Digital Commons Network^™

Space-Operating Linux: An Operating System For High Performance Ai Computation On Commercial-Grade Equipment In Low Earth Orbit, Eric Miller

Small Satellite Conference

With recent exponential advances in AI—particularly with respect to the tremendous power and efficiency accessible for data processing—there is now a countless array of applications for aerospace missions and space exploration, even in experimental CubeSats. However, with the large volume of data acquisition required for satellite missions, downlinking presents an increasingly expensive bottleneck that drastically reduces mission efficiency. At the University of Georgia Small Satellite Research Laboratory, the Multi-view Onboard Computational Imager (MOCI) employs an NVIDIA Jetson TX2i GPU module to process data in situ and downlink only final products. As is the case for many commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) devices …

Cold Atom Space Payload Atmospheric Drag Mission (Caspa-Adm), Jorge Ferreras, Joe Spencer, Mike Salter, Tristan Valenzuela, Isabelle Riou, Marton Kiss-Toth, Ryan Renshaw, Michael Trigatzis, Lucy Moore, Steven Maddox, Michael Holynski, Sanaz Roshanmanesh, Johnathan Winch, Andrew Lamb, Farzad Hayati, Kai Bongs

Small Satellite Conference

To gain better understanding of the upper atmospheric dynamics requires more accurate determination of the mass density distribution in the thermosphere. Improved measurements of drag, by means of satellite accelerometery, can be used to more precisely determine this distribution. In addition, atmospheric drag in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) is particularly of interest for climate modelling, weather forecasting and satellite orbit prediction. RAL Space, Teledyne-e2v and the University of Birmingham are developing a Cold Atom Space Payload Atmospheric Drag Mission (CASPA-ADM). The aim of the project, supported by the UK Centre for Earth Observation Instrumentation (CEOI), is to develop a technology …

Avionics System And Attitude Algorithms For A Deorbit Device Based On An Electrodynamic Tether, Sergio Garcia-Gonzalez, Lorenzo Tarabini Castellani, Sofia Orte, Asier Ortega, Gonzalo Sanchez-Arriaga, Enrico C. Lorenzini, Martin Tajmar, Katja Wätzig

Small Satellite Conference

The main goal of the Electrodynamic Tether technology for PAssive Consumable-less deorbit Kit (E.T.PACK) project is to develop a deorbit device based on an electrodynamic tether with TRL 4 by 2022. In September 2022, its continuation, i.e. the E.T.PACK-F project, will carry on with the activities of E.T.PACK to prepare a flight model with TRL 8 that will be tested in an in-orbit demonstration mission in 2025. This work (i) describes the attitude determination and control strategy of the mission, which is used as a means of explaining its different phases and the dynamics of each one of them, (ii) …

David The First 6u Cubesat Mission Of The Italian Space Agency Programme Iperdrone As Demonstration Of New On Orbit Services Performed By Space Drones, Raffaele Votta, Roberto Gardi, Emanuele Zaccagnino, Margherita Cardi, Alessia Basler, Filippo Corradino, Giorgio Taiano, Fabrizio Carrai, Fabrizio Carubia, Marco Di Clemente, Marta Albano, Alberto Fedele

Small Satellite Conference

The Italian Space Agency is promoting a roadmap for the design, manufacturing and operation of a new space reentry drone. The Iperdrone program will qualify a new type of operative mission, through an incremental phased approach. The program includes, as first step, the demonstration of inspection services for the International Space Station, optimizing the EVA activities and increasing the in space experimentation opportunities. The paper will present the status of development of the first mission, which will demonstrate the system's capabilities such as proximity operations, inspection and interaction with a target, including a close rendez-vous demonstration. The first mission, DAVID …

Eis: A Unique Hyperspectral Pathfinder Mission Combining The Compact Elois Instrument And The Innosat Smallsat Platform, Vincent Moreau, Gregory Lousberg, Vincent Tigny, Jochem Van Der Maas, Eric Callut, Alexandre Gilles, Julien Nuttin, Enne Hekma, Bastiaan Lagaune, Staffan Persson

Small Satellite Conference

The EIS mission is a new IOD/IOV mission under the “Horizon 2020” program of the European Union. It combines the innovative ELOIS hyperspectral instrument with the flight-proven InnoSat platform to form a hyperspectral imaging mission offering excellent value for money. OHB Sweden is responsible for the platform, payload integration, system level AIT and for the ground segment incl. operations, while AMOS is delivering the instrument and will validate the data. The target orbit is a LEO SSO orbit at 630 km and the lifetime is 5 years. The platform is enhanced with very high pointing performance and stability and an …

Nachos, A Cubesat-Based High-Resolution Uv-Visible Hyperspectral Imager For Remote Sensing Of Trace Gases: System Overview, Science Objectives, And Preliminary Results, Steven P. Love, Kirk W. Post, Logan A. Ott, Magdalena E. Dale, Claira L. Safi, Kerry G. Boyd, Hannah D. Mohr, Christian Ward, Michael Caffrey, James P. Theiler, Bernard R. Foy, Markus Hehlen, Charles Glen Peterson, Ryan Hemphill, James A. Wren, Arthur A. Guthrie, Nicholas A. Dallmann, Paul S. Stein, Aaron G. Meyer, Manvendra K. Dubey

Small Satellite Conference

The Nano-satellite Atmospheric Chemistry Hyperspectral Observation System (NACHOS) is a high-throughput (f/2.9), high spectral resolution (1.3 nm optical, 0.57 nm sampling) hyperspectral imager covering the 300-500 nm spectral region with 350 spectral bands. The combined 1.5U instrument payload and 1.5U spacecraft bus comprise a 3U CubeSat. Spectroscopically similar to NASA’s Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI), which provides wide-field coverage at ~20 km spatial resolution, NACHOS offers complementary targeted measurements at far higher spatial resolution of ~0.4 km/pixel from 500 km altitude over its 15 ̊ across-track field of view. NACHOS incorporates highly streamlined onboard gas-retrieval algorithms, alleviating the need to routinely …

Cubespec, A Mission Overview, Bart Vandenbussche, Gert Raskin, Pierre Royer, Dominic Bowman, Hugues Sana, Andrew Tkachenko, Jan Goris, Job Schuermans, Dirk Vandepitte, Jeroen De Maeyer, Filip Heylen, Wim De Munter, Maarten Kempenaers, Jelle Lanting, Bram Vandoren, Tjorven Delabie, Vincent Moreau, Etienne Renotte, Peter Davidsen, Karl Kaas, Roger Walker, Camille Pirat

Small Satellite Conference

CubeSpec is an in-orbit demonstration CubeSat mission in the ESA technology programme, developed and funded in Belgium. The goal of the mission is to demonstrate high-spectral-resolution astronomical spectroscopy from a 6-unit CubeSat. The prime science demonstration case for the in-orbit demonstration mission is to unravel the interior of massive stars using asteroseismology by high-cadance monitoring of the variations in spectral line profiles during a few months. The technological challenges are numerous. The 10x20cm aperture telescope and echelle spectrometer have been designed to fit in a 10x10x20cm volume.

Under low-Earth orbit thermal variations, maintaining the fast telescope focus and spectrometer alignment …

Responsive Operations For Key Services (Roks): A Modular, Low Swap Quantum Communications Payload, Craig D. Colquhoun, Hazel Jeffrey, Steve Greenland, Sonali Mohapatra, Colin Aitken, Mikulas Cebecauer, Charlotte Crawshaw, Kenny Jeffrey, Toby Jeffreys, Philippos Karagiannakis, Ahren Mctaggart, Caitlin Stark, Jack Wood, Siddarth K. Joshi, Jaya Sagar, Elliott Hastings, Peide Zhang, Milan Stefko, David Lowndes, John G. Rarity, Jasminder S. Sidhu, Thomas Brougham, Duncan Mcarthur, Robert G. Pousa, Daniel K. L. Oi, Matthew Warden, Eilidh Johnston, John Leck

Small Satellite Conference

Quantum key distribution (QKD) is a theoretically proven future-proof secure encryption method that inherits its security from fundamental physical principles. With a proof-of-concept QKD payload having flown on the Micius satellite since 2016, efforts have intensified globally. Craft Prospect, working with a number of UK organisations, has been focused on miniaturising the technologies that enable QKD so that they may be used in smaller platforms including nanosatellites. The significant reduction of size, and therefore the cost of launching quantum communication technologies either on a dedicated platform or hosted as part of a larger optical communications will improve potential access to …

The Nasa Time-Resolved Observations Of Precipitation Structure And Storm Intensity With A Constellation Of Smallsats (Tropics) Mission: Results From The Pathfinder Demonstration And Look Ahead To The Constellation Mission, William J. Blackwell, David Crompton, Andrew Cunningham, Shawn Donnelly, James Eshbaugh, Vincent Leslie, Brian Powers, Nicholas Zorn, Kerri Cahoy, Amelia Gagnon, Samantha Hasler, Daniel Adams, Owen Hart, Jostein Johansen, Ian Murray, Benjamin Kim, William Mccarty, Garrett Skrobot, Genevieve Taylor, Stuart Cooke, Michael Grant, Scott Braun

Small Satellite Conference

The NASA Time-Resolved Observations of Precipitation structure and storm Intensity with a Constellation of Smallsats (TROPICS) mission will provide nearly all-weather observations of 3-D temperature and humidity, as well as cloud ice and precipitation horizontal structure, at high temporal resolution to conduct high-value science investigations of tropical cyclones. TROPICS will provide rapid-refresh microwave measurements (median refresh rate of approximately 50 minutes for the baseline mission) over the tropics that can be used to observe the thermodynamics of the troposphere and precipitation structure for storm systems at the mesoscale and synoptic scale over the entire storm lifecycle. The TROPICS constellation mission …

Lunah-Map: Revealing Lunar Water With A New Radiation Sensor Array, Craig Hardgrove, Lena Heffern, Joe Dubois, Ernest Cisneros, James Bell, Richard Starr, Thomas Prettyman, Igor Lazbin, Bob Roebuck, Nathaniel Struebel, Ethan Clark, Derek Nelson, Jeremy Bauman, Bobby Williams, Erik Johnson, James Christian, Graham Stoddard, Michael Tsay, Joshua Model, Pete Hruby, Alessandra Babuscia, Steve Stem, Devon Sanders, Elliot Hegel, Mitchell Wiens, Sean Parlapiano, Patrick Hailey, Tyler O'Brien, Katherine Mesick, Dan Coupland

Small Satellite Conference

A new type of neutron and gamma-ray spectrometer called the Miniature Neutron Spectrometer (Mini-NS) has been developed, assembled, qualified and delivered as part of the Lunar Polar Hydrogen Mapper (LunaH-Map) cubesat mission. The LunaH-Map spacecraft is currently manifested as a secondary payload on the Space Launch System (SLS) Artemis-1 rocket. LunaH-Map will deploy from Artemis-1 and enter a low altitude perilune elliptical orbit around the Moon. The Mini-NS will measure the lunar epithermal neutron albedo, and measurements around perilune will be used to produce maps of hydrogen enrichments and depletions across the lunar South Pole region including both within and …

Safe Space Conduct: Nasa Best Practices For Smallsats, Lauri Newman

Small Satellite Conference

No abstract provided.

Science And Technology: Pushing The Bounds To Infinity And Beyond, Andy Williams

Small Satellite Conference

No abstract provided.

Design, Fabrication, And Tuning Techniques Of Quadrifilar Helix Antennas For Small Satellites, Kelby Davis, Reyhan Baktur

Small Satellite Conference

Quadrifilar helix antennas are also called fractional turn helix is very appealing to spacecraft applications. A quadrifilar antenna offers circular polarization in its radiating hemisphere and its radiation pattern is not severely affected by a ground plane. These properties are important for closing the communication link and make the antenna relatively independent of the CubeSat frame and mounting location, which facilitates modular design of the antenna.

Although it has similar shape as a helical antenna, a quadrifilar helix antenna is fundamentally different. While there exists design theory and calculators for this type of antennas, detailed notes on design, fabrication, and …

Thin Cubesats And Compact Sensors For Constellations In Vleo To Deep Space, Hank D. Voss, Jeff F. Dailey, Matthew B. Orvis, Matthew C. Voss

Small Satellite Conference

ThinSat form factors have many advantages for constellations and are launched directly from all standard 1U to 27U CubeSat canisters. Currently NSL is completing two 6U constellations for launch in 2023. The Space Weather NASA SBIR Phase II consists of 4 satellites, each with dimension 7.5x10x20cm. Novel and compressed Space Weather instruments are being developed by NSL partners. Each satellite can be divided into two ThinSat sections separated by a 20 cm foldout to serve as a 1) sensor boom, 2) quiet low noise Faraday sensor box, 3) passively cooled from -40 to + 40 C platform, and 4) cleaner …

138 Propulsion Units Launched In 4 Years: A Review And Lessons Learned, David Krejci, Alexander Reissner

Small Satellite Conference

After the first launch of an ENPULSION NANO thruster in 2019 together with FOTEC1,2,3, which verified for the first time the operation of a propulsion system based on liquid metal Field Emission Electric Propulsion (FEEP) in space, ENPULSION has delivered hundreds of flight systems to 36 different commercial customers. To date, 135 additional ENPULSION NANO systems have been launched on a variety of spacecraft across different platforms and customers. In addition, the ENPULSION MICRO R3 , an increased power and thrust unit, has been developed, which was successfully demonstrated in orbit in 2021. Recently, the first new generation ENPULSION NANO …

Nanosatellite Launch Forecasts - Track Record And Latest Prediction, Erik Kulu

Small Satellite Conference

After almost 300 CubeSats were sent to space in 2017, the following 3 years saw a continued decline. While 2021 set a new record of about 326 nanosatellites launched, most published forecasts and expectations from the last 10 years about the growth about CubeSats have not come to fruition. This paper attempts to answer the question why and make a new prediction based on scheduled missions and historic trends.

First part of the paper presents the latest nanosatellite and CubeSat launch statistics. Out of over 3400 entries in the database, 2068 nanosatellites or 1893 CubeSats have been launched as of …

Science Conops For Application Of Sport Mission Data To Study Large (~1000km) Ionospheric Plasma Depletions, Linda Habash Krause, Sheila Nash-Stevenson, Stephen Clanton, Rebecca L. Bishop, Charles M. Swenson, Joaquim E. R. Costa, Marcelo Banik De Pádua, Marco A. Ridenti, Luis Loures, Lidia Shibuya, Jonas Sousa Santos, Jayr De Amorim Filho, Ana Paula Schuch, Sophia Rodrigues Laranja, Guan Le, Todd M. Bonalsky, Rod A. Heelis, Mark W. Mankey

Small Satellite Conference

The Scintillation Prediction Observations Research Task (SPORT) mission is a single 6U CubeSat space weather satellite planned for an October 2022 launch into an ISS-like orbit. The primary purpose of the SPORT mission is to determine the longitudinal effects on equatorial plasma bubble (EPB) growth resulting from the offset dipole magnetic field of the Earth. By combining field and plasma measurements from SPORT with other low-altitude (i.e., alt < 1000 km) spacecraft, it is possible to investigate large-scale (> 1000 km) EPB structures. The types of investigation made possible by measurements from SPORT and other contemporaneous missions include 1) dynamics of depleted magnetic flux tubes; 2) dynamics of field-aligned EPB expansion …

The Electrojet Zeeman Imaging Explorer (Ezie) Mission And The Microwave Electroject Magnetogram (Mem) Radiometer Instrument, Sidharth Misra, Sharmila Padmanabhan, Pekka Kangaslahti, Oliver Montes, Javier Bosch-Lluis, Richard Cofield, Isaac Ramos, Jeng-Hwa Yee

Small Satellite Conference

The Electrojet Zeeman Imaging Explorer (EZIE) mission is a multi-satellite 6U CubeSat mission designed to temporally and spatially sample the Earth’s current induced magnetic field. The EZIE mission will help discern amongst competing theories of the spatial structures of Auroral Electro Jets (AEJ). The EZIE mission uses a unique payload design relative to traditional magnetometers; a 118.75 GHz mm-wave polarimetric radiometric system with a digital spectrometer backend, called the Microwave Electrojet Magnetogram (MEM) system. MEM measures the Zeeman split in frequency of the Oxygen absorption line that is directly proportional to the strength of the magnetic field of the observation. …

Small Spacecraft Sample Return Mission Concept To Support Gateway And Lunar Science, Alan M. Cassell, Jeffrey D. Smith, Matthew M. Wittal, Randy D. Gordon, Jennifer G. Morgan

Small Satellite Conference

Sustaining long-term presence at the Moon will likely require innovative and cost-effective approaches for frequent and affordable payload return. NASA Ames Research Center and the Deep Space Logistics team at Kennedy Space Center (which manages the Gateway Logistics Services missions) have investigated the development of a small spacecraft-based sample return capability to complement the limited sample return capacity available with the early Orion missions. The goal is to demonstrate a cost-effective capability as part of an early Deep Space Logistics mission and provide up to 10 kg (~ 4 L volume) of scientific payload returned from the Gateway. The mission …

Two Generations Of Cubesat Missions (Csswe And Cirbe) To Take On The Challenges Of Measuring Relativistic Electrons In The Earth’S Magnetosphere, Xinlin Li, Rick Kohnert, Scott Palo, Richard Selesnick, Lengying Khoo, Quintin Schiller, Kun Zhang, Jared Cantilina, Evan Bauch, Alan Sims, Spencer Boyajian, Trace Valade, Paris Buedel, Alexander Reynolds, Josephine Johnson, Abigail Durell, Beth Cervelli, Gail Tate, Yang Mei, Michael Chambliss, Sierra Flynn, Karen Bryant, Thaddeus Baringer

Small Satellite Conference

The Colorado Student Space Weather Experiment (CSSWE) CubeSat, carrying the Relativistic Electron and Proton Telescope integrated little experiment (REPTile) to measure 0.5 to >3.8 MeV electrons and 8-40 MeV protons, operated for over two years, 2012-2014, in low Earth orbit (LEO). There have been 25 peer-reviewed publications, including two in Nature, and five Ph.D. dissertations associated with CSSWE. Another 3U CubeSat mission: Colorado Inner Radiation Belt Electron Experiment (CIRBE), has been under development to address an unresolved science question: Where is the break point in terms of electron energy below which electrons can be transported into the inner belt …

The Ultraviolet Follow-On Observatory (Ufo), Douglas Walker, Kevin France, John Martin, Ken Spencer, Dirk Terrell

Small Satellite Conference

Prime Solutions Group, Inc. (PSG) in partnerships with Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), the University of Colorado at Boulder, the University of Illinois, and the Astronomy Association of Arizona (AAA) are proposing the development, launch and operation of a 12U CubeSat mission for stellar astronomy.

The stellar observatory mission will consist of a space-based UV/optical telescope system designated as the Ultraviolet Follow-on Observatory (UFO). This proposed CubeSat will be a 12U system housing a 250mm telescope and designed for a four-year plus mission timeline in high Earth orbit. A camera capturing simultaneous UV/optical observations will first be developed and tested on …

Aurora: A Software Radio For Electromagnetic Vector Sensors In Space, Frank Lind, Mary Knapp, Phil Erickson, Russ Mcwhirter, Robert Schaefer, Tobias Gedenk, Frank Robey, Erik Thompson, Mark Silver, Alan Fenn, Janusz Majewski, Alexander Morris, Wayne Boland, Frank Schiavone, Rebecca Masterson, Nicholas Belsten, Alvar Saenz Otero

Small Satellite Conference

The AERO (Auroral Emission Radio Observer) and VISTA (Vector Interferometry Space Technology using AERO) missions will advance auroral radio science and radio interferometry technology. AERO is intended to qualify and validate electromagnetic vector sensor technology in space while also answering key scientific questions about the nature and sources of auroral radio emissions. These questions cannot be addressed from the ground due to shielding by the ionosphere. VISTA, together with AERO, will provide the first demonstration of interferometric imaging, beamforming, and nulling using electromagnetic vector sensors at low frequencies (100 kHz – 15 MHz) using Space based sensors.

A key component …

The Experiment For Space Radiation Analysis: Probing The Earth's Radiation Belts Using A Cubesat Platform, Carlos Maldonado, Martin Kroupa, Jonathan Barney, Michael Caffrey, Susan Mendel, Kerry Boyd, Zachary Miller, Justin Mcglown, Jonathan Deming, Kim Katko, Markus Hehlen, Brooke Mosley, Justin Tripp, Keith Morgan, Peter White, John Michel, Anthony Nelson, Robert Merl, Michael Holloway, Heidi Morning, Daniel Arnold, Ruth Skoug, Phil Fernandes, Ted Schultz, Angus Guider, Daniel Reisenfeld, Brian Larsen, John Steinberg, Erik Krause, Darrel Beckman, Benigno Sandoval, Paul Graham, Zephram Tripp, Bradley Hoose, Kevin Kaufeld, Rory Scobie, Joshua Ortner, Elaine Cox, Quinten Cole, Thomas Fairbanks, Jeffrey George, Robert Clanton, Richard Dutch, Andrew Kirby, J. P. Martinez, Tracy Gambill, Kasidit Subsomboon, Darren Harvey, Katherine Alano, Kristina Mckeown, Donathan Ortega

Small Satellite Conference

The Experiment for Space Radiation Analysis (ESRA) is the latest of a series of Demonstration and Validation missions built by the Los Alamos National Laboratory, with the focus on testing a new generation of plasma and energetic particle sensors. The primary motivation for the ESRA payloads is to minimize size, weight, power, and cost while still providing necessary mission data. These new instruments will be demonstrated by ESRA through testing and on-orbit operations to increase their technology readiness level such that they can support the evolution of technology and mission objectives. This project will leverage a commercial off-the-shelf CubeSat avionics …

Tweeting From The Moon, Nelly Phillips Offord, Sophie Bywater, Alex Da Silva Curiel, Jonathan Friend, Charles Cranstoun, Ben Schwarz, Martin Sweeting

Small Satellite Conference

Lunar Communications Pathfinder is planned to enable small and large satellites and landers to carry out data intensive missions around the moon, without the need for complex and costly on-board communication equipment and access to global ground networks.

From the middle of this decade there are expected to be 5 to 15 active space missions on or around the moon, generating several GBytes of data per day. Lunar Communications Pathfinder is a commercial initiative with ESA and NASA as anchor tenants. The 300kg class small spacecraft is currently in manufacture for launch in 2025, and is aimed at alleviating pressure …

Systems Integration And Test Of The Lunar Flashlight Spacecraft, Nathan Cheek, Collin Gonzalez, Phillippe Adell, John Baker, Chad Ryan, Shannon Statham, E. Glenn Lightsey, Celeste R. Smith, Conner Awald, Jud Ready

Small Satellite Conference

Lunar Flashlight is a 6U CubeSat launching in late 2022 or early 2023 that will search for surface water ice content in permanently shadowed regions at the south pole of the Moon using infrared relative reflectance spectroscopy. The mission will act as a technology demonstration of an Advanced Spacecraft Energetic NonToxic (ASCENT) green propulsion system and active laser spectroscopy within the CubeSat form-factor. This paper provides an overview of the entire Systems Integration and Test campaign which took place at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the Georgia Institute of Technology. From initial testing of the isolated avionics and payload subsystems …

Global Navigation Satellite System Performance In Cislunar Space For Cubesat Form Factors, Warren Soh, Sunil Bisnath, Regina Lee, Peter Keum

Small Satellite Conference

An increased Cislunar traffic is expected by the end of this decade stemming from NASA’s Artermis program. Given the prioritization limitations of the Deep-Space Network (DSN) for ranging and tracking of increased deep- space assets, a more viable, and cost effective, independent navigation capability is needed. NASA’s 2015 Navigator Global Positioning System (GPS) deployed on the Magnetospheric Multi-Scale (MMS) spacecraft has validated the feasibility of acquiring weak GPS signals at distances up to 25 Earth Radii (~150,000km) or about 40% of the Cislunar trajectory. NASA plans to upgrade the flight proven MSS Navigator GPS for the future Lunar Gateway. Concurrently, …

Gtosat: Radiation Belt Dynamics From The Inside, John Lucas, Matthew Grubb, Justin Morris, Mark Suder, Scott Zemerick, Lauren Blum, Larry Kepko, Behnam Azimi, Charles Claggett, Alan Cudmore, Jared Espley, James Fraction, Jacob Gruesbeck, Hasnaa Khalifi, Michael Madden, Scott Murphy, James Odom, Russel Roder, Dakotah Rusley, Luis Santos, Dave Sheppard, Mykhaylo Shumko, Scott Starin, Eddie Tsui, Steven West, John Valliant, Christine Gabrielse, Susan Crain, William Crain, William Chavez, Geoffrey Maul, Pavel Galchenko, Ted Daisey, Taylor Green, Ian Hammer, Scott Hesh, Laurence Thomson, Joel Alexa, Sankara Sankaran, Drew Turner

Small Satellite Conference

GTOSat, a 6U SmallSat integrated and tested at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), has a scheduled launch date of July 31st, 2022, on an Atlas V. From a low inclination geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO), GTOSat has the primary science goal of advancing our quantitative understanding of acceleration and loss of relativistic electrons in the Earth’s outer radiation belt. It will measure energy spectra and pitch angles of both the seed and the energized electron populations simultaneously using a compact, high-heritage Relativistic Electron Magnetic Spectrometer (REMS) built by The Aerospace Corporation. A boom-mounted Fluxgate Magnetometer (FMAG), developed by NASA GSFC, …

The Nasa Solar Cruiser Mission - Solar Sail Propulsion Enabling Heliophysics Missions, Les Johnson, Jason Everett, David Mckenzie, Danny Tyler, Darren Wallace, Jeff Newmark, Dana Turse, Matthew Cannella, Jeff Wilson, Max Feldman

Small Satellite Conference

Solar Cruiser is a Small Satellite Technology Demonstration Mission (TDM) to mature solar sail propulsion technology to enable near-term, high-priority breakthrough science missions as defined in the Solar and Space Physics Decadal Survey. 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. Solar Cruiser will demonstrate a “sailcraft” platform with pointing control and attitude …

Janus: Launch Of A Nasa Smallsat Mission To Near-Earth Binary Asteroids, Joseph Shoer, Joshua B. Hopkins, Edward B. Bierhaus, Daniel Brack, Thomas C. Mccaa, Kristian Waldorff, Jay Mcmahon, Daniel Scheeres, Michael Skeen, Susan Linch, Michael Stevens, Estelle Church, Joshua Wood

Small Satellite Conference

Janus is a two-spacecraft SmallSat mission to fly by two different pairs of binary near Earth asteroids, (175706) 1996 FG3 and (35107) 1991 VH. The two identical Janus spacecraft are scheduled to launch during a launch period opening 1 August 2022 as secondary payloads with the NASA Psyche mission, on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch vehicle. Janus is led by principal investigator Dr. Dan Scheeres at the University of Colorado Boulder and managed, built, and operated by Lockheed Martin. These planetary SmallSats share many deep space challenges similar to larger missions: Janus must execute deep space maneuvers to achieve hundreds …

Hop Queue: Hyperspectral Onboard Processing Queue Demonstration, Kelly Gresham Davis, Aditya Kher, Jathan Biddlecomb, Dustin Baumgartener, Mike Tsao, Mustapha Saad, Vinay Agarwal, Kenny Tan, Margaret Trippe, James Ulcickas, Bridget Tannian, Neil Goldstein, Megan Stark, Marsha Fox

Small Satellite Conference

The HOP Queue (Hyperspectral Onboard Processing Queue) demonstration leverages emerging COTS AI accelerators and GPUs to perform on-board processing of hyperspectral imagery data, with the aim of providing near- real time conservation-oriented data and metrics from Low Earth Orbit (LEO). These include forest health, fire detection, and coastal water health. Phase 1 of this project is currently underway, including a completed lab demonstration of this technology and ongoing flight testing. The data from this mission will support Northrop Grumman’s enterprise “Technology for Conservation” campaign and will be provided to NASA’s Surface Biology and Geology (SBG) organization, as well as other …