Digital Commons Network^™

Manufacturing In Microgravity And Sample Re-Entry Using A Commercial Rideshare Spacecraft Platform, Katie Gwozdecky, Karan Sarda

Small Satellite Conference

In 2021, Varda Space Industries contracted Rocket Lab USA to design, build, and operate four spacecraft to support an in-space manufacturing payloads inside of a commercial capsule and provide the capsule with a safe return to Earth. This mission was to be the first fully commercial controlled Earth re-entry and recovery of a space-based capsule. Four spacecraft, Winnebago-1 through -4, are to be built and launched on SpaceX Falcon-9 Transporter rideshare launches into sun-synchronous low Earth orbit. Each of these satellites feature Varda’s re-entry payload capsule which will demonstrate varied types of in-space capability from pharmaceutical crystal growth to use …

Advancements In Microscopic Observation Technology For Space Bio-Experiments, Kohei Yoshioka, Wataru Ikeda, Yasuke Takeuchi, Soichiro Ueno

Small Satellite Conference

We are developing a unique one-chip microscopic observation device called Micro Imaging Device (MID) using semiconductor technology. MID does not require optical lenses, and directly detects the object of observation placed on a semiconductor sensor chip with densely arranged photodiodes. MID is a lightweight and compact digital control device, and has a high availability with lab automation for research that requires microscopic observation. This time, we have developed a Raspberry Pi-driven MID board specialized for use in lab automation. Raspberry Pi is a single-board computer used not only in electronics but also space missions, and the MID board we developed …

System Design For Small Satellites In Very Low Earth Orbit, Kashyapa Naren Athreyas, Anusha Banninthaya, Wee Seng Lim

Small Satellite Conference

In the recent years, the very low earth orbit (VLEO) mission concepts are getting popular owing to the advantages it brings. VLEO is considered to be below 400 km in general, and as the satellites orbit closer to the surface, the earth observation data can be more accurate than the data from LEO. The image resolution can be better for the same camera technology, the radio wave applications will experience lower ionospheric disturbances, and the scientific data collection in those altitudes can help to improve the atmospheric models. However, there a significant challenge in orbiting at such altitudes, which is …

Robust Symbol Rate Correction Of Multi-H Continuous Phase Frequency Shift Keyed Signals In The Presence Of Doppler, Brendan Hill, Nazia Mozaffar, Salwan Damman

Small Satellite Conference

Communications with a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite require tracking and correcting both the Doppler frequency offset and the symbol rate. A constant envelope signal such as Continuous Phase Frequency Shift Keying (CPFSK) is a popular choice for driving a power amplifier close to its 1 dB compression point. Establishing a changing modulation index (“multi-h”) in the CPFSK signal produces coding gain, which requires a Viterbi decoder in the receiver. A simple way to create this coding gain is to alternate between two modulation indices. A receiver with a Viterbi decoder-assisted time and phase correction of a Continuous Phase Frequency …

The Progress Ahead On The Pedago-Sat Academic Nanosatellite Training Platform Project, Aissa Boutte, El Yazid Belaidi

Small Satellite Conference

Since the beginning of 2022, development of the ”PEDAGO-SAT” platform has been underway, in line with a 36-months development plan that proposes a nano-satellite platform (Open -source) using an accessible products. The main objective is to design a training solution aligned with the Algerian Space Agency’s (ASAL) strategy to promote local aerospace activity and encourage national universities to play a role in advancing this sector. Once the nanosatellite is built and the tests on the various sub-systems and learning scenarios and procedure validated, the project’s outcome will be proposed as an educational support to space engineering graduates and training the …

Ma61c-Smallsat, Saish Sridharan, Ran Qedar

Small Satellite Conference

The Multipurpose Adapter Generic Interface Connector SmallSat (MA61C-SmallSat) adapter, developed by Space Products and Innovation (SPiN), supports nine interfaces on 28 ports, configuring 11 sensor and actuator groups. The intelligent MA61C-SmallSat is an intermediate layer between satellite electronic components and the onboard computer, facilitating seamless data routing and communication interface adaptation. It was developed for the modular Attitude Determination and Control System (mADCS) project, funded by the European Space Agency (ESA), which aims to create a versatile 'modular-ADCS' subsystem for small satellites. This system integrates the MA61C-SmallSat hardware board, boasting plug-and-play adaptive software for effortless integration and universal ADCS software. …

Software Configuration Management For Proliferated Leo Satellites, Alexandra Dukes, Clayton Snyder, Brett Booen

Small Satellite Conference

Our novel Software Configuration Management (SWCM) approach addresses common pain points using off-the-shelf tooling and industry best practices to enable greater speed and efficiency on high-volume small satellite production lines.

A Low-Cost, Hardware-In-The-Loop Simulator Facilitating Cubesat Star Tracker Development, Hongrui Zhao, Adrian Zhuang, Michael F. Lembeck

Small Satellite Conference

CubeSats are increasingly used to support complex missions requiring accurate attitude knowledge and pointing control. To meet these requirements, miniature star trackers are being manifested with CubeSat attitude control systems. Accurate performance verification of these trackers can be facilitated using a low-cost, hardware-in-the-loop simulator. The simulator covered in this paper incorporates a high-resolution monitor and a collimating lens to project a simulated star field for the star tracker under test. Based on a systematic accuracy analysis, this simulator is shown to be precise enough to allow for successful star identification and attitude determination in a closed loop test. An empirical …

Achieving Low-Cost, High-Reliability Payload Services Through A Collegiate Approach Using Standardized Satellite Bus Architectures, Nathan Drzadinski, Griffin Hentzen

Small Satellite Conference

The space community is rapidly expanding, especially in the Small Sat sector. The incremental implementation of more compact technology and the decline of launch costs lowers the barrier to entry into space, allowing for new actors to expand into the market. Two important players in this incremental process are collegiate satellite programs and commercial satellite-as-a-service (SataaS) providers. Collegiate satellite programs have previously occupied the low-cost, low-reliability market. These are often in a one-time collaboration with a professor or company, always resulting in the design of a unique bus derived by mission-specific stakeholder needs. In contrast with university programs, current commercial …

An Evaluation Of Cubesat Orbital Decay Utilizing Adcs, Sanjeev Mehta, Noé Lugaz, May-Win Thein

Small Satellite Conference

Since the early 2000s, the number of nanosatellites launched has shown an exponential trend. As Low Earth Orbit (LEO) is getting crowded with nanosatellites and small satellites, FCC's new "five-year rule" regulation requires space operators to plan disposal through re-entry into Earth's atmosphere in no more than five years after the mission's end. One was to decelerate and deorbit a satellite is by increasing the satellite drag area using active attitude control, which can be used to tactically deorbit satellites to satisfy the "five-year rule".

The atmospheric density in the upper atmosphere (LEO region) widely varies as a function of …

Prompt Anomaly Detection For Small Satellites In Low-Earth Orbit Constellations: A Machine Learning Approach, Weicheng Qian, Joshua Dejong, Bryan Cooke

Small Satellite Conference

Small satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) constellations are shaping the future of communications and Earth observation. Despite having inherent advantages such as lower latency and faster deployments due to quicker and cheaper access to space, monitoring the large number of LEO satellites imposes a significant burden when considering the long-established methods of human-in-the-loop anomaly detection and recovery. Timely responses to anomalies reduce operational outages and help maximize the availability of the network. Traditional rule-based detection and supervised learning have inherent limitations in monitoring the large numbers of space assets projected to be launched over the next decades because more …

Predicting The Properties Of Resident Space Objects In Leo Using Graph Neural Networks, Marta Guimarães, Cláudia Soares, Chiara Manfletti

Small Satellite Conference

In recent years, the number of resident space objects (RSOs) in low Earth orbit (LEO) has significantly increased. As a result, decision-making tasks and the overall understanding within the space domain have become more challenging. To make critical decisions such as collision avoidance manoeuvres, satellite owners and operators must be aware of their assets’ surroundings. Therefore, spacecraft operators must understand the characteristics of these RSOs and their spatial relationships. To address this issue, we propose a novel approach using graph neural networks (GNNs) to predict RSOs’ properties in LEO. This approach captures the complex interdependencies between RSOs by representing each …

Narsha: Pioneering The Korean Microsatellite Constellation For Spaceborne Methane Monitoring, Geuk-Nam Kim, Jae-Pil Park, Jinyoung Shin, Taemin Kim, Namgyu Kim, Jooin Lee, Dohyun Kim, Hyun Min Kim, Alexandra Jercaianu, Jungkyu Lee, Kwangwon Lee, Seongwhan Lee, Jaemin Hong, Yu-Ri Lee, Sujong Jeong, Dong Young Chang, Hayoung Park, Young-Jun Choi

Small Satellite Conference

Methane (CH₄) is the second most abundant anthropogenic greenhouse gas contributing the global warming. Its global warming potential is estimated to be about 80 times greater than that of carbon dioxide (CO₂) over the last 20 years. To achieve a global net zero in carbon emissions, it is important to monitor and manage point sources of methane emissions worldwide. We introduce the first Korean spaceborne methane monitoring platform development project, termed NarSha. Collaborating with Nara Space Technology, the Climate Laboratory of Seoul National University, and the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, the NarSha project aims …

A Green Propulsion Dual Mode (Gpdm) In-Space Technology Demonstration On A 6u Cubesat, Nehemiah Joel Williams, Darren S. Wallace, Christopher G. Burnside, Austin Moore, Josh Leblanc, Beau C. Simpson, Harold S. Stephens

Small Satellite Conference

Over the past decade there has been an increase in the launch and operations of small spacecraft. Small spacecraft (defined as having a total vehicle mass of < 180 kg) provide an opportunity for low-cost, high impact technology demonstrations on a small scale. They also create opportunities for government, industry, and academic to engage, transfer knowledge, and extend partnerships with non-traditional partners. NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) is leading a collaborative effort to demonstrate a dual-mode (chemical and electrospray) propulsion system using a common propellant system as a payload on a 6U CubeSat. The novel feature in the propulsion system is the interfacing of propulsion technologies requiring dramatically different operating conditions and support hardware. GPDM will use a low toxicity or "green" propellant known as Advanced Spacecraft Energetic Non-Toxic (ASCENT) to demonstrate using a chemical thruster for translation burns and electrospray propulsion for both attitude control and translational burns on the spacecraft. Specific mission activities could include demonstration of collision avoidance during frequent altitude adjustment maneuvers to validate thruster performance and managing extended duration thruster burns of at least 24 hours with limited vehicle contact times. This paper will summarize the ground testing, spacecraft development, mission objectives, and mission planning activities to achieve some of GPDM's technical objectives.

Solar Sail Propulsion - Ready For Smallsat Mission Implementation, Les Johnson, Leslie Mcnutt, Anan Takroori

Small Satellite Conference

Solar sails have the potential to provide high ΔV for many types of missions. Solar sails are large, mirror-like structures made of a lightweight material that reflects sunlight to propel the spacecraft. The continuous solar photon pressure provides thrust with no need for the heavy, expendable propellants used by conventional chemical and electric propulsion systems. The 1653 m2 NASA Solar Cruiser solar sail propulsion system, made from 2.5 micron-thick thin film, recently advanced to NASA's Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 6 through extensive testing (January 2024). The sailcraft platform has pointing control and attitude stability comparable to traditional platforms, supporting both …

Cold-Infusion Of Catalytic Materials Into 3-D Printed Fuels For In-Space Hybrid Propulsion Performance Enhancement, Ryan Thibaudeau, Stephen A. Whitmore

Small Satellite Conference

A recent study by the ESA Space Research and Technology Center has identified that "reducing toxicity of propellants" offers the highest potential for reducing commercial space operating costs. Developing a "green" alternative for hydrazine, the most commonly used space propellant, was highly recommended. Hybrid propulsion offers an emerging, low-cost solution, especially for SmallSat propulsion.

Historically, a primary drawback of hybrid systems was a lack of reliable multiple-use ignition methods. Recently, restartability issues were overcome by leveraging unique dielectric breakdown properties of 3-D printed acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS). Additive printing significantly changes thermoelectric properties, and when ABS is subjected to an …

In-Orbit Demonstration Of A Steam-Powered Propulsion System, Marco Pavan, Ivan Timofeev, Vladimir Fedorov

Small Satellite Conference

The Steam Thruster One is a 2U electrothermal thruster able to provide a Total Impulse of 1200 Ns, with a thrust over 5 mN and requiring less than 20W of power input. The system uses just low pressure water as the main propellant, making it completely safe for integration and operations both on the ground and in space. The propulsion system converts low pressure liquid water into superheated steam, which is then ejected through a nozzle creating thrust. One Steam Thruster One propulsion system was launched in 2023 for a demonstrative/commercial mission, aboard a 100 kg satellite deployed in a …

Flight Results And Lessons Learned From The Starling Propulsion System, Terry Stevenson

Small Satellite Conference

NASA's Starling mission is a swarm of four 6U Cubesats flying in formation in Low Earth Orbit to demonstrate scalable swarm technologies, particularly related to crosslink networking. In order to maintain and modify their formation, the Starling spacecraft use a cold gas propulsion system called Hamlet, which provides each spacecraft with 30 m/s of delta-V, as well as attitude control during maneuvers. Hamlet is a fully self-contained system, incorporating propellant tanks, valves, nozzles, and control electronics. Most of the structure of Hamlet is a single piece of stereolithography-printed composite, which simplifies assembly and allows for unusual tank geometry that maximizes …

Automation As A Mindset: An Approach To Streamlining Spacecraft Development And Operations, Annalisa Vilaysing, Terrance Yee, Elizabeth Nelson

Small Satellite Conference

With limited opportunities and funding for deep space missions, there is increased pressure to build better, faster, and cheaper space-borne payloads. Smaller teams and limited tools provide a unique challenge for such development. This paper reviews the approach the Micro-Mission Systems (MMS) group at Malin Space Science Systems (MSSS) took in the development of the Mars Synchronous Orbiter (MSO) to streamline and automate various tasks so team members could focus their efforts on solving more difficult problems and minimize user induced errors.

The team utilized free tools to automate labor intensive and manual processes, run and monitor tests with little …

Commerical Lunar Navigation & Communications Services Launching 2025!, Alex Da Silva Curiel

Small Satellite Conference

No abstract provided.

Automated Design And Validation Of Acquisition Patterns For Optical Inter-Cubesat Links, René Rüddenklau, Jorge Rosano Nonay, Georg Schitter

Small Satellite Conference

Commercially available CubeSats with volumes of up to six units cannot achieve the precision required for an instantaneous establishment of a low-divergence optical inter-satellite link employing solely their attitude-determination and control system. Those residual attitude errors are present due to vibrations and limited control precision caused by the commonly used reaction wheel actuators. Thus, search patterns are used to scan the remaining field of uncertainty in order to achieve an optical inter-satellite. This work focuses on the development of an automated procedure to optimize the interaction between each of the individual search patterns. The performance of the two combined patterns …

Approach To Automated Processes For Satellite Operations, Gianmarco Broilo, Jan-Christoph Scharringhausen

Small Satellite Conference

The European Data Relay System (EDRS) provides a high speed data link between ground stations and satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). The communication between LEO satellites is achieved via optical inter-satellite links, the data is then relayed to ground using a Ka-Band antenna. During nominal operations, up to 200 links per day are foreseen to be commanded by the ground system at DLR's German Space Operations Center (GSOC). This large number of complex activities connected to each link is beyond the capabilities of a classical operational concept where only manual operations are performed by a single satellite operator. Therefore, …

Hawkeye 360'S Ci/Cd Approach To Automatic On-Orbit Firmware Updates, Eric Haengel, Lorin Metzger

Small Satellite Conference

HawkEye 360 is the world leader in RF signal monitoring and analytics from space. Its constellation of more than two dozen small satellites, each with a GPS time-synchronized on-board Software Defined Radio, enables it to record and monitor terrestrial RF signals emitted from anywhere on Earth, multiple times a day. The satellites fly in clusters of three each, in a tight orbital formation, enabling trilateration of emitters by observed time and frequency difference of arrival. RF signals come in such a wide variety in their applications and content, that from early on the spacecraft design was structured with flexibility in …

Successes And Challenges Of Leveraging A Mature Automated Production Workflow To Develop A Higher Complexity Satellite, Nathalie Vilchis, Sean Borgsteede, Marco Garcia, Kevin Saul

Small Satellite Conference

Planet is a satellite imagery company taking pictures of the Earth everyday. To achieve this unique mission we have built and launch an average of 50 cubesats every year for over 10 years.

Concept Design Of 50-Kg Class Satellite 'Inspire': On-Orbit Demonstration Of Orbit Control And Formation Flight By Atmospheric Drag Using Variable Shape Function, Yuki Amaki, Kei Watanabe, Hiroyuki Kobayashi, Yoichi Yatsu, Toshihiro Chujo, Hiroki Nakanishi, Jun Kataoka, Kazuo Tanaka

Small Satellite Conference

Tokyo Institute of Technology and Waseda University are developing a 50-kg class satellite, tentatively named INSPIRE and now officially named GRAPHIUM. The scientific mission of this satellite is to observe gamma rays from the galactic plane, solar flares, lightning, and auroras using the Compton Camera. On the other hand, the satellite aims to accomplish advanced engineering missions. It is to demonstrate orbit control and formation flight by atmospheric drag force using the variable shape function.

Loft Orbital's Approach To Rapid System Verification And Test, Paul Faugeras, Matthew Hanley, Danielle Liut

Small Satellite Conference

Loft Orbital's vision is to provide the fastest, simplest, and most reliable access to space for small satellite-class missions. Loft achieves this vision with a turnkey solution that implements the hardware and software solutions required to get a mission to orbit in months, not years. A key contributor to the success of Loft's vision is integrated systems testing in the hardware in the loop (HIL) environment.

Traditionally, HIL systems are designed and operated with one mission in mind. This means that for each new mission in which the architecture changes, a new HIL system needs to be created or an …

Debris Measurement Analyzer (Dma): Simulating The Detection Of Resident Space Objects Using Space-Based Optical Sensors, Bartlomiej Koszek

Small Satellite Conference

Debris Measurement Analyzer (DMA) is a simulation environment developed to generate data about in-space surveillance using an optical payload. A novel simulation paradigm is presented which combines physical simulation with statistical data about the resident space object (RSO) environment, resulting in superior accuracy and shorter simulation runtime. DMA implements a finite volume sampling technique that enables the simulation to not only account for the dependence of RSO spatial density on altitude, but also on longitude, latitude, and sensor orientation. The results produced by this tool are aggregated into insights that enable data-driven decision-making whether the detection of RSOs is a …

Vision-Based Detection Of Uncooperative Targets And Components On Small Satellites, Hannah Grauer, Elena-Sorina Lupu, Connor Lee, Soon-Jo Chung, Darren Rowen, Benjamen Bycroft, Phaedrus Leeds, John Brader

Small Satellite Conference

Space debris and inactive satellites pose a threat to the safety and integrity of operational spacecraft and motivate the need for space situational awareness techniques. These uncooperative targets create a challenging tracking and detection problem due to a lack of prior knowledge of their features, trajectories, or even existence. Recent advancements in computer vision models can be used to improve upon existing methods for tracking such uncooperative targets to make them more robust and reliable to the wide-ranging nature of the target. This paper introduces an autonomous detection model designed to identify and monitor these objects using learning and computer …

Jaxa's Solar System Exploration Program With Small Satellites: From Procyon And Equuleus To Outer Solar System Exploration, Ryu Funase, Shintaro Nakajima, Naoya Ozaki, Hajime Yano

Small Satellite Conference

No abstract provided.

Biosentinel: Leading The Way For Deep Space Cubesat Missions, Jeff Homan, Matthew Napoli, Cheryle Kong, Jesse Fusco, Robert Nakamura

Small Satellite Conference

BioSentinel, a 6U spacecraft launched on Artemis-I in November 2022, is one of the longest operating CubeSats beyond cislunar space. The successful subsystem design with COTS components has become a template for future deep space missions, and the lessons learned from over a year and a half of operations enable their improved performance.