Digital Commons Network^™

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

Small Satellite Conference

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

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

Small Satellite Conference

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

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

Small Satellite Conference

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

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

Small Satellite Conference

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

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

Small Satellite Conference

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

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

Small Satellite Conference

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

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

Small Satellite Conference

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

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

Small Satellite Conference

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

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

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

Small Satellite Conference

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

Using Star Trackers To Improve Space Situational Awareness, Carter Hyndman

Small Satellite Conference

The Kessler syndrome presents a scenario in which space debris produced from an orbital collision increases the risk of further collisions, resulting in an exponential growth of on-orbit debris. With the proliferation of Resident Space Objects (RSOs) in the near-Earth space environment, continual development of ground-based and space-based detection, monitoring, and cataloguing systems is paramount in mitigating the risks associated with collisions. Currently, cataloguing RSOs primarily utilizes ground-based optical and radar systems, however, their performance is impacted and constrained by weather and atmospheric distortions.

As a result of the challenges and limitations of ground-based observations, there is increasing demand for …

Sifter: Star Identification From Transformer-Encoded Representations, Edward Zhang

Small Satellite Conference

We present SIFTER: Star Identification From Transformer-Encoded Representations, a novel neural network-based star identification algorithm for small satellites, trained on an original dataset of synthetic star scenes. SIFTER uses an encoder neural network model to construct sophisticated representations of star patterns by relating centroids of a given star scene. By avoiding the use of manual feature extraction and pattern construction algorithms, SIFTER is more robust to image noise and environmental disturbances than previously proposed classical and neural network-based algorithms. SIFTER generalizes well on real images taken from satellites and observatories, maintaining availability above 97% and error rate below 2% in …

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

Small Satellite Conference

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

Launch Hardened Cup-Cone Docking Mechanism For Small-Sats, Brian Schweinhart, Ziv Arzt, Robert Minelli, Alex Moerlein, Sean Torrez, Sean Lewis

Small Satellite Conference

A dual-use docking mechanism that can provide soft dynamic coupling in space and a rigid connection for launch would provide significant benefit to launch cost and weight savings. PSI has developed the Toothed Cup-cone Launch-hardened Androgynous Docking (T-CLAD) mechanism as a solution. The T-CLAD mechanism in an androgynous docking mechanism capable of withstanding launch loads while simultaneously providing self-alignment docking capabilities for on-orbit servicing and refueling. The mechanism is nominally designed for half-ESPA-class satellites but can be sized up and down to different class satellites while keeping full capabilities. The system incorporates an alternating, toothed cup-cone interface and SepNuts to …

Bootstrap Methods For Bias-Correcting Probability Distribution Parameters Characterizing Extreme Snow Accumulations, Kenneth Pomeyie, Brennan Bean

Mathematics and Statistics Student Research and Class Projects

Accurately quantifying the threat of collapse due to the weight of settled snow on the roof of a structure is crucial for ensuring structural safety. This quantification relies upon direct measurements of the snow water equivalent (SWE) of settled snow, though most weather stations in the United States only measure snow depth. The absence of direct load measurements necessitates the use of modeled estimates of SWE, which often results in the underestimation of the scale/variance parameter of the distribution of annual maximum SWE. This paper introduces a novel bias correction method that employs a bootstrap technique with regression-based models to …

Debris Detection Using Star Tracker Concept Verification, Laila Kazemi, Alexander Vandenberghe, Mikel Samson, Bram Vandoren, Tjorven Delabie

Small Satellite Conference

This paper demonstrates the concept of space debris detection using star trackers. Arcsec’s Sagitta star tracker is an optical sensor designed to determine spacecraft attitude based on captured star images. The Sagitta star tracker processes these images to extract bright regions, which are then compared to an on-board star database. This functionality can also be extended to detect and track space debris passing through the sensor’s field of view. Typical star trackers discard any bright objects that are not matched to their star database. With addition of Debris Detection Using Star Trackers (DeDUST) algorithm, Sagitta can isolate these observations. Star …

Usspacecom Small Satellite Support, Rita Evaristo, Corey Best, Hoa Ramos

Small Satellite Conference

This paper explores the services and recommendation offered by USSPACECOM via Space Delta 2’s 18^th and 19^th Space Defense Squadrons (SDS) to enhance spaceflight safety and ensure mission success for satellite owners and operators.

Launch & Early Operations Phase (Leop) Iridium Eyestar-S4 24-7 Link With Mosaic-X5 Gps And Launch Results, Jeff F. Dailey, Matthew B. Orvis, John Pugsley, Matthew C. Voss, Hank D. Voss

Small Satellite Conference

Satellite Mission Success is best achieved during the Launch Early Operations Phase (LEOP) when a satellite first becomes alive as radio data (TT&C) appears on the ground station within seconds. Using the Iridium global network, no matter where a tumbling satellite is in orbit, TT&C data is available anywhere-anytime. Diagnostic data, GPS, spin rates, live ADCS, temperatures, voltages, electrical power systems, primary processor, deployments, and payload monitors like plasma density or integral particle fluxes can all be tracked during the turn-on process with the option of disabling or adjusting command parameters to the unexpected. Several EyeStar-S4 flight NSL/Iridium transceivers can …

Design And Testing Of A Resilient Cots Point Of Load Converter For Deep Space Cubesats, Jacob Cook, Phil Bland, Robert Howie

Small Satellite Conference

To support the development of the upcoming Binar Space Program 12U Explorer Class platform, currently being designed for lunar and interplanetary research applications, the design and testing of a modular Gallium Nitride (GaN) based Point of Load (PoL) converter is being undertaken. The converter has been designed to supply power to high-transient-current loads, such as communications systems, by regulating down a higher voltage derived from a range of common CubeSat battery configurations to a target voltage of 5V. The system consists of parallel-connected linear regulator and buck converter stages which deliver power to the load through a high-side current sense …

Adaptive Raw Sar Data Compression Using Machine Learning Enhanced Block Adaptive Quantization, Craig Hay, Cameron Anderson, Lucy Donnell, Murray Ireland, Mehrdad Yaghoobi

Small Satellite Conference

Earth observation (EO) data plays a crucial role in climate monitoring, disaster response, asset management, and security, with synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data being particularly valuable. The ability of SAR to generate dense time series, unaffected by cloud cover or darkness, makes it ideal for monitoring applications. The commercial SAR sector has experienced significant recent growth, providing increasing amounts of data through advancements in quantity, quality, frequency, and dissemination. However, challenges in data management have emerged due to the volume of data captured by modern SAR instruments, surpassing satellite downlink capacities.

The Adaptive SAR Signal Compression Through Artificial Intelligence (SARAI) …

Machine Learning Models For Optimisation Of Satellite Laser Communication Terminals And Optical Space Networks, Georgia Harvey, Cameron Anderson, Murray Ireland, Rob Hunter, Afonso Nunes, Rob Stansfield

Small Satellite Conference

Laser communication systems in optical SatCom systems are mainly used in point-to-point networks, possibly deploying standard routing solutions which perform sub-optimally when deployed in transport and access satellite networks. Optical signal acquisition is also affected by the changing satellite environment and atmospheric conditions.

In response, Craft Prospect and partners focused on upgrading optical systems by using machine learning (ML) methods to improve laser communication terminals and to simplify interconnectivity of networked laser SatCom systems. In this context we target the European OPS-SAT Versatile Optical Laboratory for Telecoms (VOLT) mission led by Craft Prospect and the European High Throughput Optical Network …

Techedsat-11: Prototyping Autonomous Communications In Orbit, Rachel Dudukovich, Adam Gannon, Janette Briones, Timothy Recker, Patrick Zhong, Kyle Deleon, Lucas Shalkhauser, Ethan Schweinsberg, Evan Danish, Alejandro Salas, Marcus Murbach

Small Satellite Conference

Cognitive Engine 1 (CE-1) Is a state-of-the-art automated system designed to manage routine operations and respond to adverse events without requiring human operator input. CE-1 will optimize scheduling capabilities, detect and react to link failures, and ensure data delivery deadlines are met efficiently. Seamless roaming between government and commercial providers will allow for a robust and cost-effective network. TechEdSat-11 will demonstrate two key components of CE-1: User Initiated Services (UIS) and Delay Tolerant Networking (DTN). The first phase of the experiment will use UIS to automate on-demand scheduling of a commercial S-band ground station. Later phases of the experiment will …

Autonomous Multi-Mission Orchestration For Small Satellite Constellations, Skylar Cox, Thomas Kost, David Fish, Jonathan Maier

Small Satellite Conference

The accelerating proliferation of space vehicles in LEO presents a significant operational and security challenge in coordinating operations between vehicles and across constellations. The growing operational complexity demands a reliable automation approach capable of orchestrating multiple agents, potentially across different domains. No longer is it sufficient to automate a single vehicle in isolation since many of the tasks being conducted by these constellations require cross-schedule coordination. To address the current operational demands and limitations, the Multi-Mission Orchestrator, or MMO, provides a methodology and framework for coordinating space vehicle operations and secure data transfers across heterogeneous constellations and even multi-domain systems …

Capstone: An Ongoing Demonstration Of Navigation And Autonomy Technologies In The Cislunar Domain, Tom Gardner, Brad Cheetham, Matt Bolliger, Michael Caudill, Lauren Demoudt, Alec Forsman, Tyler Hanf, Arlen Kam, Ethan Kayser, Conner Ott, Nathan Re, Rebecca Rogers, Anthony Zara, Hannah Umansky, Kyle Clarke, Brennan Bryant, Tomas Svitek

Small Satellite Conference

NASA, Advanced Space, Terran Orbital, Rocket Lab, Stellar Exploration, JPL, the Space Dynamics Lab, and Tethers Unlimited have partnered to successfully develop, launch, and operate the Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment (CAPSTONE) mission, which is continuing serving as a dedicated precursor for Near Rectilinear Halo Orbit (NHRO) operations in cislunar space. Over the past 26 months, this low-cost, high-value mission has demonstrated an efficient, low-energy orbital transfer to the Moon, a successful insertion into the NRHO, and completion of ~21 months of successful operations in the NRHO while successfully demonstrating key technologies in support of the …

Ensemble Learning For Autonomous Onboard Satellite Fault Diagnosis With Validation Tool, Madeline Anderson, Jeremy Muesing, Kerri Cahoy, Kenneth Center

Small Satellite Conference

In-orbit events and onboard malfunctions, often manifesting as telemetry faults, can compromise satellite missions. Monitoring such faults through ground operations is time intensive and tedious, motivating the need for advanced onboard and autonomous satellite resilience capabilities, which will increase the likelihood of mission success. We present a novel approach for onboard autonomous satellite fault diagnosis that leverages ensemble learning to jointly detect faults and attribute them to a probable cause. The framework consists of an ensemble of representation learners, including an Autoencoder (AE), Kalman Filter (KF), Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM), Long Short Term Memory network (LSTM), and the PCMCI causal …

A Methodology For Cost Effective Radiation Characterization Of Cots Hardware For Space Use, Jeremy Myers, Michael Campola, Brent Kennamer

Small Satellite Conference

When humanity returns to the lunar surface, the opportunity to capture inspiring imagery like the Earthrise photo will depend on the technical performance of the Handheld Universal Lunar Camera (HULC). Proper testing and development of the COTS imagery system for the Artemis Lunar Surface mission will help ensure HULC is ready for its moment to shine. Radiation environments are challenging for modern electronics. Without a cost-effective means of performing radiation tests, the HULC would not be ready when its Earthshine opportunity arises. While COTS products provide a cheap and easy solution for many space applications, most are susceptible to ionizing …

Electromagnetic Interactions Test Procedure For A Centre-Triggered Pulsed Cathodic Arc Thruster, Patrick R. C. Neumann, Steven Despotellis, Hervé Astier, Jean-Mark Walter, Peter Van Gemert, Saloa Ali, Simon Gallasch, Martin Mielczarek

Small Satellite Conference

All electronic systems, no matter their type or technology, generate electromagnetic noise during operation. Conversely, all electronic systems are susceptible to the noise emissions of other systems, where these emissions can induce off-nominal system behaviour, potentially leading to system failure. This drives test procedure standardisation, to ensure confidence in test results, growing confidence in mission success by applying standards such as MIL-STD-461G [1]. However, all standards are based on assumptions which inherently limit their applicability. In the case of MIL-STD-461G, an underlying assumption is that the operating modes of the Device Under Test (DUT) reach steady-state quickly.

Ultra-Broadband Uncooled Infrared Camera Core For Multi-Spectral And Far-Infrared Earth, Lunar, And Planetary Observation, Francis Généreux, Francis Picard, Hélène Spisser, Alfredo Tomas, Antoine Letourneau, Bruno Fisette, Christian Proulx, Louis Martin, Timothy Pope, Christine Alain, Patrice Côté, Patrice Topart

Small Satellite Conference

This paper reports on a unique solution for thermal imagery in the Earth Observation (EO) commercial space market. The High-Definition Infrared Space Camera Core (HDISCC) is based on INO's uncooled 1024x768 pixel 14 µm physical pixels, and broadband mid-wave to far-infrared (up to 100 µm wavelength with a gold black coating) with 28 µm physical pixels. In each case, stripe filters may be included in the sensor package to provide detection in multiple spectral bands. For example, in a push-broom implementation, a single camera can cover multiple mid-wave and long-wave infrared bands. The Camera Core contains the interface and proximity …

Innovating In The Infra-Red, Taking The Temperature Of The Earth Observation Market, Mike Goddard, Steven Knox, Harbinder Rana, James Bell, John Gilby, Diego Angarita-Jaimes, Trevor Wood, Calem Whiting, Nigel Philips, Matthew Price, Alan Matthews, Grant Childs, Tony Pattison, Mark Cantrill, Rupert Taylor, Jonathan Karimian, Andrew Haslehurst, Alex Da Silva Curiel, Martin Sweeting

Small Satellite Conference

The DarkCarb instrument has been specifically designed to provide high-resolution thermal video imagery from a small satellite in support of a range of emerging commercial, government and scientific applications. So far, such capability has only been available on large expensive satellites in a very limited fashion. Sensor and cooling technology has evolved in recent years so that such an instrument can now be designed and operated to provide useful performance over a typical satellite design-lifetime, and at a cost making new applications financially viable. The instrument provides 3.5 m Ground Sampling Distance (GSD) over a 4.5 x 3.6 km scene …

Compact-Fire Infrared Radiance Spectral Tracker (C-First), Sarath Gunapala, William Johnson, David Ting, Alexander Soibel, Sir (Don) Rafol, Sam Keo, Brian Pepper, Cory Hill, Olga Kalashnikova, Michael Garay, Ashley Davies, Christopher David, Sachidananda Babu, Parminder Ghuman

Small Satellite Conference

Remote sensing of wildland fires is required for many cross-disciplinary science investigations including wildland fire impacts on ecology. For decades this research has been hindered by insufficient spatial resolution and detector saturation at short and mid-infrared wavelengths where the spectral radiance from high temperature ( > 800 K) surfaces is most significant. To address this, we're developing a compact high dynamic range (HDR) multispectral imager. The Compact Fire Infrared Radiance Spectral Tracker (c-FIRST), which leverages digital focal plane array (DFPA). The DFPA is hybridized from a state-of-the-art high operating temperature barrier infrared detector (HOT-BIRD) and a digital readout integrated circuit (D-ROIC), …

Amsat-Oscar-7: 50 Years In A Sun-Synchronous Orbit - And Still Counting - Confirmation Of The Long-Term Solar Gravity-Gradient Perturbation, Jan A. King, Karl Meinzer

Small Satellite Conference

The first Delta launch vehicle to launch multiple secondary payloads was Δ-104. Carried, as the 2^nd piggyback payload on that mission was an amateur radio Smallsat, AMSAT-OSCAR-7 (AO-7). The launch, on 15 November 1974, was to a 1460 km SSO. This spacecraft, as its name suggests, was the 7^th in an on-going series of spacecraft operating in the Amateur Satellite Service. The amazing story associated with the mission of this small satellite is being reported elsewhere in these proceedings. While the particulars of this satellite's lifetime are exciting, we didn't particularly expect this "old bird's set of tricks …