-Monopole Antenna System For Remote Sensing Microsatellites, Alexander J. Murphy, Bryan Johnston-Lemke, Robert E. Zee

Small Satellite Conference

Spacecraft conducting signals intelligence (SIGINT) missions require highly capable radio-frequency (RF) payloads. While the larger 80 kg-class platforms offer increased payload capacities, strict internal volume limitations persist. These constraints sometimes require stowing instruments, such as the dual-monopole Very High Frequency (VHF) antenna presented in this work, directly beneath the solar wings. This requirement has imposed a strict height constraint on the VHF antenna, mandating a highly compact and reliable deployment mechanism that avoids snagging or jamming during deployment. 

This paper presents the mechanism design and qualification test plan of a novel, deployable dual-monopole VHF antenna system designed to increase satellite …

Recovery Of Grus-1e From Magnetic Torquer Loss Using Data-Driven Open-Loop Attitude Steering, Nader Ganaba, Takanori Iwata, Minoru Kurata

Small Satellite Conference

In typical low Earth orbit (LEO) operations, the inability to remove excess angular momentum often leads to the decommissioning of a satellite. This paper presents the on-orbit recovery of GRUS-1E, a hundred kg class Earth observation satellite in Axelspace Corporation’s GRUS-1 constellation. The recovery followed the permanent loss of magnetic torquer commanding capability, which in turn disabled the satellite’s nominal reaction wheel momentum unloading. In addition, the satellite experienced persistent disturbance torques that significantly exceeded the combined contributions predicted by standard models, including gravity gradient, solar radiation pressure, aerodynamic drag, and the estimated residual magnetic dipole moment. The magnitude of …

The Genesis Of The Annual Usu Conference On Small Satellites, Rex Ridenoure, Alex Da Silva Curiel, Martin Sweeting

Small Satellite Conference

On this milestone of marking the 40^th SmallSat conference, this paper provides a capsule summary of how it all started in 1987, and why. 

By January 1986, Utah State University was actively involved with NASA’s Space Shuttle program, which from April 1981 through mid-January 1986 had notched 24 successful missions in a row, including nine in 1985. Missions were starting to appear routine, and the manifest was full for many dozens of future missions. 

The Shuttle’s Get Away Special (GAS) secondary payload program had become quite popular within academic, government and commercial sectors, and through 1985 six dozen separate …