Digital Commons Network^™

The First Kuwait National Satellite Project - Kuwaitsat-1, Ali Meerza, Danah Alotaibi, Maha Alkharji, Sara Eskander, Albandary Alotaibi, Hanen Alotaibi

Small Satellite Conference

Nanosatellites present many opportunities and enable many nations and organizations to participate in the space field. The affordability of these satellites offers a short-term strategy for developing space systems capability. The first Kuwaiti satellite project known as "KuwaitSat-1" started back in 2019 and it was initiated by Kuwait University and funded by Kuwait Foundation for the advancement of Sciences (KFAS). Kuwaitsat-1 is a 2U nanosatellite with an imager payload in the visible light (RGB) and it was Launched on January 3rd, 2023, by Space-x, falcon 9, Transporter 6. The main objective of Kuwait Sat-1 project is to provide the students …

Examination Of The Application Support Layer Of Ccsds Sois Using Spacewire Communication Stack And Low-Code User Application, Mitsutaka Takada, Hiroaki Takada, Takayuki Ishida, Keiichi Matsuzaki

Small Satellite Conference

As a SmallSat grows, there is an increasing need for high-speed and high-functioning sub-networks, such as SpaceWire, to connect equipment to the OBC and store large amounts of optical image data. SpaceWire has the ability for time-sensitive delivery, fast communication, and flexible network topology construction.

JAXA/ISAS has developed SIB2, a low-code user application that designs telemetry commands based on a database stored on the satellite. SIB2 has a code generation function called SIB2Generator, which outputs code that performs the behavior of telemetry commands during sender/receiver and is used as a template for user applications. On the other hand, the Application …

A Novel Approach To Small Form-Factor Spacecraft Structures For Usage In Precision Optical Payloads, Tyler Ritz, Henry Chong, Patrick Kelly

Small Satellite Conference

Precision optical payloads will soon experience a boom in manufacturing scale with the onset of proliferated satellite constellation concepts. Presently, the cost of assembly for a single unit can reach upwards of $500,000. Reduction in recurring engineering and assembly complexity can reduce this figure by up to two orders of magnitude. This paper discusses one potential solution which relies on consistent structural components that are easily manufactured in bulk quantities to facilitate general uses while also enabling high-precision mounting in designated payload slots. This proposed approach combines standardized struts and panels able to be connected and stacked in a variety …

In-Orbit Demonstration Of Precise Point Positioning For Real-Time On-Board High-Accuracy Orbit Estimation Of Leo Satellites, Javier Tegedor, James Bartle, Jonathan Ward, Xianglin Liu, Scott Glazier, Pieter Van Duijn

Small Satellite Conference

Satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) are typically equipped with GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite Systems) receivers to obtain real-time positioning, velocity, and timing. Until now, onboard GNSS positioning accuracy in LEO has been limited. Where more accurate state vector estimates are required the raw GNSS data must be post-processed on the ground.

Precise Point Positioning (PPP) is a GNSS positioning technique which allows users to obtain absolute high accuracy positioning. While PPP has been extensively used for precise Earth-based navigation, it has not been used for enhancing the positioning accuracy of satellites in LEO until now.

This paper describes how …

Brainstack – A Platform For Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning Collaborative Experiments On A Nano-Satellite, Marcus Murbach, Eric Barsczc, L. Seth Schisler, Alejandro Salas, Kwabena Boateng, Gregoire Marty, Avery Brock, Malachi Mooney-Rivkin, Stanley M. Krześniak

Small Satellite Conference

Space missions have become more ambitious with exploration targets growing ever distant while simultaneously requiring larger guidance and communication budgets. These conflicting desires of distance and control drive the need for in-situ intelligent decision making to reduce communication and control limitations. While ground based research on Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML) software modules has grown exponentially, the capacity to experimentally validate such software modules in space in a rapid and inexpensive format has not. To this end, the Nano Orbital Workshop (NOW) group at NASA Ames Research Center is performing flight evaluation tests of ‘commercially’ available bleeding-edge computational platforms …

A Decision Framework For Allocation Of Constellation-Scale Mission Compute Functionality To Ground And Edge Computing, Jaime Ramirez, Caleb Royer, Brian Free, Owen Brown, Robert Polutchko

Small Satellite Conference

This paper explores constellation-scale architectural trades, highlights dominant factors, and presents a decision framework for migrating or sharing mission compute functionality between ground and space segments. Over recent decades, sophisticated logic has been developed for scheduling and tasking of space assets, as well as processing and exploitation of satellite data, and this software has been traditionally hosted in ground computing. Current efforts exist to migrate this software to ground cloud-based services. The option and motivation to host some of this logic “at the edge” within the space segment has arisen as space assets are proliferated, are interlinked via transport networks, …

Shielding Considerations For Cubesat Structures During Solar Maximum, D. Laurence Thomsen, Thomas M. Jordan, Larisa Milic, William Girard

Small Satellite Conference

The purpose of this lessons learned paper is to communicate the utility of shielding in small spacecraft planning for the support of mission assurance and reliability. Numerous SmallSats have been flying in polar low Earth orbit for science, communications, technology demonstrations, and imaging with academic, commercial, and government interests. Shielding has been part of mission assurance and reliability from the advent of long duration spacecraft missions. The Shields-1 CubeSat has been operating in polar low Earth orbit since 16 December 2018 with atomic number (Z)-grade radiation shielding and demonstrates shielding effectiveness. Shields-1 has collected a representative example of solar minimum …

Ka-Band Multi-Gbps High Speed Downlink With Electrically Steerable Beam, Jumpei Sudo, Makoto Higaki, Soichiro Inoue, Shinya Nitta, Nahoka Kawaguchi, Takashi Eishima, Dongwon You, Kneichi Okada, Atsuchi Shirane, Takashi Tomura

Small Satellite Conference

With advances in sensor technology and data services, the latest earth observation missions tend to require substantial amounts of remote sensing data to be downlinked to earth stations with shorter delivery times. To meet these demands, AXELSPACE is developing a Ka-band downlink system (AxelLink-Ka) in cooperation with Tokyo Institute of Technology ¹ that combines a broadband Ka-band transmitter and an active phased array antenna.² The prototype of the AxelLink-Ka was found to achieve a data rate of up to 4.2 Gbps with using dual polarizaion of Right- and Left-Handed Circular Polarization (RHCP/LHCP) in the Ka-band (25.5—27.0 GHz) and electrical …

Space Networking Implementation For Lunar Operations, Nathan Drzadinski, Stephanie Booth, Blake Lafuente, Daniel Raible

Small Satellite Conference

The High-Rate Delay Tolerant Networking (HDTN) project at NASA has developed a performance optimized and open-source Delay Tolerant Networking (DTN) implementation. The primary goal is to create a scalable networking solution to increase the scientific data return rate of space missions. To reach this goal, HDTN must span multiple edge cases in space networking by including tools and configurations to accommodate a wide range of space systems. Typically, HDTN evaluations are conducted on a laboratory emulation test bed, made up of hardware accelerated x86 based systems capable of data rates over 10 Gbps. HDTN must have an effective implementation process …

Beacon Signalling For Expedited Cell Search Procedures In Ntn Nb-Iot, René B. Sørensen, Henrik Krogh Møller, Bertel Brander, Anders B. Kristensen, David V. B. Johansen, Markus S. Ellyton, Nicolai Lyholm, Sander Gaarden, Stephan O. K. Larsen

Small Satellite Conference

Three cellular standards have been considered for Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN): NB-IoT, eMTC and NR, each having had features introduced to accommodate the challenges of the NTN case. In Terrestrial Networks (TNs), it is reasonable to expect continuous coverage when a UE is stationary within reach of a base-station (eNB) with rare exceptions of downtime due to failures or catastrophic events. The same continuity cannot be assumed in NTN for sparse eNB constellations or during the rollout of dense eNB constellations. Therefore, a feature of the NTN IoT protocols - NTN NB-IoT & NTN eMTC - is the support of discontinuous …

Compact Laser Communication Terminal Architecture And In-Orbit Demonstration, P. Johan Du Plooy, Steven Engelen, Jacob J. Hejderup, Tushar Goyal

Small Satellite Conference

Satellites are generating more data than ever due to more demanding payloads, although communications Down To Earth (DTE) have not experienced the same growth in data rates. Compact Laser Communication Terminals are a promising technology that will increase bandwidths (10 Gbit+) and pave the way for larger data volumes to be transmitted which will increase the relevance of small and CubeSats in space data as service offerings. The in-orbit demonstrator is targeting a downlink data rate of 1 Gbit/s with a range of up to 1000km. A downlink wavelength of 1545nm is used while 1590nm is used for the ground …

Qualification Of Inter-Satellite Link Laser Communication Terminals On Cubesats - Cubeisl, Benjamin Rödiger, Jorge Rosano Nonay, Christian Roubal, René Rüddenklau, Christopher Schmidt, Jan Paul Jakobs

Small Satellite Conference

Free Space Optical (FSO) communications on the rise to replace classic Radio-Frequency (RF) systems in many sectors of satellite communication. DLR has a long heritage in developing Laser Communication Terminals (LCT’s) for LEO satellites. Major requirement for the design of the terminals is the optical characterization. Beside the verification in the laboratory, the terminals must withstand the harsh conditions of launch and space and fulfil all functionalities.

To characterize the LCT’s optical properties, DLR developed and built an Optical Ground Support Equipment (OGSE) which mirrors the functionalities of an Optical Ground Station (OGS), in a small scale, to test and …

Commercial Data Relay Services In The Cis-Lunar Environment With Sstl’S Lunar Pathfinder, Ramy Kozman, Alex Da Silva Curiel

Small Satellite Conference

Many missions are planned for the lunar environment in the coming decades. Traditionally, all missions would receive telecommands direct-from-Earth and send payload data and telemetry direct-to-Earth. However, missions can benefit from reduced size, weight, power and costs and increased data rates if they forgo space-borne direct-to/from-Earth communications hardware and instead communicate with a nearby cis-lunar data relay orbiter.

Accordingly, SSTL has been working with the European Space Agency under the auspices of the Commercial Lunar Missions Support Services partnership agreement to provide Lunar communications and navigations services. This agreement will see SSTL design, build, test and operate the Lunar Pathfinder …

Design And Build Process Of A Small Satellite Deployable Uhf Antenna, Alejandro Castro, David Sadowski, Dmitriy Obukhov, Ryan Hiser, Nazia Mozaffar, Brendan Hill

Small Satellite Conference

This article presents a design, development, and testing process of a deployable right-hand circular polarization (RHCP) helical antenna for a small satellite in the UHF band. In the stowed configuration the antenna is 5cm and deploys to an operational length of 74cm. Deployment of the antenna is controlled by a DC motor and once released, extends to its full shape under spring power, a 3-turn jack-in-the-box design. The antenna is tuned and matched to correct frequency bandwidth and features an optical deployment confirmation circuit. The antenna produces an axial mode, with an average beamwidth of 60° and this is achieved …

Large, Wafer-Thin Optical Apertures Leveraging Photonic Integrated Circuits To Replace Telescopes For Communications, Cale M. Gentry, Marcus Bagnell, Shon Cook, Colby Bellew, Christopher Holland, Ify Achu, Aliyah Matthews, Navin Lingaraju, Lucas Cohen, Alessia Scotto Di Luzio, Nicole Heidel

Small Satellite Conference

To aid in driving down the size, weight, and power (SWaP) of space-based optical communications terminals, we present a large-aperture telescope-replacement technology that reshapes a beam from a single-mode fiber to ~5 cm and larger apertures on a silicon wafer by using photonic integrated circuit (PIC) components. We achieve multi-centimeter apertures by sacrificing wide-angle steering in favor of good beam quality and manageable controls. Light from a single-mode fiber is coupled to a silicon chip consisting of low-loss silicon nitride waveguides for signal distribution to large phase-controlled emitters. Our demonstrations of beam phasing across a 1.8-cm-diameter, 16-emitter phased array show …

Signal-Agnostic Technique For Satellite Doppler Correction, Salwan Damman, Nazia Mozaffar, Brendan Hill

Small Satellite Conference

Low Earth Orbit satellites impart a Doppler shift on transmitted signals. This Doppler shift imposes challenges on the receiver design. Optimum band-edge filters can measure the Doppler offset, and frequency-locked loops (FLLs) containing them can correct the Doppler offset. However, optimum band-edge filters require knowledge of the structure of the signal of interest in order to compute the filter coefficients. Prefilter delay-multiply elements can be used to generate a Doppler tone that can be placed in an FLL, but this technique also requires knowledge of the signal structure and is not well suited for frequency shift keyed signals. It is …

Te Pūnaha Ātea -1 (Tpa-1), A Capability Development And Validation Mission From New Zealand, Benjamin Taylor, Vernon Lewis, Jason Shore, Sebastian Schaffler, Annalisa Tresoldi, Mattia Longato, Sha Luo, Guglielmo Aglietti

Small Satellite Conference

Operation goals:

• Capturing identifiable imagery of NZ landmass.
• Upload and use of student and researcher image processing tools.
• Inspecting exposed surfaces and elements of the CubeSat.
• Demonstrating and monitoring the deployable structures.
• Monitoring the thermal profile inside the CubeSat.
• Demonstrating timely de-orbit at end of life.

Mission objectives:

• Commissioning and demonstration of TPA-SI facilities.
• Establishment and validation of mission delivery processes.
• Outreach, education and training in mission delivery and operations.
• Generation of core mission documentation set.
• Flight heritage for in-house spacecraft platform avionics and structures.

Machine Learning Radio-Frequency-Based Anomaly Detection For Ground Station And Satellite Telecommunication, Raffaele Bua, Lucia Necchi, Pietro Corrado, Matteo Cappella, Bérenger Villat, Giovanni Pandolfi

Small Satellite Conference

Satellite-to-ground station telecommunication is a crucial aspect of satellite missions, representing a single point of failure of the entire space system.

Each failed contact is an issue for all satellite missions, leading to a potential data loss. The detection and forecasting of data transfer failures are critical challenges in satellite operations, given the unpredictability and variety of potential causes for such anomalies.

Considering the spectral waterfall plot the most appropriate tool to describe the anatomy of satellite contacts, an automatic waterfall analysis could help satellite mission operators, by promptly discovering potential data transmission failures between satellites and ground stations, and …

Ohb-I Nanosatellite Constellation For Earth Observation: A Contribution To Iride, Matteo Battilana, Claudio Angelone, Alessio Lo Presti, Salvatore Raiano, Roberto Montedori, Giuseppe Filomeno, Francesco Camuso, Giulia Capuani

Small Satellite Conference

IRIDE is an End-To-End System consisting of:

• Several LEO constellations (Upstream Segment).
• A ground operational infrastructure (Downstream Segment).
• Services for the Italian public administration (Service Segment).

IRIDE is unique since it provides microwave imaging (Synthetic Aperture Radar, SAR), optical imaging at various spatial resolutions and in different frequency ranges, including panchromatic, multispectral, hyperspectral, and infrared bands.

Confronting Or Linking Csp And Ccsds? A View On How To Operate Small Satellites Today, Pierre-Alexis Lagadrillière, Tobias Brügge, Kay Müller

Small Satellite Conference

CubeL was launched early 2021 and is the first COTS cubesat which the German Space Operations Center (GSOC) of DLR is operating. It carries 3 of the most typical space-to-ground communication systems with its UHF transceiver, its S-band transceiver and its laser terminal. Main aim is to demonstrate the capabilities of the miniaturized laser terminal for high speed communications up to 100Mbps. The second aim of this cubesat is to test operations between the on-board S-band transceiver with its native CSP and GSOC’s multi-mission environment based on CCSDS and ECSS protocols and standards, e.g. the CCSDS space packet protocols.

In …

Leo Ground Segment Testing: Addressing The Challenge, Joakim Espeland, Andrian Buchi

Small Satellite Conference

The rise of new Non-Geostationary Orbit (NGSO) satellite constellations requires dynamic tracking and seamless handover from one satellite to another without causing interruptions or signal degradations. This trend is increasing the complexity of the ground segment that is now adapting first with the reutilization of existing on-the-move tracking technology and moving into new developments of commercially viable electronically steered antennas (ESA).

The issue investigated is the lack of clear guidelines on testing the performance of such antennas, which are not currently standardized.

The testing procedure is a qualification methodology for muti orbit tracking antennas based on an Unmanned Aerial Vehicles …

Towards Comprehensive Ai-Based Onboard Fdir: System Design And First Results, Luca Manca, Gianluca Campagna, Riccardo Maderna, Gabriele Giordana

Small Satellite Conference

Health monitoring of spacecrafts is a crucial task in Space operations. Fault Detection, Isolation and Recovery (FDIR) plays a critical role in ensuring the safety and successful operation of a spacecraft by detecting and isolating faults, and then executing recovery actions. Currently, the FDIR process is carried out mostly on ground, with only anomaly detection typically performed onboard the spacecraft using out-of-limit (OOL) threshold techniques, whereas fault isolation and recovery is managed by operators on the ground.

This approach has two major limitations. Firstly, OOL approach is not capable of identifying subtle anomalies that occur within the parameters’ nominal operational …

Moon Orbiter "Izumi" For Lunar Water Exploration, Kentaro Taniguchi, Miwa Tsurumi, Ryusei Komatsu

Small Satellite Conference

NASA's Artemis program focuses on the water resources on the Moon. As lunar exploration probes with high spatial resolutions can identify potential drilling points on the lunar surface, this study proposes a mission that focuses on neutrons generated by galatic cosmic rays that leak into space and contain information regarding the amount of water within the lunar subsurface. Neutron detectors used in previous lunar exploration mission probes have encountered challenges in achieving both high spatial resolution and statistical reliability. To overcome these challenges, the proposed mission satellite is equipped with the world's first imager proposed for thermal neutrons. The satellite …

Development Of Tactical And Strategic Operations Software For Nasa's Lunar Flashlight Mission, Mason Starr

Small Satellite Conference

Lunar Flashlight (LF) is an interplanetary CubeSat mission designed to demonstrate the use of a novel green monopropellant propulsion system and characterize lunar surface ice with a near-infrared laser array and reflectometer. LF is also the first Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) mission to be operated entirely by students. While JPL provided baseline tools to Georgia Tech (GT), bespoke tools and software were developed by GT operators. Four tools developed by the author are discussed in this paper: (1) Downlink Helper is a Graphical User Interface (GUI) tool which improves the tactical downlink of recorded spacecraft telemetry. The tool automatically creates …

Cost-Effective Payload Operations Planning Software For Complex Small Spacecraft Mission Operations, Willard Farmer

Small Satellite Conference

As small spacecraft become more capable, so does the complexity of their operations. Searching for potential concurrent observation or access opportunities and ensuring they are compatible with one another may become tedious and repetitive for operators to manually compute. Currently available commercial-off-the-shelf tools that automate this process are capable but expensive. To address this problem, a new payload operations planning tool has been developed by the Space Flight Laboratory to handle the deterministic aspects of mission planning, such as: detecting observation opportunities, validating observations in a schedule, and generating lists of commands to be sent to satellites. This lightweight tool …

Sprite, A Modular Template Of In-Space Propulsion, Mackenzie Kilcoin, Daniel Cavender, Nathan Daniel, Allison Lentz

Small Satellite Conference

Huntsville, AL is home to Plasma Processes, a materials company that creates high temperature material solutions for aerospace and defense applications. Their capabilities include several thermal spray coating techniques, near-net shape refractory metal fabrication, and an array of government and commercial customer entities. A Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract received in 2016 pushed the development of Plasma's first fully integrated thruster assembly using component processes for thrust chambers, injector heads, and high temperature parts that Plasma creates daily for various entities. The thruster assembly used the ASCENT, or AF-M315E, propellant, which was first demonstrated on the Green Propulsion Infusion …

Optimization Of Propulsion Systems With Real-Time Precise Orbit Determination Technology To Enable Proximity Operations And Advanced Mission Capabilities, Sakari Teerikoski, Javier Tegedor, James Bartle, John Lawrence, Frank Tobin

Small Satellite Conference

Precise orbit determination technologies are an increasingly important enabler for the validation of critical in-space satellite propulsion systems. Advanced maneuvers require precise knowledge of impulse to optimize operations related to rendezvous, docking, in-orbit refueling, debris removal, formation flying and optical intersatellite-links optimization. These applications can benefit greatly from enhanced knowledge of the precise position of the satellite performing the work, and the precise position of the target. Thruster-intensive missions benefit from this ability to optimize thruster use and calculate and optimize actual fuel use.

The authors have combined these technologies to offer a precision 6DOF cold-gas propulsion solution with simultaneous, …

Development Of On-Ground Hardware In Loop Simulation Facility For Space Robotics, Roshan Sah, Raunak Srivastava, Kaushik Das

Small Satellite Conference

Over a couple of decades, space junk has increased rapidly, which has caused significant threats to the LEO operation satellites. A mitigating measure should be taken to protect the LEO space environment. An Active Debris Removal (ADR) concept continuously evolves for space junk removal. One of the ADR methods is Space Robotics, whose function is to chase, capture and de-orbit the space junk. This paper presents the development of an on-ground space robotics facility in the TCS Research for on-orbit refueling and debris capture experiments. A Hardware-in-Loop Simulation (HILS) system will be used for integrated system development, testing, and demonstration. …

18 And 19 Sds Small Satellite Support, Cynthia Wilson, Corey Best

Small Satellite Conference

This paper explores the services and recommendations offered by the 18th and 19th Space Defense Squadrons (SDS) to enhance spaceflight safety and ensure mission success for satellite owners and operators.

Novel Ground Communication For Geo Servicing Missions, Trevor Barth, Dan Mckee

Small Satellite Conference

As geostationary orbit (GEO) rendezvous proximity operations (RPO) missions are being launched as a means to provide life-extension services to active GEO satellites, new novel approaches to ground communication architecture have potential to simplify servicer design, reduce RF interference, and reduce overall mission operation costs. One such approach discussed here involves the servicer vehicle utilizing the client vehicle's active antenna and data stream during combined-stack operations versus maintaining a distinct communication stream with a separate ground station. The proposed method to accomplish this is to provide a physical umbilical connection during docking operations, allowing the servicer vehicle to provide power …