Machine Learning For Interference Detection And Mitigation On Space Telecom Software-Defined Radio Signals, Adhémar De Senneville, Dennis Ogbe, Zaid Towfic

Small Satellite Conference

Detecting anomalies and interference is an essential capability of contemporary flight radios and ground support equipment. The advent of software-defined radios (SDRs) has made this task feasible. These radios allow real-time monitoring and potential mitigation of interference by adjusting frequency bands. This feature is useful as spacecraft components degrade and interference from other instruments may disrupt communications. The implementation of automated anomaly detection systems on SDRs can enhance both spacecraft and ground station testing by identifying abnormal waveforms and potential interference in communication channels. First, this work investigates how machine learning compares against classical signal processing approaches for the anomaly …

Standards And Schematics For Intelligent Extensible Mission Architectures In Space, Evana Gizzi, Alan Gibson, James Marshall, Shannon Bull, Timothy Chase Jr., Jonathan Davis, Matthew Dosberg, Michael Johnson, Peter Knudtson, John Lucas, Michael Monaghan, Chris Robberts, Daniel Rogers, Bethany Theiling, Julie Breed, Larry Kepko, Carrie Vuyovich, Connor Firth, Lily Clough, Aaron Woodard, Brian Kempa, Caleb Adams, Robin Onsay, Sam Pedrotty, James Berck

Small Satellite Conference

As the space sector trends toward complex mission types, the demand for multi-asset, multi-generational, and multi-organizational paradigms has grown. It is critical that the spaceflight community builds the infrastructure needed to realize these mission architecture goals. To this end, we present a standard and schematic for intelligent extensible mission architectures, which will allow missions of the future to be distributed, heterogeneous, incremental, and interoperable for enhanced flexibility, adaptability, and responsiveness in space. We begin by describing a motivation for intelligent extensibility, followed by a review of related work in standards and autonomous multi-agent systems. Next, we present the theoretical definition …

Exploring Beamed Energy Propulsion: Development And Application Of A Configurable Simulation Tool, Charles Cundiff, Michael Harrington, Victoria Coverstone, John Larosa

Small Satellite Conference

Laser sailing enables propellantless spacecraft propulsion by transferring momentum from a directed energy beam to a reflective sail. Unlike traditional chemical or electric propulsion systems, laser sails decouple propulsion performance from onboard mass and stored energy, presenting an opportunity for lightweight, scalable spacecraft maneuvering. This work develops and applies a simulation framework in FreeFlyer to evaluate the performance of laser sailing across a range of orbital missions, with emphasis on low-mass systems, such as CubeSats.

The simulation model incorporates several critical physical effects, including beam divergence, atmospheric attenuation, sail material reflectivity and emissivity, thermal loading, and realistic station visibility. The …

Mosaic - A Modular Orbital Satellite For Advanced Innovation And Curriculum, Evan Jellison

Small Satellite Conference

This paper presents MOSAIC (Modular Orbital Satellite for Advanced Innovation and Curriculum), an open-source, modular satellite platform designed to advance space technology education and to accelerate satellite mission design. MOSAIC is a demonstrator satellite, or “mocksat” that leverages commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components and a modular hardware ecosystem to make satellite technology accessible, affordable, and adaptable for educational institutions and research teams. This work details the technical architecture of MOSAIC, its potential educational benefits, cost analysis, and open-source philosophy, demonstrating its goals to democratize access to satellite engineering and foster the next generation of space professionals.

Propelling The Future Of Satellite Mobility: In-Orbit Demonstration Of The Go-2 Electric Propulsion System, Kevin Lausten

Small Satellite Conference

As satellite deployment accelerates across both commercial and institutional missions, the limitations of onboard propulsion, especially in SmallSats, are emerging as a key constraint in mission flexibility and sustainability. In 2023, more than 2,860 SmallSats were launched, accounting for 97% of all spacecraft and 63% of total orbital mass [1].

Despite this expansion, propulsion remains a critical constraint in the SmallSat development ecosystem. As of 2024, only 222 nanosatellites out of 2714 nanosatellites launched had confirmed onboard propulsion systems [5], limiting maneuverability, increasing deployment risks, and contributing to orbital debris. This gap reflects not a lack of technological capability, but …

Nexosim, An Open-Source, Rust-Based Digital Twinning Framework For Hardware-In-The-Loop Testing And Virtual Flatsats, Serge Barral, Adam Chikha, Maciej Główka, Jakub Gramatyka, Illia Manzelha, Stanisław Massalski, Jaŭhien Piatlicki

Small Satellite Conference

Digital twinning has become a cornerstone of modern space systems, enabling robust in-orbit operations and ground verification and validation. For over two decades, major spacecraft manufacturers and space agencies have relied on Discrete Event Simulation (DES) to achieve these goals. The C++-based Simulation Modelling Platform (SMP), now an ECSS standard, has emerged as a unifying framework for these efforts. Despite the tremendous benefits of simulation-assisted spacecraft development, the complexity, rigidity, and lack of vendor-neutral implementations of SMP have limited its adoption in academia and the NewSpace sector. This gap is particularly concerning given the high failure rate of SmallSat missions, …

Development Of A Cubesat-Sized Hybrid Chemical Propulsion System For In-Orbit Demonstration, Sheila Langa, Ryosuke Kawabata, Izumi Chimoto, Yasuhiro Fukumoto, Taejun Son, Gonzalo Campos, Shota Hirai, Landon Kamps

Small Satellite Conference

Letara Ltd. is a company based in Hokkaido, Japan, specializing in in-space hybrid chemical propulsion systems. Letara has been actively researching CubeSat-sized hybrid chemical thrusters with a focus on fuel optimization and improved scalability for small satellite applications.

The first project is based on a 2U-sized thruster with the aim to demonstrate a safe, sustainable, and scalable miniaturized hybrid propulsion system in orbit. The technology demonstration is scheduled for 2026.

End-To-End Lifecycle Testing With A High-Altitude Balloon, Benjamin Skinner, Patrick Walton, Alex Laraway, David Long

Small Satellite Conference

Many small satellite mission failures could be prevented with further end-to-end testing in relevant environments. No test fully matches the spaceflight environment, but partial tests can still be valuable. We developed a high-altitude balloon system for testing our CubeSat radars.

Improving Attitude Determination Control System In Small Satellites For Enhancing Data Observation And Enabling Quantum Communication, Marco Ruano

Small Satellite Conference

The growing market for small satellites requires agile, efficient and compact attitude and determination control systems (ADCS) to improve mission performance, enable optical satellite communication (quantum) and improve data observation, increasing precision and agility in control. Reaction wheels are the most widely used active attitude control systems; they offer the advantages of high angular momentum and reduced space, despite problems such as saturation and maximum torque limitations that seriously limit the operability of their satellites, including long pointing wait times and the recovery of momentum-generating capacity (desaturation).

Eeetester – Reliable Cubesat Platform For In-Orbit Testing Of The Space Heritage Of Korean-Made Eee Parts, Ki-Ho Kwon, Sanggoo Kim, Geuk-Nam Kim, Jooin Lee, Jungkyu Lee, Seongwhan Lee

Small Satellite Conference

Poster presented during the 2025 SmallSat Conference.

Hardening And Advancing Cots Fpga/Gpu Integrated Circuits For The Realization Of Space-Grade System-On-Module, Kwen-Siong Chong, Wei Shu, Joseph S. Chang

Small Satellite Conference

We propose radiation-hardening solutions to mitigate single-event-latchup (SEL) and single-event-upset (SEU) on Commercial-off-the-Shelf (COTS) Field-Programmable-GateArrays (FPGAs) and/or Graphic-Processing-Units (GPUs), advancing COTS FPGAs/GPUs suitable for the realization of spacegrade radiation-tolerant system-on-module (SoM). Our solutions include enhanced power reliability solutions to mitigate SEL, and enhanced data integrity solutions to mitigate SEU. We demonstrate our solutions on an SoM embodying the Xilinx Zync UntraScale+ FPGA, 32GB eMMC, 5 DDR4 memories, and a 32MB QSPI flash. Collectively, on the basis of the (performance × cost) figure-of-merit, our radiation-tolerant SoM is several magnitudes higher than present-art solutions.

Pioneering Multi-Band Communication For Smallsats: Overcoming Technical Barriers With Innovative Solutions, Lucas Felderhoff, Mathias Reibe

Small Satellite Conference

Communication links are required to be more flexible and more efficient. A multi-band, multi-protocol, and multi-way communication architecture for telemetry/telecommand (TM/TC) functionalities as well as high-speed-data-rate broadband payload transmission is shown. The focus is set on hybrid configurations such as S-Band transceivers paired with X-Band transmitters and combinations of S- and Ka-Band systems, which offer enhanced operational flexibility. Such solutions will be provided in a compact single unit for efficient communication.

An Updated Architecture For A Modular And Scalable Edge Computing System For Small Spacecraft, Kelly Williams, Michael Pham, Zachary Gaines, Alex Mariano, Janelle Tran, John Pollak, Luca Lanzillotta, Phylis Nelson

Small Satellite Conference

SCALES (Spacecraft Compartmentalized Autonomous Learning and Edge-computing System) is a novel hardware/software system for the enhancement of machine learning onboard small spacecraft. Through the first year of development under the NASA University SmallSat Technology Partnerships (USTP) program the team has been able to design and develop the first prototype of the system.

SCALES combines the use of commercial off-the-shelf hardware and the open-source F’ software framework developed by JPL. The system is aimed at coupling radiation tolerant flight computer with the capability of high-performance edge computers. The radiation tolerant flight computer is responsible for the operation of the spacecraft and …

Generation And Detection Of Structured Radio Waves In Small Satellites, Tsukasa Funane, Yosuke Tanabe, Hisatoshi Kimura, Makoto Ito, Koichi Watanabe

Small Satellite Conference

Background

• Small SAR (synthetic aperture radar) satellite constellations are developing rapidly.
• The theoretical richness of OAM is expected to be used for radar imaging.
• OAM radar uses spiral wavefronts by applying phase differences to spatially arranged antenna elements.

Purpose

• Develop and experimentally validate a method for generating, transmitting,and detecting structured radio waves—particularly vortex modes carrying orbital angular momentum

A Dynamic Wireless Channel Emulator For Realistic Cubesat Testing, David Michelson, Eisha Khan, Max Xiang, Yun Xing, Ada Li, Ryan Manak

Small Satellite Conference

Failure of the communication subsystem has been responsible for approximately 20% of small satellite mission failures over the period between 2000 and 2019. Insufficient system-level integration and testing has been cited as one reason why corrective actions weren’t taken before launch to prevent such failures. Here, we introduce a relatively inexpensive GTEM-cell-based dynamic channel emulator that will permit designers of CubeSats operating at frequencies up to 20 GHz to evaluate their spacecraft’s communications over multiple simulated passes with the spacecraft in as close to over-the-air flight condition as possible, including fully deployed antennas. Using this over-the-air channel emulator allows the …

Attitude Determination And Control System Development Of Arica-2, Shuntaro Morikawa, Takanori Sakamoto, Motoko Serino, Keiju Asano, Yoshihiro Takagi, Kazumasa Hiroshi, Chisaki Iwanaga, Shion Nojima

Small Satellite Conference

ARICA-2 (AGU Remote Innovative CubeSat Alert System - 2) is a 2U CubeSat designed to demonstrate a real-time alert system for transient astronomical events using commercial satellite networks. Astronomical transient events are difficult to predict when and where they happen and typically have short durations. Therefore, it is important to alert other observational equipments in real time about the occurrence of such events so that observers can perform follow-up observations.ARICA-2 satellite surveys the feasibility of commercial satellite communications, such as Iridium and Globalstar, at various locations in orbit to demonstrate the real-time alert system. We investigated the relationship between the …

The Remote Capability-Auctioning Planner (Recap): A Decentralized Multi-Agent Control System Using Classical Planning, Behavior Trees, And Remote Task Auctions, Connor Firth, Miles Bengtson, Lorin Achey, Alex Barrie

Small Satellite Conference

Poster presented during the 2025 SmallSat Conference.

Orbital Motion Coordination Using Bio-Inspired Optical Sensing And Feedback, Arif Billah, Imraab A. Faruque

Small Satellite Conference

Summary: Multi-satellite coordinated missions can improve upon larger solitary satellite missions through greater flexibility, efficiency, scalability and redundancy. This study considers a more diverse approach to in-orbit motion coordination that reduce dependence on communication links and absolute position references. The non-linear relative equations of motion applied to a chief satellite and a deputy target in the LEO orbit are considered and a feedback control system to facilitate multi-satellite relative motion coordination is designed. The feedback controller relies on on-board optical sensor measuring optic flow signal, similar to the bio-inspired feedback-controlled systems used for various aerial operations. Performance in orbit is …

Preliminary Scale Analysis Of Formation Flying For Direct-To-Device Communication Using Ultra-Small Satellites, Sumio Morioka, Harunobu Kobayashi

Small Satellite Conference

Direct-to-Device (D2D) communication in satellite constellations is attracting attention for enabling direct links to mobile terminals without large ground antennas. This approach could extend mobile coverage and support future Cyber-Physical System (CPS) use cases, such as connected vehicles and IoT sensing.

To overcome data rate limitations caused by the small antenna size on individual satellites, we propose a formation-flying system that constructs a large-aperture phased array antenna [1]. Our analysis shows that a swarm of tens of thousands of pico- or femto-class satellites can meet the required link budget, enabling broadband D2D communication with practical.

The Exploration Company's Mission Possible Demonstration Mission, Daniel Gillies, Jon Reijneveld

Small Satellite Conference

Poster presented during the 2025 SmallSat Conference.

Towards Increased Adoption Of Direct To Earth Optical Communications, Simon Fowler, Owain Pryce-Jones, Simran Mardhani, Edem Fiamanya, Alessandro Tringali

Small Satellite Conference

Poster presented during the 2025 SmallSat Conference.

Three-Dimensional Radiation Patterns Of Cubesats And Link Budget Without Attitude Control, Daisuke Nakayama, Kei Sano, Rin Sato, Yusuke Iwaki, Shunya Hayashi, Arisa Oho, Sayanju Sirash

Small Satellite Conference

As CubeSat missions demand higher data rates, directional patch antennas have increasingly replaced traditional monopole or dipole antennas, and ensuring omnidirectional coverage—especially under tumbling conditions—has become critical. To address this, we developed a three-dimensional radiation pattern measurement system that enables the evaluation of antenna characteristics across all possible CubeSat attitudes. To apply these measurements to practical operations, we introduce the Coverage Ratio of CubeSat Attitude (CRCA), which intuitively represents the percentage of satellite orientations that exceed a given required gain. In this study, we apply this methodology to the S-band downlink antenna system of VERTECS, a 6U CubeSat developed by …

Novel Pressure-Based Electric Propulsion Discovery, Wesley Faler, Brad Berkson

Small Satellite Conference

This paper presents a novel electric propulsion system that uses pulsed plasma and ion- electron recombination to generate thrust primarily from internal pressure, using water vapor as propellant. In-space testing of the Poseidon^™ thruster demonstrated 37.49 mN average thrust and over 4,800 seconds specific impulse at under 1.5 W input power. A physics-based model captures the full mass, energy, and momentum balances and matches experimental results, supporting pressure as the dominant thrust mechanism. Experimental detection of proton–boron fusion in the exhaust plume further validates the system's plasma behavior and confirms a key element of its operating cycle.

Compact Satellites For Big Insights: Mission Analysis Of A 16u Cubesat For High-Resolution Earth Observation, Abdelmadjid Lassakeur, Kamel Djamel Eddine Kerrouche, Imène Taleb, Abdelhak Benikhlef, Mohammed Amine Meghabber

Small Satellite Conference

The demand for high-resolution Earth observation data has been growing rapidly, driven by applications in environmental monitoring, disaster response, urban planning, and defense. Governments, research institutions, and private companies increasingly rely on detailed satellite imagery to make informed decisions. However, traditional Earth observation satellites are often expensive and require long development timelines, creating a need for more compact and cost-effective solutions. Recent advancements in CubeSat technology, particularly in high-performance Attitude Determination and Control Systems (ADCS), have significantly expanded the capabilities of nanosatellites. These improvements have made it possible for smaller satellites to achieve imaging performance once limited to larger spacecraft. …

Big Data Solutions For Cubesat Mission Operations: A Case Study From The Michigan Exploration Lab, Daniil Voloshin, James W. Cutler

Small Satellite Conference

As space missions generate increasingly vast and complex datasets, efficient data management and processing solutions are critical. At the Michigan eXploration Lab (MXL) at the University of Michigan, where we design, build, and operate CubeSats, we have adopted big data technologies, specifically a Hadoop and Spark-based cluster, to address challenges in handling and analyzing large-scale data. These challenges include processing raw I/Q sample recordings from CubeSat satellite passes and suborbital missions, as well as mission-long spacecraft telemetry. The cluster leverages the distributed storage capabilities of the Hadoop Distributed File System (HDFS) and the in-memory data processing power of Apache Spark, …

Real-Time Space Weather Event Detection And Attribution Using Fpga-Based Machine Learning On Cubesats, Benjamin Lewis, Shawn Jones, Jonathan Phillips, Charles Swenson, Kade Howes

Small Satellite Conference

Utah State University has been developing hardware accelerators and machine learning algorithms for real-time detection and attribution of space weather events on small satellites. This research, funded under the Low-power Array for CubeSat Edge Computing Architecture, Algorithms, and Applications (LACE-C3A), is a NASA STMD-funded effort as part of the University Smallsat Technology Partnerships (USTP). In this paper, we present an FPGA implementation of an AI/ML algorithm for intelligent decision-making, enabling real-time space weather monitoring and now-casting of Equatorial Plasma Bubbles (EPBs). EPBs are low-density plasma structures that form at low latitudes within the Earth’s ionosphere, rising along magnetic field lines …

Near Real-Time Optimal Trajectory Design For Active Debris Removal With Verification And Validation Using Kompsat-1, Shawn Choi, Taeyeon Choe, Peter Ryu, Hyeongjun Park, Douglas Deok-Soo Kim

Small Satellite Conference

Geospace is getting busier with an increasing amount of debris, and their removal of such debris is becoming important for the safety, efficiency, and sustainability of geospace. The need for safe and sustainable removal has drawn significant attention to Active Debris Removal (ADR). When a chaser performs a fly-around maneuver to approach a target, it should solve the following optimization problem (OPT): (i) Minimize collision risk against other flying space objects, (ii) minimize fuel consumption, and (iii) maximize mission accomplishment. However, solving OPT is known to be very challenging, as it is at least NP-hard. This is because the trajectories …

A Radio Payload For In-Space Sub-Terahertz Communications, Andrew Benincasa, Sergi Aliaga, Albert Diez-Comas, Josep Miquel Jornet

Small Satellite Conference

This paper presents the first fully integrated design of a CubeSat-compatible sub-terahertz (sub-THz) radio payload for in-space communications at 225 GHz. Addressing the growing congestion in traditional RF bands and the limitations of Free Space Optical systems, the proposed system leverages recent breakthroughs in compact high-frequency front-ends, horn antenna arrays, and RFSoC-based digital processing to unlock multi-GHz bandwidths in the underutilized sub-THz spectrum. A detailed feasibility study confirms link closure from low Earth orbit using state-of-the-art components, and the payload’s architecture is engineered for real-time high-speed uplink/downlink under stringent CubeSat size, weight, and power (SWaP) constraints. The proposed payload will …

4096-Element Ka-Band Deployable Active Phased Array Transceivers In A 6u Cubesat, Hiroki Hayashi, Delburg Mitchao, Yasuto Narukiyo, Sena Kato, Keito Yuasa, Jill Mayeda, Hiraku Sakamoto, Kenichi Okada, Atsushi Shirane

Small Satellite Conference

This paper proposes a 4096-element deployable phased-array transceiver for LEO constellations, operating in the Ka-band frequency range. The system is designed for a 6U satellite platform, with the deployable membrane stored within a 2U volume and deploying to form a 670 mm × 670 mm aperture. The antenna features a central active area of 360 mm × 360 mm, with additional regions allocated for heat dissipation. A 7-layer rigid-flex printed circuit board (PCB) is used in the fabrication for the antenna array. A 256-element phased-array antenna was successfully fabricated on this rigid-flex PCB and demonstrates the feasibility of scaling up, …

Enhanced Smallsat Agility Via Cmg-Controlled Bus, Bryan Rogler, Forest Rulison, Terry Carl, Kearney Lackas, Matt Carton

Small Satellite Conference

As the small satellite industry continues to grow, mission teams continue to look for opportunities to maximize data collection and thus revenue per spacecraft. Many satellites in this class rely on well-understood traditional reaction wheel technology to provide precise pointing and re-orientation capabilities. Control Moment Gyroscopes (CMGs) offer a quantum leap in re-orientation performance as compared to reaction wheels (RW) but are typically utilized on much larger and more complex spacecraft outside the classification of small satellites. While Blue Canyon Technologies’ (BCT) RW-based spacecraft continue to provide high performing on-orbit pointing performance, BCT spacecraft actuated with a cluster of CMGs …