Digital Commons Network^™

Equatorial Low Earth Orbit (Eleo): An Orbital Incubator And Nursery, Siegfried Janson

Small Satellite Conference

Recent research has shown that Equatorial Low Earth Orbit (ELEO) below 500 km has an exceptionally low space radiation environment that is ideal for long-term space settlements. The pressure vessel itself provides enough radiation shielding to enable decades of on-orbit habitation for an individual without exceeding radiation safety limits. My calculations using SPENVIS show that a minimum radiation "Incubator" region exists between 24° inclination at 350 km altitude, which drops linearly with increasing altitude to 0° inclination at 550 km altitude. Silicon-based spacecraft electronics inside a 1-mm thick aluminum hull would have a trapped particle dose rate ~4 orders-of-magnitude lower …

Vulcan Wireless Is Heading To The Moon, Stuart Golden, Kevin Lynaugh, Nathan Moore, Lance Lerum, Travis Wambach

Small Satellite Conference

Vulcan Wireless radios are being deployed across multiple Lunar Landers and Lunar Orbiters. The Lunar radio solutions will be operating the first deployment of the new CCSDS Proximity 1 S-Band profile for the Lunar environment. Also, the software defined radio will be used as a precision calibration source for the upcoming LuSEE Night payload. LuSEE Night is a payload manifested on the CLPS CS-3 task order which is part of the Firefly Blue Ghost Mission Two (BGM-2) to the far side of the moon. In this paper, we discuss key aspects of the Vulcan Wireless software defined radio and some …

Starling Formation-Flying Optical Experiment: Initial Operations And Flight Results, Justin Kruger, Simone D'Amico, Soon S. Hwang

Small Satellite Conference

This paper presents initial flight results for distributed optical angles-only navigation of a swarm of small spacecraft, conducted during the Starling Formation-Flying Optical Experiment (StarFOX). StarFOX is a core payload of the NASA Starling mission, which consists of four CubeSats launched in 2023. Angles-only methods apply inter-satellite bearing angles obtained by on-board cameras for navigation, increasing satellite autonomy and enabling new mission concepts. Nevertheless, prior flight demonstrations have only featured one observer and target and have relied upon a-priori target orbit knowledge for initialization, translational maneuvers to resolve target range, and external absolute orbit updates to maintain convergence. StarFOX overcomes …

Mantis, A 12u Smallsat Mission Taking Advantage Of Super-Resolution And Artificial Intelligence For High-Resolution Imagery, Marina Mercè Cañete Muñoz, Florian Deconinck, Jordi Barrera Ars, Nicola Melega, Camille Pirat, Borja Jimeno Soto, Aubrey Dunne, Léonie Buckley, Juan Romero Cañas, Gionata Benelli, Gianluca Giuffrida, Sam Brooke, Theo Ogier

Small Satellite Conference

The successful launch of the MANTIS mission, on November 11th 2023, was one of the key milestones of this three year long development. MANTIS is a commercial Earth Observation mission targeting the energy and mining industries whose resources are usually found in remote and hostile regions and that require dedicated and high resolution monitoring. The mission is part of the UKSA supported ESA-InCubed programme which stimulates innovation in industry by co-funding industry-initiated projects. The consortium is led by Open Cosmos and includes SATLANTIS as payload provider and Ubotica and Ingeniars as suppliers of the onboard AI capabilities.

The space segment …

Assessing The Results Of A Space-To-Ground Data Transfer Link Of A 1u Laser Communication Terminal For Smallsats, Johan Du Plooy, Jacob Hejderup, Steven Engelen, Tushar Goyal, Gert Witvoet, Rodof Herfst, Dick De Bruin, Stefano Redi, Floris Van Kempen

Small Satellite Conference

As advancements in small satellite technologies continue to improve in precision and functionality, the volume of data produced has grown exponentially. The existing balance of size, weight, and power (SWaP) in radio frequency (RF) systems is unable to keep up with these advancements, necessitating a new medium for data transfer. Laser-based communications represent the future of data transmission technology, promising to increase bandwidths into the tens to hundreds of gigabits per second and facilitate larger data transmissions to earth. This enhances the versatility, functionality, and significance of SmallSats in data collection missions.

AAC Clyde Space's subsidiary, AAC Hyperion, in collaboration …

Assessing The Results Of A Space-To-Ground Data Transfer Link Of A 1u Laser Communication Terminal For Smallsats, Johan Du Plooy, Jacob Hejderup, Steven Engelen, Tushar Goyal, Gert Witvoet, Rodof Herfst, Dick De Bruin, Stefano Redi, Floris Van Kempen

Small Satellite Conference

As advancements in small satellite technologies continue to improve in precision and functionality, the volume of data produced has grown exponentially. The existing balance of size, weight, and power (SWaP) in radio frequency (RF) systems is unable to keep up with these advancements, necessitating a new medium for data transfer. Laser-based communications represent the future of data transmission technology, promising to increase bandwidths into the tens to hundreds of gigabits per second and facilitate larger data transmissions to earth. This enhances the versatility, functionality, and significance of SmallSats in data collection missions.

AAC Clyde Space’s subsidiary, AAC Hyperion, in collaboration …

Autonomous Navigation, Guidance, And Control Software In A Low Swap Box, Sun Hur-Diaz, Behnam Azimi, Michael Romeo, Andrew Liounis, Nathan Stacey, Robert Pritchett, Gary Crum, Sean Semper

Small Satellite Conference

An onboard software application suite built on the core Flight System (cFS) and flight hardware solution that performs real-time autonomous spacecraft navigation, guidance, and control (NGC)

Collection Planning For A Constellation Of Small Thermal Imaging Satellites, Neil Dhingra, Georgina Orso

Small Satellite Conference

CPAW software has been deployed to operational small satellite missions. CPAW couples high fidelity spacecraft modeling with multiple advanced scheduling algorithms and a user-friendly interface to generate optimized collection plans for one or more satellites of various missions and sensor phenomenologies.

Development, Installation, And Operation Of A Small Satellite Ground Station At A Public High School, Logan Emery, Kendell Hvizdos, Maeve Spencer, Jacqueline Schroeder, John Stout, Robert Gardin, Patrick Johnson, Alex Walker, Philip Putman

Small Satellite Conference

For the past three years, the FIRST robotics team at Perkins High School (PHS) has worked to prepare for an educational CubeSat mission. The name of the mission is Foras Promineo, coined by a high school Latin teacher to mean "outreach" or "pushing beyond previous limits." The goals of the mission are (1) to provide a fun, educational experience for the public by giving them real-time control of a robot arm carried by the satellite with very low resolution "live video" (100X100 pixel four color images), and (2) to give PHS students the opportunity to work on an actual space …

Automatic Data Processing On The Ground For The 6u Cubesat X-Ray Observatory Ninjasat, Naoyuki Ota, Tomoshi Takeda, Sota Watanabe, Arata Jujo, Amira Aoyama, Kaede Yamasaki, Satoko Iwata, Takuya Takahashi, Yuanhui Zhou, Keisuke Uchiyama, Yuto Yoshida, Syoki Hayashi, Toru Tamagawa, Takao Kitaguchi, Yo Kato, Tatehiro Mihara, Kentaro Taniguchi, Teruaki Enoto, Wataru Iwakiri, Masaki Numazawa, Hiroki Sato, Chin-Ping Hu, Hiromitsu Takahashi, Hirokazu Odaka, Tsubasa Tamba

Small Satellite Conference

NinjaSat is a 6U CubeSat X-ray observatory that observes time variations in X-ray flux through longterm monitoring of black holes or neutron stars and performs follow-up observations of unexpected objects discovered by other observatories. NinjaSat is equipped with gas X-ray detectors (GMCs) sensitive to 2–50 keV. The satellite is operated in cooperation with NanoAvionics (NA) responsible for satellite operation. As a science team, we need to process GMCs’ data and cross-check the power system and attitude of the satellite. We are developing data processing software, consisting of Quick Look software for satellite bus and GMC health checks, and calibration software …

Tigercub: An Accessible, Open-Source Pocketqube Platform, Candace Do, Michael Galvin

Small Satellite Conference

• PocketQubes are 5-cm cubical picosatellites inspired by CubeSats. They are less expensive and have a faster development time, ideal for first-time builders.
• Many nanosatellites fail due to loss of downlinking abilities after launch. Custom PocketQube communications systems are complex, and there are no COTS options with flight heritage.
• We propose TigerCub, a PocketQube platform built around the RockBLOCK 9603, a communications module that uses the Iridium satellite network. This simplifies development and testing.
• Pre-built breakout boards, a sheet metal frame, and the use of COTS components increase accessibility for first-time developers.
• TigerCub is open-source!

Validation By Tests Of The Idefix® Rover On The Mmx Mission To Phobos, Clément Brysbaert

Small Satellite Conference

The Martian moons eXploration (MMX) mission by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, JAXA, aims at the Martian Moons Phobos and Deimos. It will return samples from Phobos back to Earth and deliver a small Rover (about 25 kg) named IDEFIX® to the Phobos surface. It aims to demonstrate locomotion in a milli-gravity environment, to provide valuable insights about Phobos to the MMX spacecraft before its own landing and to perform science in situ with its 4 different instruments. It will communicate via RF with the Rolbox which remains on the spacecraft. IDEFIX® is a joint contribution by the Centre …

The Bosuns Locker: A Universal Payload Enclosure For In Space Manufacturing & Robotic Assembly In Space, Noah Gladden, Rahul Rughani, Dave Barnhart

Small Satellite Conference

Arkisys is dedicated to enabling payloads to reach LEO that don't have a free-flying requirement. Our unique Port Module is an autonomous long-duration modular orbital platform designed to host payloads and servicing technologies in any orbit with a simple process, with the first roll-out in LEO. It will enable our customers to qualify and test their hardware in orbit in less than 90 days!

Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation (Jacie), Jim Vrabel, Jeff Clauson, Cody Anderson

Small Satellite Conference

Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation (JACIE) was formed in 2000 to leverage resource from Federal agencies to characterize remote sensing data and to share results across the remote sensing community. JACIE initially consisted of National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA - Stennis), the National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA), and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) with a focus on high-resolution satellites such as IKONOS and QuickBird.

Nmc-1 An Innovative Avionics System For Cubesat And Smallsat Missions, Don Golding

Small Satellite Conference

The space industry is in a transformative period, attempting to balance cost, performance and reliability. Nextage is addressing this issue through our development of a robust, low cost, fully space qualified, FPGA based computer for CubeSat and SmallSat platforms. The Nextage NMC-1 utilizes the state-of-the-art, low power, high performance PolarFire® FPGA. Our architecture incorporates embedded CORE I parallel processing, along with a RISC V soft core that enables C/C++ programming. This architecture supports heritage applications and enables highly deterministic, real-time algorithms at speeds beyond real-time processing performance of even the most advanced microprocessors. Additionally, the NMC-1 offers massive parallel processing …

On-Orbit Automated Processes From Fault Recovery To Mission Activities, Courtney Melville, Hannah Umansky, Claire Carlton, Anthony Ortega, Rebecca Rogers

Small Satellite Conference

While real-time command and control is an invaluable element of spacecraft operations, many functions must be automated for the benefit of mission health and success. Routine tasking, state machine implementation, payload operations, and fault recovery are all on-board activities that can be self-contained within the spacecraft’s software configuration. Currently employed for multiple on-orbit missions, the in-house flight software developed for Terran Orbital spacecraft manage these processes through a system of automatic events (auto-events). Auto-events are highly configurable functions that take inputs from the spacecraft state, then execute a defined action once that input meets a set criteria. Auto-events are defined …

Development And Application Of Web-Based Interface Ground Station Software (Wings) For The Operation Of Sphere-1 Eye, Tomoki Mochizuki, Yosuke Kawabata, Takeshi Matsumoto, Shunsuke Shimomura, Akihiro Ishikawa, Ryu Funase, Shinichi Nakasuka, Kota Kakihara

Small Satellite Conference

The evolution of small satellites as both technological demonstrators and operational platforms has been significant. However, these projects often face constraints like limited budgets and stringent timelines, coupled with growing mission complexities. To address these challenges, the Intelligent Space System Laboratory (ISSL) at the University of Tokyo developed Web-based INterface Ground station Software (WINGS), an open-source ground station software with a modular architecture that includes front-end, back-end, and database components, as well as a telemetry and telecommand interface (WINGS-TMTC-IF). The paper highlights the application of WINGS in the SPHERE-1 EYE mission, showcasing its capability to customize and rapidly deploy satellite …

Estimation And Control Of Dynamic Mass-Moment Parameters For Spacecraft Attitude Simulator, Oleksii Padun, Ye Lu

Small Satellite Conference

Spacecraft attitude testbed has been a popular platform for the development, testing, and validation of real-time attitude determination, estimation, and control, algorithms. The focus of this paper is the development of a dynamic mass moment estimation algorithm and an automatic mass balancing control system with numerical validations. Two estimation layers are implemented: one for attitude estimation and another for mass-moment parameter estimation. Attitude estimation follows the existing literature of quaternion estimators with a nonlinear Kalman filter. Dynamic mass-moment parameter estimation is formulated as batch estimation with a nonlinear filter. The initialization process of the EKF parameter estimator is enhanced by …

Optasat: An Open-Source, Flexible Software Framework For Small Satellite Operations, Thomas Murphy, Kerri Cahoy

Small Satellite Conference

This paper introduces the Open-source Python Tool for Awareness of Spacecraft and Analysis of Telemetry, or OPTASAT, software for spacecraft mission operations and planning. OPTASAT is modular and extensible, and incorporates multiple tools to contextualize spacecraft data. The increasing access to space is also growing the pool of spacecraft operators. There is a need for spacecraft operations tools that are open source and accessible. The best tools for modeling and understanding the situation of a satellite in space currently have high barriers to entry including cost, learning curves, and complex interfaces. Missions that cost over $100M and last for years …

Qualification Of 3d-Printed Titanium Volume-Optimized Propulsion Tanks For Small Satellites, Robert Fowler, Ryan Thibaudeau, Weston Allen, Twinkle Pandhi, Sid Raje, Matt Karesh, Stefka Petkova, Ryan Askew, Fernando Ferreira, Jake Schwartzman

Small Satellite Conference

The current state of the art for small satellite chemical propellant tanks is limited in design customization, is expensive, and is volumetrically inefficient within the cuboid volumes of small satellite buses. Space Dynamics Laboratory and Velo3D Inc. partnered to develop propulsion tank technology that solves these challenges using metal additive manufacturing (AM). We designed, analyzed, built, heat-treated, post-machined, precision cleaned, and qualification tested a titanium 6A14V volume-optimized 3D-printed propulsion tank with an integral printed propellant management device (PMD). They are rated for a maximum expected operating pressure of 400 psi. These tanks are 3D-printed in the desired cuboid mission geometries …

Edge Node: A Multi-User Rendezvous And Proximity Operations On-Orbit Testbed, Darren Rowen, Joel Rivera, Susan Lui, Joseph Gangestad, Alex Gallenberger, Binh Dinh, Phaedrus Leeds, Noah Weiner, Rudd Johnson, Christopher Day, Alexander Christidis

Small Satellite Conference

Edge Node is a multi-small satellite free-flying, collaborative testbed for formation flight and rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO) under development by The Aerospace Corporation that is planned for launch in 2026- 2027. Edge Node will develop and advance local space situational awareness sensors for CubeSat-scale platforms and facilitate the development and qualification of autonomous on-board RPO software for CubeSats. Edge Node is intended to serve as a multi-user on-orbit facility through which technologies and algorithms can be tested and validated in the authentic operational low Earth orbital environment. Edge Node leverages recent advances in miniature sensor and computing hardware for …

From Design To Orbit: Engineering Sub-Arcsecond Cubesat Pointing Performance On Pathfinder-3, Paaras S. Agrawal, Christian O. Fuller, Kyle R. Kung, Jeremiah J. Dimatteo

Small Satellite Conference

Pathfinder-3 (PTD-3) spacecraft is the third vehicle of the NASA Pathfinder Technology Demonstrator (PTD) series, which are a collection of 6U CubeSats launched in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) to demonstrate innovative payload capabilities. The payloads are hosted on commercially developed satellites designed and manufactured by Terran Orbital Corporation (TOC) with a goal to support a wide array of technology demonstration missions through a flexible architecture that can be tailored for custom needs. PTD-3 hosts a high data rate laser communications payload that does not include its own pointing acquisition and control system, and, therefore, is dependent on accurate bus pointing …

Characterizing A Chip Scale Atomic Clock In Low Earth Orbit, Mikaela Dobbin, Austin Hunter, William Gravel, Conner Parker, Penina Axelrad

Small Satellite Conference

The University of Colorado Boulder has developed an experiment to characterize the behavior of a chip-scale atomic clock (CSAC) in space, conducted on the MAXWELL CubeSat mission. This experiment integrates a CSAC as an external oscillator to the onboard GPS receiver, enabling clock characterization through real-time estimates of clock bias, GPS pseudorange, and carrier phase measurements. These data will demonstrate the CSAC's short and long-term stability and its sensitivity to the space environment.

This paper evaluates the observation of CSAC performance using GPS within the constraints of the MAXWELL mission. The results, derived from tests with realistic orbit and spacecraft …

Waratah Seed-1: Australia's First Commercial Ride Share Satellite, Xueliang Bai, Patrick Oppel, Iver H. Cairns, Xiaofeng Wu, Youngho Eun, Andrew G. Dempster, Ignatius Bramananditya Rivaldi, Nick S. Bennett, Roger Kermode, Laryssa S. Raffa, Mohammad Arqam, Matt Ryall, Anita Ho-Baillie, Laura Granados Caro, Shi Tang, Md Arafat Mahmud, Taofiq Huq, James Buttenshaw, Peter Toth, Gavin Conibeer, Brian Lim, Harindi Perara, Abishek Shrestha, Quinn Musulin, Bohan Deng, Zihao Wang, Anne Bettens, E. Cetin, Timothy L. Parsons, Jason Held

Small Satellite Conference

In this paper, we report on a 6U CubeSat named Waratah Seed-1, designed by the ARC Training Centre for CubeSats, UAVs, and their Applications (CUAVA) and partners under the Waratah Seed project. Waratah Seed is a pilot Space Qualification Mission initiated under the NSW Government's Space Industry Development Strategy with partial funding from Investment NSW. The goal of the mission is to allow NSW and Australian space industry groups to test their technology in space by flying on a 6U ride-share CubeSat. This project is the first of its kind in Australia, allowing space-tech start-ups and other groups to access …

Scaling Ground Networks Through Automated Operations, Hallvard Sælthun

Small Satellite Conference

No abstract provided.

Characterisation Of Satcom Networks For Rapid Message Delivery: Early In-Orbit Results, Robert Mearns, Airlie Chapman, Michele Trenti

Small Satellite Conference

Traditional nanosatellite communication links rely on infrequent ground-station access windows. While this is well suited to both payload data and detailed scheduling information, it leads to both intermittent and short communication windows. The resulting long periods without contact are ill-suited for both opportunistic tasking of satellites and triggers generated by autonomous operations. Existing orbital infrastructure in the form of satellite communication (SATCOM) networks, such as Iridium and others provide a readily available and cost effective solution to this problem. While these networks continue to be utilized onboard nanosatellites, a full characterization of their utility and performance in-orbit is vital to …

Small Satellites For Responsive Space: Tactical, Operational, Strategic Aspects, Matthias Mück

Small Satellite Conference

No abstract provided.

Beavercube Ii: Using Ai-Optimized Processors On Earth-Observing Cubesats For Autonomous Image Analysis And Intelligent Data Handling, Adam Bahlous-Boldi, Celvi Lisy, Neelambar Mondal, Brianna Ferro, Shreeyam Kacker, Mary Dahl, Madeline Anderson, Kerri Cahoy

Small Satellite Conference

The mission goal of BeaverCube II is to demonstrate autonomous on-orbit image processing and classification using the Xilinx Versal System-On-Chip (SOC). The Versal has 400 dedicated AI engines on an FPGA-based platform, enabling compute-intensive machine learning capabilities. While the Versal can consume over 100 W of power, BeaverCube II will demonstrate its on-orbit function in a low-power, size-constrained system. The system will use machine learning algorithms such as K-means clustering to autonomously assess whether features or changes of interest are present across keyframes.

BeaverCube II has a 1U imaging payload consisting of three Commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) cameras: two identical visible …

Hera Cubesats Trajectory Design And Conops For Didymos Binary Asteroid Characterization, Pâmini Annat, Clément Beal, Julie Verniere, Aurélien Felin, Romain Pinede, Jean Jaubert, Aurélie Moussi, Sébastien Goulet

Small Satellite Conference

The Asteroid Impact Deflection Assessment (AIDA) mission, a collaborative effort for Planetary Defense, involves the DART and Hera spacecrafts targeting the Didymos-Dimorphos binary asteroid system. Their objectives include assessing asteroid deflection, conducting close observations, and demonstrating future mission technologies. DART, launched by NASA, impacted Dimorphos in September 2022. While Hera, an ESA spacecraft, carrying Juventas and Milani 6U-XL CubeSats, will be launch in October 2024 to reach the binary asteroid system after a two-year Cruise. Hera will arrive in December 2026 in order to characterize afterwards the result of the DART impact in terms of reshaping and deflection of Dimorphos. …

Laser Crosslink Experiment: A Mission Overview, Sean Stanko, Dan Frey, Jose Ruvalcaba, Sean Burk, Damian Klaren, Dmitriy Obukhov, Barry Tidmore, Jason Bousquet, David Wayne, Nathan Barnwell, Kevin Book, Stan Volchenok, David Sadowski, David Palmer

Small Satellite Conference

The Laser Crosslink Experiment (LaCE) is an ongoing optical communication campaign with ground, stratospheric, and orbital elements. The principal LaCE experiment is two 6U CubeSats, LaCE 1 and LaCE 2, which were launched to a shared sun-synchronous Low Earth Orbit (LEO) on March 4, 2024. LaCE was originally conceived in 2015 as an integration effort for a series of Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) proposals. Its primary experiment is the Skylight laser terminal, an experimental optical communications device.

Due to the experimental nature of key subsystems, LaCE was expanded in 2020 from the initial small satellite mission to a hybrid …