Digital Commons Network^™

Telemetry Handling & Extensible Satellite Environment For A Unified System (Theseus) For The Operation Of Onglaisat, Shunsuke Shimomura, Kuna Shitara, Yuki Kusano, Yojiro Yamashiro, Tomoki Mochizuki, Shunichiro Nomura, Takeshi Matsumoto, Akihiro Ishikawa, Yosuke Kawabata, Satoshi Ikari, Ryu Funase, Shinichi Nakasuka

Small Satellite Conference

The recent increase in small satellites and diverse satellite missions has heightened the need for flexible and highly reliable ground station software. However, most existing open-source ground station software is implemented with the entire system in mind, making it difficult to accommodate diverse missions. Even when accommodating diverse missions, it is necessary to edit configuration files with a wide range of descriptions or make internal service modifications. Furthermore, as the number of available ground station services increases, there is an urgent need for systems that can support a wider range of interfaces. In addition, modern satellite development requires flexible support …

Gram-Scale Chipsat Spacecraft For Light Sailing In Leo, Joshua Umansky-Castro, Matthew Hurford, Corbin Heywood, Grace Tang, Cameron Goddard, Jonathan Ma, Apurva Hanwadikar, Mason Peck, Andrew Filo, Alex Burke

Small Satellite Conference

Cornell University’s Alpha mission is a 1U CubeSat that deploys a retroreflective free-flying light sail in LEO. Mounted to the sail, and serving as its flight computers, are four ChipSats –gram-scale spacecraft assembled onto a single palm-sized PCB. These satellites collect and downlink data on the sail’s orbital position and attitude kinematics, communicating directly with low-cost ground stations around the globe. This paper introduces the ChipSat developed specifically for the Alpha mission launching in 2025. The new femto-satellite builds on previous-generation designs with a significant revamp of the RF communications. This paper provides an overview of the as-flown ChipSat design …

Effect Of High Solar Activity On The Orbital Decay Rate Of The 3u Cubesat Dora, Joseph Dubois, Daniel Jacobs, Siddharth Vaidyanathan

Small Satellite Conference

CubeSats developed at universities seldom have propulsion due to cost and complexity constraints and are very commonly deployed from the ISS into orbits where atmospheric drag is significant. Without propulsion, the time to re-entry is a function of the cross section to mass ratio and the space weather. Many cubesats have limited ways of decreasing ram cross section, e.g. pointing into the wind. Hard radiation from solar activity inflates the atmosphere and increases drag. Since the beginning of the cubesat era, the Sun has been unusually quiescent, at a level not seen for 200 years, which has biased expectations for …

Advancing Earth Observation With A Novel Polarimetric Sensor: The Garai-A Satellite And Satlantis’ Next-Generation Systems, Daniel Luque, Leire Benito, Aitor Moriñigo, Aitor Conde, Xavier Lopez, Jon Paul Babio, Fernando Mariño, Lucas Dubois, Wafaa Bousaid, Antonio Checa

Small Satellite Conference

Polarimetric sensors introduce great imaging enhancements to current Earth Observation capabilities, by improving target discrimination, material recognition, and atmospheric components filtering. Satlantis has recently launched its cutting-edge polarimetry technology onboard its GARAI-A satellite, which will soon demonstrate its advanced capabilities in orbit. This paper presents the design of the polarimetric channel, its calibration process, the first polarimetric images, and an initial assessment of their potential applications.

GARAI-A, launched in January 2025, carries an innovative polarimetric channel designed by Satlantis on an iSIM-90 sensor to capture multi-angle polarization data at a very high spatial resolution. Unlike other EO payloads, this novel …

Prometheus-1: A Satellite Framework For Research And Educational Access To Space, Pedro Reis Andrade, Alexandre Ferreira Da Silva, Paulo R. M. Fisch, Neil Khera, Zachary Manchester, Diogo Luis, Rui M. Rocha, Rodrigo Ventura

Small Satellite Conference

In this work, we present the PROMETHEUS-1 satellite mission, a 1P PocketQube designed to validate its development pipeline, to perform onboard Machine Learning tasks on photographs taken by onboard cameras, and to evaluate its active Attitude Determination and Control System implementation. PROMETHEUS-1 was developed under a collaborative initiative involving the University of Minho (UM), Instituto Superior Técnico (IST), and Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), conceived to address the current lack of a unified and streamlined infrastructure for low-cost educational satellites. The project covers the lifecycle of a satellite mission, including the development, assembly, licensing, certification, launch, and operation of a flight …

Mission Highlights From Deep Purple And The Pathfinder Technology Demonstrator-R, Lance Simms, Jordan Smilo, Frank Ravizza, Waswa Peter, Wim De Vries, Brian Bauman, John Ganino, Ben Bahney, Kyle Kung, Brendan Smith, Shawn Joseph, Luis Andrade, Declan King, Emily Milne, Christopher Laurent, David Mayer, Jan Stupl, Roger Hunter, John Hanson

Small Satellite Conference

Deep Purple is a satellite payload equipped with co-boresighted Ultraviolet (UV) and Short-Wave Infrared (SWIR) telescopes. The payload is hosted on the 6U Pathfinder Technology Demonstrator-R (PTD-R) CubeSat. PTD-R launched on August 16, 2024, into a Sun-synchronous orbit with an altitude of 520km. After successfully exercising basic inertial and Earth-based imaging with Deep Purple, more sophisticated modes that involve tracking Resident Space Objects (RSOs) were demonstrated. This paper highlights the unique sensing capabilities of PTD-R and outlines some of the mission successes achieved over its 10-month campaign. The latter include follow-on imaging campaigns coordinated with LLNL’s other on-orbit SDA demonstration …

Innocube – First In-Orbit Results Of The Fully Wireless Satellite Data Bus, Tom Baumann, Erik Dilger, Sergio Montenegro, Felix Sittner, Moritz Arbab, Thomas Walter

Small Satellite Conference

The Innovative CubeSat for Education (InnoCube) mission is a technology demonstration CubeSat that relies entirely on a wireless data bus for intra satellite communication. It was launched in January 2025 onboard SpaceX Transporter-12. This paper presents the mission objectives and initial results, with a particular focus on the performance and reliability of the wireless system.

InnoCube is a collaborative project between the University of Wuerzburg and Technische Universität Berlin in Germany. Its primary objectives are to demonstrate the feasibility of a fully wireless data bus for intra-satellite communication, provide a testbed for new technologies, and offer students hands-on experience in …

Veery, A Flat Satellite Scatterometer For Global, Hourly Refresh Of Ocean Surface Vector Winds, M. Patrick Walton, Alex R. Laraway, David G. Long

Small Satellite Conference

Care Weather is developing Veery, a small satellite scatterometer for monitoring ocean surface vector wind (OSVW) with state-of-the-art performance. Veery uses a rotating fan-beam C-band radar to provide a 1,050 km swath with 25 km resolution and more than 70% uptime. Veery’s dynamic range covers 3–27 m/s with speed errors below 1.6 m/s and directional errors below 11^°, matching the performance of previous scatterometers from a much smaller satellite. Veery’s small size is enabled by a flat satellite form factor that vertically integrates the instrument and bus. That small size makes it affordable for deployment in a constellation …

Climate - Commercial And Scientific Instrument Opportunities For Small Satellite Constellations, Alex Da Silva Curiel, Rob Elliott, Tony Canas, Stephanie Mottershead, Andy Palfreyman, Martin Sweeting Sir

Small Satellite Conference

There is an economic and social impact in many areas in the world due to lack of information on local climate, and better understanding is widely believed to lead to cost savings and improved living standards. Despite the wealth of spacecraft data available today, many climate variables are still poorly monitored. Small satellites in constellation can help in filling data gaps, and also provides the important temporal resolution required. Such missions could be highly complementary to the NASA NEO and EU Copernicus programs, and their data can be commercially valuable, opening up the potential for novel business models and services. …

Launch Fast Learn Fast: Lessons Learned From The R5-S2 And R5-S4 Missions, James Berck, Sam Pedrotty, Jack Wisbiski, Morgan Alexander, Kathryn Knesek, Ruth May, Jacob Nunez-Kearny, Rob Stoddard, Thomas Kirven, Robin Onsay, Roger Hunter

Small Satellite Conference

The Realizing Rapid, Reduced-cost high-Risk Research (R5) project is pushing the envelope on minimizing cost and schedule for complex spacecraft that support low Technology Readiness Level payload demonstration in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). R5 has recently designed, built, launched, and operated multiple spacecraft that are iteratively and incrementally delivering improved payload hosting capabilities while maintaining cost targets (< $100k in materials per bus) and schedule targets (launching at least two spacecraft per year). This paper will describe the unique architecture, approach, technological advancements, and lessons learned from the project. The primary stakeholder for R5 is the Small Spacecraft Technology program within the Space Technology Mission Directorate at NASA with the project based out of Johnson Space Center.

To achieve the aggressive cost and schedule targets, R5 is redefining the understanding of how much rigor, quality, and robustness are required to succeed in high-risk LEO missions. Starting with a clean-slate for process and system design, R5 has charted a path, …

Expanding Cubesat Horizons: A 27u Mission To Sun-Earth L5, Tabitha Patrick, Allen Martinez, Aimee Dew, Shane Hancock, Michael Generale

Small Satellite Conference

CubeSats have gained increasing popularity in the aerospace industry due to their compact, modular designs, which offer a cost-effective and versatile solution for orbital applications. Historically limited to low Earth orbit (LEO) due to propulsion and communication constraints, CubeSats are now being explored for deeper space missions. The Icarus mission seeks to demonstrate that a 27U CubeSat can operate at the Sun–Earth Lagrange Point 5 (L5), leveraging recent advancements in efficient electric propulsion and deployable subsystems to monitor solar activity and relay data back to Earth. By capitalizing on a standardized CubeSat form factor with commercial off-the-shelf components, Icarus offers …

Using Capstone’S Mission Extension To Navigate The Future Of Cislunar Technology, Alec Forsman, Michael Caudill, Anthony Zara, Matthew Givens, Rebecca Rogers, Lauren De Moudt, Ethan Kayser, Thomas Gardner

Small Satellite Conference

Launched in late June 2022, the Cislunar Autonomous Position System Technology, Operations, and Navigation Experiment (CAPSTONE) has been operating in the Earth-Moon, Southern L2 Near Rectilinear Halo Orbit (NRHO) for more than two years. After successfully completing its primary mission objectives, CAPSTONE was awarded a 15-month mission extension in September of 2024. The goal of this extension was to continue to use CAPSTONE to provide valuable and informative data to the NASA Gateway program and leverage the platform to raise the TRL of several cislunar technologies. This paper presents a detailed analysis of the operational data obtained throughout the mission, …

Sardonyx: A Building Block Towards In-Space Assembly, Michael Swartwout

Small Satellite Conference

In-space assembly and manufacturing (ISAM) is an enabling capability for future space missions, and one where small satellites can play an essential role. Of the many technologies needed for ISAM, the Sardonyx mission will demonstrate two: capture of noncooperative resident space objects and close-proximity, agile maneuvering. Sardonyx is a partnership between Saint Louis University, Cambrian Works and Bennett Research Technologies.

The baseline design consists of a single 12U-scale spacecraft carrying multiple deployable Objectives. Each Objective will expand to at least a meter in diameter and be gently released. The Sardonyx spacecraft will detect the target, maneuver to within a few …

Outer Planet Exploration By Novel And Small Spacecraft: Jaxa’S Opens Program Concept And Its First Mission Opens-0, Ryu Funase, Naoya Ozaki, Hajime Yano, Isas/Jaxa Opens Working Group

Small Satellite Conference

The OPENS (Outer Planet Exploration by Novel Small spacecraft) program, proposed by JAXA's Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS), aims to revolutionize outer planet exploration through the use of small, low-cost spacecraft. Unlike traditional flagship-class missions, OPENS promotes high-frequency, high-risk, high-return missions that can be achieved even by countries with limited resources. The program’s first mission, OPENS-0, targets the demonstration of key technologies necessary for future small outer planet explorers, including solar-powered spacecraft operations and long-term hibernation capability. The spacecraft will be launched by JAXA’s Epsilon S rocket and perform gravity assists en route to Saturn, with the earliest …

High Resolution, Wide Swath Sar Observation From Disksat At Vleo, Hirobumi Saito, Yasuyuki Miyazaki, Michio Takikawa, Tien M. Nguyen, Roy Nakagawa, Ching-Yao (Tony) Chang, David Hinkley, Ryo Natsuaki, Mitsuteru Kaneoka, Jiro Hirokawa, Kazuyuki Nakamura

Small Satellite Conference

This paper proposes a novel concept of quasi-two-dimensional SAR (synthetic aperture radar) satellites, SAR DiskSats, featuring a deployable passive slot array antenna (De-PSAA) that can be compactly folded within the quasi-two-dimensional (Q-2D) satellite body. This Q-2D configuration allows for potential flexible solar cell sheets to be installed on the backside of the antenna, as the antennas do not dissipate heat. This satellite configuration is also suitable for stacking within a rocket fairing for the mega-constellation launch of SAR DiskSats into VLEO (very low Earth orbit). The proposed DiskSat's thin edge cross-section reduces aerodynamic drag, enabling the satellite to operate at …

Kentucky Re-Entry Probe Experiment-3: The Third Hypersonic Flight Of The Krups Capsules, Bruno Tacchi, Eric T. Adams, Alexander R. Barrera, Asa C. O'Neal, Aaron Cramer, James E. Lumpp, Savio J. Poovathingal, Alexandre Martin

Small Satellite Conference

The Kentucky Re-entry Universal Payload System (KRUPS) is a small flight capsule with dimensions of 11 by 8.5 inches and a sphere-cone geometry. KRUPS aims to serve as a cost-effective testbed for hypersonic atmospheric entry experiments, collecting thermal response and flight data during re-entry and testing novel thermal protection systems (TPS). The forebody of the capsule is fitted with an instrumented TPS containing thermocouples and pressure ports. Furthermore, the instrumentation suite contains a high-g accelerometer, a GPS, an IMU, and a spectrometer.

The KRUPS project started in 2013. Since then, the capsule has flown five sounding rocket missions, a high-altitude …

Astra – Autonomous Satellite Technology For Resilient Applications: A Technology Demonstrator, Lauren Underwood, Fernando Figueroa, Zachary Lewton, Landon Tynes, Travis Martin, Jonathan Morris, Quentin Oswald, John Curry

Small Satellite Conference

ASTRA is an on-orbit technology demonstrator establishing a new paradigm for implementing on-board “thinking.” ASTRA is a system-level autonomy capability (including digital twins, anomaly detection, diagnostics/prognostics, and mission management) enabled by an innovative technology, NPAS - NASA Platform for Autonomous Systems. NPAS is developed by NASA Stennis Space Center (SSC) Autonomous Systems Laboratory (ASL) with support from NASA Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate (ESDMD) Advanced Exploration Systems and Mars Campaign Office. ASTRA leverages NPAS for on-board “thinking” autonomy. ASTRA also includes advanced hardware required for implementing autonomy. ASTRA Flight Software (FS) is running on commercial hardware that provides the computational …

Novel Global Navigation Satellite System Receiver For Characterization Of Ionospheric Scintillation And Plasma Bubbles With A Cubesat Swarm, William Gullotta, John Braun, Jan-Peter Weiss, Nicholas Pedatella, Qian Wu

Small Satellite Conference

Ionospheric scintillation and equatorial plasma bubbles (EPBs) are phenomena related to turbulence and depletion in the plasmas in the ionosphere. EPBs are depletions in the plasma density in the equatorial region in the post-sunset period. These depletions can lead to turbulent irregularities in the amplitude and phase of communications signals, called scintillation. Scintillation also occurs in the polar regions, where it is caused by particle precipitation and convection. EPBs and scintillation in low- and high- latitudes both have an impact on the quality and availability of space-based communication and navigation systems which leads to a high demand for observations from …

On-Orbit Validation Of An Ai-Enabled Cloud Removal And Compression Solution For Eo Satellites, Rosana Rodríguez-Bobada, Jose Manuel Heredia-Oliver, Pablo Tomás Toledano González, Carlos Espinosa-Peral, José Luis Espinosa-Aranda, Tom Hendrix, Amaury Perrocheau, David Rijlaarsdam, Aubrey Dunne

Small Satellite Conference

Optical Earth Observation (EO) sensors can be significantly affected by atmospheric conditions, particularly cloud cover, which can obscure their images and reduce the information content in the final image. It is estimated that over 50% of the Earth’s surface is covered by clouds at any given moment. As a result, up to half of the data captured by visible EO satellite imagers is rendered unusable for most applications. Transmitting this unusable data, even in a compressed form, unnecessarily utilises valuable communications downlink bandwidth. This is particularly acute for hyperspectral EO missions, where the tens to hundreds of bands per acquisition …

Slalom: A Mission Concept For Autonomous Very Low Lunar Orbit Operations, Jeffrey S. Parker, Bradley Cheetham, Charles Cain, Ethan Kayser

Small Satellite Conference

A Sustained Low-Altitude Lunar Orbital Mission (SLALOM) maintains an orbital path very close to the surface of the Moon: passing within 1–5 kilometers of topographical peaks and maintaining an average altitude under 10 kilometers. This extremely low orbit enables high-resolution observations of the Moon but requires a new class of autonomous navigation and stationkeeping. The au-tonomous software system, ALPINE (Auto-maneuver Location Processor using Integrated Navigation Estimates), fuses real-time optical navigation data with one-way and cross-link radiometric tracking data to maintain continuous and autonomous custody of the spacecraft. This paper examines a stationkeeping strategy that maximizes surface coverage of desirable locations …

Advancing Space Weather Research With The Next-Generation Space Weather Probes, Justin Wellington, Rowan Antonuccio, Kade Howes, Benjamin Lewis, Todd Wilson, Charles Swenson

Small Satellite Conference

Accurate characterization of ionospheric conditions is essential for improving space weather forecasting and mitigating its impacts on communication, navigation, and space-based systems. Utah State University’s Center for Space Engineering has developed the second-generation Space Weather Probes (SWP2) instrumentation suite, optimized for deployment on small satellite platforms. Building upon experience from the Scintillation Prediction Observations Research Task (SPORT) mission, SWP2 integrates advanced Langmuir probes, floating potential double probes, and an RF impedance probe onto a compact, FPGA-controlled electronics module, conforming to the standard 9×9 cm CubeSat form factor. The design provides complementary diagnostic measurements of electron density, electron temperature, electric fields, …

Chipsat Design For The Descent Mission, Matt Hurford, Bryan Peters, Joshua Umansky-Castro, Corbin Heywood, Andy Filo, Alex Burke

Small Satellite Conference

The Demonstration of Suborbital ChipSats Ejected from New Shepard Test Flight (DeSCENT) mission, conducted by Cornell’s Space Systems Design Studio (SSDS) in partnership with the Applied Physics Laboratory (APL), is a suborbital endeavor that aims to deploy 100 ChipSats from a Blue Origin New Shepard rocket when the rocket reaches 100 km above the Earth’s surface. ChipSats are a type of FemtoSat (satellite with a mass less than 100 grams) that can fit into the palm of your hand and contain all the fundamental functionality of a spacecraft. The mission’s primary objective is to refine models that predict the freefall …

Leopard: Demonstrating Cubesat Technologies For Light Scattering Observations And Satellite Positioning In Leo For Future University-Based Lunar Missions, Necmi Cihan Orger, Victor Hugo Schulz, Jose Rodrigo Corodova-Alarcon, Hanadi Abdalla, Mehmet Esit, Makiko Kishimoto, Sara Aziz, Mengu Cho, Minh Pham Anh, Hery Steven Mindaro, Subsinchai Ratatamanun, Enkhmend Ochirsukh, Husseinat Etti-Balogun, Kubo Shota, Jeje Kudakwashe, Thibaut Tena, Rafiki Yves Ndayishimiye, Daisuke Nakayama, Alper Sanli, Konosuke Nishinaga, Akihiro Oboshi, Edgar Mujuni, Ramson Munyaradgi Nyamakondiwa, Im Polimey, Hiroto Hidaka, Hirokazu Masui, Josue Reynel Galindo Rosales

Small Satellite Conference

The LEOPARD (Light intensity Experiment with On-orbit Positioning and satellite Ranging Demonstration) satellite is a 3-unit (3U) CubeSat platform to demonstrate several technologies and payloads in low Earth orbit (LEO) prior to future lunar CubeSat missions. After deployment from the International Space Station (ISS), it plans to perform the following missions, including onboard processing of Earth-origin one-way radio ranging signals (OPERA), multispectral imaging to monitor light scattering above the horizon (MSC), single event latch-up detection (SEL), solar panel deployment using shape memory alloy (SMA), and ambient magnetic field measurements. First, the OPERA mission will validate critical steps towards deep-space positioning …

In 8 Years From Design To Launch: Objectives, Challenges And Risk Mitigation Of The Educational Student Cubesat Project Source, Philipp Hoffmann, Kaja Gebhard, Mario Spahr, Klemens Boltenhagen, Michael O'Donohue, Daniel Galla, Robin Schweigert, Natascha Bonidis, Sabine Klinkner

Small Satellite Conference

The Stuttgart Operated University Research CubeSat for Evaluation and Education (SOURCE) project is a 3U+ CubeSat developed in collaboration between the Small Satellite Student Society at the University of Stuttgart (KSat e.V.) and the University of Stuttgart’s Institute of Space Systems. This educational satellite mission is designed to provide students with hands-on experience in all phases of satellite development, from the initial concept to the final mission operations. SOURCE’s development began in 2018 and has been supported by ESA’s Fly Your Satellite! program since 2020. Over the past seven years, more than 500 students have had the opportunity to work …

Rhok-Sat: Investigating Perovskite Solar Cell Performance And Degradation In Low Earth Orbit Through A 1u Cubesat, José R. Pastrana, Anas Matar, Kerry Tang, Damian Nguyen, Marouf M. Paul, Mallory Miller, Phuc H. Nguyen, Jasper Scherz, Zheng Yu Wong, Jess G. Hamer, Olivia A. Kaufmann, Benjamin T. Wilson, B. Burnham

Small Satellite Conference

RHOK-SAT is a 1U CubeSat scheduled to launch in September 2025 aboard a resupply mission to the International Space Station (ISS) through NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative (CSLI) program. Its mission is to characterize the performance and degradation of six experimental perovskite solar cells in low Earth orbit for 12 months. Characterization consists of current-voltage measurement taken by one dedicated microcontroller per solar cell. Measurements are performed when the cells are in direct sunlight, determined via a quadrant photodiode. A silver-alloyed copper indium gallium selenide (ACIGS) solar cell serves as a reference for comparative analysis due to its well-characterized behavior. Each …

Performance Evaluation Of 1 U+ Module Of Water Ion Thruster With 7000 Ns Of Total Impulse, Yuichi Nakagawa, Hiroto Saito, Jun Asakawa

Small Satellite Conference

Water has emerged as a promising propellant for small satellite propulsion systems due to its inherent advantages in safety, affordability, and ease of handling. Traditional chemical propellants such as hydrazine pose significant safety risks due to their toxicity and explosiveness, while electric propulsion systems often rely on high-pressure gases like xenon and krypton, which present logistical and supply chain challenges. Although water exhibits lower propulsive performance, particularly in terms of specific impulse, its practical benefits have gained attention with the rise of CubeSats and nanosatellites, where mission requirements prioritize simplicity and safety over maximum efficiency. Various water-based propulsion technologies have …

Stp-H12-Vantage: Combining Visual And Event-Based Sensing For Earth Observation, Diego Wildenstein, Michael J. Cannizzaro, Ian Peitzsch, Linus Silbernagel, Joshua Poravanthattil, Peter Drum, Mark Hofmeister, Cole Bowman, Natan Herzog, Evan W. Gretok, Alan D. George

Small Satellite Conference

Conducting Earth-observation tasks from orbit can provide valuable research insights in fields such as meteorology, geology, forestry, cartography, and defense. Developing and building space payloads for Earth observation poses significant challenges, including the high cost of radiation-tolerant systems, the widening gap between current state-of-the-art apps and the capabilities of space-grade processors, and the increase in fidelity of modern sensors. Many Earth-observation missions typically collect data by leveraging visual and/or multispectral imagers. However, when using conventional imaging, there can be significant losses in context due to the frame-based operation of these sensors, as well as both relevant and irrelevant data mixed …

Extended Testing Of A Steam-Powered Propulsion System For Rapid-Orbit Corrections: A Viable Alternative To Chemical Propulsion, Marco Pavan, Ivan Timofeev, Vladimir Fedorov, Jinyoung Shin

Small Satellite Conference

The Steam Thruster One is an electro-thermal propulsion system capable of delivering a thrust level up to 20 mN, using 20 W of power and reaching a total impulse of about 1200 Ns in its 2U configuration. The system operates solely on low-pressure water, ensuring complete safety for integration and operations both on the ground and in space. The propulsion cycle involves converting liquid water into superheated steam, which is then expanded through a nozzle to generate thrust.

The propulsion system was tested in space in Q3 2023 and Q2 2024, where it successfully demonstrated short propulsion manoeuvres. However, for …

Development Of The Music Hall Thruster Family For Small Satellite Missions: Current Status And Upcoming Missions, George-Cristian Potrivitu, Matteo Laterza, Khoo Kai Sheng, Nunki Pontianus, Suryono Gunawan Ali, Justin Ong, Dylan Lim, Zhuo Xuan Chua, Wei Jian Joshua Lim, Willem Frederik Von Lynden, Garreth Christopher Anwar, Mooi Meng Wai, Jian Wei Mark Lim

Small Satellite Conference

The MUSIC – MUlti-Stage Ignition Compact – Hall thruster family is developed to operate at system power below 100 W making it ideal for small satellites ranging from 3 U to a few 100 kg. The concept relies on the versatility of the MUSIC thruster unit which can be operated in various modes, and the modularity of the peripherals, i.e., the power and electronic control units, and propellant management assembly. This contribution expands the existing scarce literature on low-power Hall thruster systems that are qualified for flight, presents an overview of the capabilities of the MUSIC Hall thruster, past and …

Consolidated Simultaneous Ranging And Clock Synchronization With Application To Positioning In Cis-Lunar Space, Junichiro Kawagichi, Shingo Nishimoto

Small Satellite Conference

The AOWR scheme functions as a set of transceivers connecting two entities: the ground station and the spacecraft. The phase difference information obtained from both sides intrinsically contains data related not only to the range but also to the clock difference simultaneously. The AOWR scheme can synchronize the clock onboard the spacecraft regardless of the distance. In cis-lunar space due to poor geometric configurations, until the position is determined, the clock difference cannot be established. It drastically improves and reduces the dilution-of-precision index. The paper will present the outcomes confirmed through demonstration experiments utilizing hybrid devices related to the GNSS …