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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 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 …

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, …

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 …

Liciacube: Cubesat Unique Engineering Challenges On The Dart Mission, Kristin Fretz, Elena Adams, Lisa Wu, Betsy Congdon, Elisabeth Abel, Dave Myers, Shelly Conkey, Geffrey K. Ottman, Simone Simonetti

Small Satellite Conference

The NASA Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) spacecraft launched November 24, 2021 carrying LICIACube, a 6U CubeSat. As a low-cost mission utilizing a ship-and-shoot launch campaign during a global pandemic, the DART and LICIACube teams encountered many unique engineering challenges during integration and test (I&T). This paper explores both the successes and lessons learned in reducing the engineering risk from the procurement of an additional flight dispenser to providing and sharing of EM hardware for providing remote support of various tests.

The DART mission is led by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHU/APL) in Laurel, Maryland. DART is …

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 …

Finis: New Methane Detector Technology For Point-Source Detection And Leak Rate Measurements, Bruno Mattos, Alan Marchant, Charles Swenson, Michael Kirk, Steve Brezenski, Lucas Anderson, Chad Fish, John Noto, Jason Powell, Nicholas Wallace, Mark Schoeberl

Small Satellite Conference

Utah State University has been developing the Filter Incidence Narrow-band Infrared Spectrometer (FINIS) as a compact instrument for observing atmospheric methane from CubeSats. This instrument will be tested on the upcoming ACMES mission for use as a methane detector. The ACMES mission was selected in 2021 as part of the NASA In-space Validation of Earth Science Technologies (InVEST) program with an expected launch in 2024. Methane is the second most important greenhouse gas and one for which a reduction in emissions could have a significant impact on the near-term rate of global warming. As part of the effort to measure …

Binar Space Program: Mission Two Payloads And Operations Plan, Stuart Buchan, Fergus Downey, Benjamin Hartig, Daniel Busan, Jacob Cook, Chelsea Tay, Kyle Mcmullan, Tristan Ward, Robert Howie, Phil Bland, Jonathan Paxman

Small Satellite Conference

The second mission of Western Australia’s Binar Space Program consists of three 1U CubeSats targeting a 2023 launch. Aiming to improve the platform for future missions, the primary purpose of Binar 2, 3 and 4 is on-orbit testing of radiation shielding alloys developed by CSIRO. In this first-of-its-kind experiment, all three simultaneously deployed Binar spacecraft will contain radiation sensing payloads to assess the efficacy of various compositions of Australian made radiation shielding alloys. Alongside this, hardware changes to the Binar platform are discussed, including deployable solar arrays, additional communications solutions, and a removable payload bay. The Iridium network will be …

Itasat-2 Mission Overview, Luís Eduardo Vergueiro Loures Da Costa, Tiago Matos, Lidia Hissae Shibuya Sato, Ana Carolina Jeronymo, Victoria De Souza Rodrigues, Thadeu De Carvalho

Small Satellite Conference

The ITASAT-2 project is part of a progressive development of CubeSat space missions at the Instituto Tecnológico de Aeronáutica (ITA). Focused simultaneously on space weather and on the development of new technological solutions, the ITASAT-2 mission is based on the previous developments of the ITASAT-1 and SPORT missions. Consisting of three 12U CubeSats in a formation flight, the mission expands on the study of ionospheric plasma movements and density, small-scale ionospheric structures, magnetic field, and radiation environment. On the development of technological solutions, the mission proposes to test a baseline option at LEO to understand the influence of ionospheric phenomena …

The Canvas Mission: Quantifying The Very-Low-Frequency Radio Energy Input From The Ground Into The Earth's Magnetosphere, Robert A. Marshall, Riley A. Reid, James M. Cannon, Sebastian Wankmueller, Paraksh Vankawala, Scott Palo, David M. Malaspina, Thierry Dudok De Wit, Guillaume Jannet

Small Satellite Conference

Very-low-frequency (VLF) electromagnetic waves, emitted by ground-based sources including lightning and VLF transmitters, can impact the lower ionosphere and magnetosphere through their interaction with the local plasma and energetic particle environments. Quantifying the impacts of these waves requires an accurate assessment of the propagation and attenuation of these waves. The Climatology of Anthropogenic and Natural VLF wave Activity in Space (CANVAS) mission is designed to measure VLF waves in low Earth orbit originating from these ground-based sources. The mission aims to characterize the VLF environment in low Earth orbit to address two main goals: i) constrain the VLF wave injection …

Snooping Around: Observation Planning For The Signals Of Opportunity P-Band Investigation (Snoopi), Justin Mansell, Elisa Rivera, Seho Kim, Benjamin R. Nold, James L. Garrison, Manuel A. Vega, Juan C. Raymond, Roger Banting, Weihang Li, Hasnaa Khalifi, Rajat Bindlish, Rashmi Shah

Small Satellite Conference

Launching October 2022, the SigNals Of Opportunity P-band Investigation (SNOOPI) is a 6U CubeSat dedicated to demonstrating spaceborne remote sensing of root zone soil moisture and snow water equivalent using signals of opportunity. P-band (240-500 MHz) frequencies are required to penetrate dense vegetation or snow and into the top 200 cm of soil, but this band is heavily subscribed. Rather than transmitting its own signal SNOOPI will observe reflected signals from the U.S. Navy’s Mobile User Objective System satellites. This makes planning observations challenging. The point of reflection is a function of both the transmitter and receiver satellite positions as …

Ernst: Demonstrating Advanced Infrared Detection From A 12u Cubesat, Martin Schimmerohn, Clemens Horch, Stephan Busch, Noah Ledford, Konstantin Schäfer, Thorsten Maue, Mike Weber, Konstantin Kappe, Frank Schäfer, Caroline Schweitzer, Stefan K. Höffgen, Andreas Paape

Small Satellite Conference

The ERNST mission will demonstrate complex infrared detection capabilities using a 12U CubeSat platform. ERNST’s main payload is an advanced cryogenically-cooled infrared imager that implicates demanding requirements in terms of power demand, heat dissipation, and vibration response for a nanosatellite. The optical bench that integrates optics, a filter-wheel for switching between spectral bands, and the detector-cooler system has been additively designed and manufactured, giving it a bionic appearance and combined with a highly efficient radiator. An onboard radiation monitor and a COTS camera complete the mission payloads. The ERNST 12U platform is based on high-performance CubeSat subsystems for avionics, UHF, …

Ut Prosat-1: A Platform For Testing Lightweight Deployable Composite Structures, Derick Whited, Nick Angle, Gustavo Gargioni, Richard F. Gibbons Iii, Rob Engebretson, Sheyda Davaria, Samantha Kenyon, Jonathan Black

Small Satellite Conference

This paper details the mission, challenges during the design process, and lessons learned from the development of an upcoming 3U cubesat from Virginia Tech dubbed Ut ProSat-1, scheduled to launch in 2023 on NG-19. This student-designed, -built, and -operated flight is a follow-on from the VT ThickSat launch in February 2021, incorporating lessons learned and upgrading specific experiments. The mission science goal is to demonstrate the reusability of lightweight deployable space structures for solar sails, antennas, and other extended components as well as characterizing the dynamic properties of the deployed structure while in space. In addition, the team has set …

Rapid Development Of Low-Cost 1/2u Adaptive Optics Testbed, Ariel Sandberg, Albert Thieu, Anil Mankame, Zachary Palmer, Joel Kiers, Mark Wilder, Lulu Liu

Small Satellite Conference

We present the development of the low-cost, rapid development 1/2U AMS Beacon CubeSat payload, with focus on design architecture and risk reduction of the system. The AMS Beacon payload (Beacon) will be integrated into the Agile MicroSat (AMS) 6U CubeSat platform developed by MIT Lincoln Laboratory and will serve as a test platform for high-angle-rate adaptive optics (AO) on orbital targets. The payload will contain a high-intensity laser to provide point-source phase reference for ground-based AO development and test, a photodiode for measurement of received optical power, and a retroreflector for simulating passive object reflectance. The system utilizes commercial-off-theshelf (COTS) …

Finch: A Blueprint For Accessible And Scientifically Valuable Remote Sensing Satellite Missions, Adyn Miles, David Maranto, Shiqi Xu, Rosalind Liang, Yong Da Li, Jason Rock, Amreen Imrit, Maggie Kou, Abeer Fatima, Allen Kasum, Amy Saranchuk, Ana-Maria Zamrii, Andy Gong, Angelina Hui, Anthony Dimaggio, Bejamin Nero, Bettina Oghinan, Bruno Almeida, Brytni Richards, Cameron Rodriguez, Dhruv Sirohi, Eman Shayeb, Emma Belhadfa, Eren Cimentepe, Ginny Guo, Harshit Sohaney, Hiba Al-Falahi, Ian Vyse, Iliya Shofman, Jasnoor Guliani, Jennifer Zhang, Kanver Bhandal, Kejsi Gjerazi, Ketan Vasudeva, Khalil Damouni, Kimberley Orna, Konstantinos Papaspyridis, Kyoka Collina Stone, Maggie Fen Wang, Mary Cheng, Maxime Michet, Mingde Yin, Mirai Shinjo, Nicholas Glenn, Novera Ahmed, Omar Farag, Prachi K. Sukhnani, Punyaphat Sukcharoenchaikul, Rajvi Rana, Rediet Yohannes, Selena Liu, Shuhan Zheng, Stephanie Yi Fei Lu, Tianyi Zhang, Tobias Rozario, Wanda Janaeska, Yifan (Julia) Ye, Ziyu Chen

Small Satellite Conference

Satellite remote sensing missions have grown in popularity over the past fifteen years due to their ability to cover large swaths of land at regular time intervals, making them suitable for monitoring environmental trends such as greenhouse gas emissions and agricultural practices. As environmental monitoring becomes central in global efforts to combat climate change, accessible platforms for contributing to this research are critical. Many remote sensing missions demand high performance of payloads, restricting research and development to organizations with sufficient resources to address these challenges. Atmospheric remote sensing missions, for example, require extremely high spatial and spectral resolutions to generate …

Satellite For Estimating Aquatic Salinity And Temperature (Seasalt) - A Scientific Overview, Sean Mccarthy, Viviane Menezes, Paul Fucile, Kerri Cahoy, Mary Dahl, Albert Thieu, Cadence Payne, Charles Lindsay, Shreeyam Kacker

Small Satellite Conference

SEASALT is a small satellite mission designed to explore the estimation of salinity in coastal environments using ocean color. A SEASALT constellation would fill the coastal gap by providing coastal SSS observations with much higher spatial resolution (30m) and much shorter revisit times (less than 1 day) on a global scale. Planet’s nanosatellites currently provide daily monitoring of the earth’s surface, as well as coastal locations, at 3-meter resolution. However, they do not have the required bands needed in the near infrared (NIR) for atmospheric correction (they only possess 1 NIR band), thus making atmospheric correction over water very challenging. …

Adapting On Orbit: Conclusions Of The Stp-H6 Spacecraft Supercomputing For Image And Video Processing Experiment, Evan W. Gretok, Seth Roffe, Antony Gillette, Alan D. George, Sebastian Sabogal, Theodore Schwarz

Small Satellite Conference

Spacecraft Supercomputing for Image and Video Processing (SSIVP) was a payload aboard the Department of Defense Space Test Program – Houston 6 pallet deployed on the International Space Station. SSIVP was designed and constructed by graduate students at the NSF Center for Space, High-Performance, and Resilient Computing (SHREC) at the University of Pittsburgh. The primary objective of this experiment was to evaluate resilient- and parallel-computing capabilities in a small-satellite form factor. Five flight computers, each combining radiation-tolerant and commercial-off-the-shelf technologies, were networked by high-speed interconnects, enabling a reliable space-supercomputing paradigm. Image-processing and computer-vision experiments were conducted on Earth-observation imagery acquired …

Development Of Cubesat Spacecraft-To-Spacecraft Optical Link Detection Chain For The Click B/C Mission, Danielle E. Coogan, Joseph Conroy, Myles Clark, John W. Conklin, Hannah Tomio, William Kammerer, Peter Grenfell, Ondrej Čierny, Charles Lindsay, Maddie Garcia, Paul Serra, Kerri Cahoy, Jan Stupl, David Mayer, John Hanson

Small Satellite Conference

The growing interest in and expanding applications of small satellite constellation networks necessitates effective and reliable high-bandwidth communication between spacecraft. The applications of these constellations (such as navigation or imaging) rely on the precise measurement of timing offset between the spacecraft in the constellation. The CubeSat Laser Infrared CrosslinK (CLICK) mission is being developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the University of Florida (UF), and NASA Ames Research Center. The second phase of the mission (CLICK-B/C) will demonstrate a crosslink between two CubeSats (B and C) that each host a < 2U laser communication payload. The terminals will demonstrate full-duplex spacecraft-to-spacecraft communications and ranging capability using commercial components. As part of the mission, CLICK will demonstrate two-way time-transfer for clock synchronization and data transfer at a minimum rate of 20 Mbps over separation distances ranging from 25 km to 580 km. The payloads of CLICK B and C include a receiver chain with a custom photodetector board, a Time-to-Digital Converter (TDC), a Microchip Chip-Scale Atomic Clock (CSAC), and a field-programmable gate array (FPGA). The payloads can measure internal propagation delays of the transmitter and the receiver, and cancel environmental effects impacting timing accuracy. The photodetector board is 2.5 cm x 2.5 cm and includes an avalanche photodiode (APD) and variable-gain amplifiers through which the detected signal is conditioned for the TDC to be time-stamped. This design has been developed from the UF and NASA Ames CubeSat Handling Of Multisystem Precision Time Transfer (CHOMPTT) project and associated MOCT (Miniature Optical Communication Transceiver) demonstration. The TDC samples the signal at four points: twice on the rising edge at set thresholds, and twice at the falling edge at those same thresholds. These four time-offset samples are sent to the FPGA, which combines the measurements for a reported timestamp of the detected laser pulse. These timestamps can then be used in a pulse-position modulation (PPM) demodulation scheme to receive data at up to 50 Mbps, to calculate range down to 10 cm, and for precision time-transfer with < 200 ps resolution. In this paper, we will discuss the designed capabilities and noise performance of the CLICK TDC-based optical receiver chain.

Principles For Designing Origami-Inspired Composite Space Structures With High-Strain Compliant Laminate Joints, Samuel P. Smith, Collin Ynchausti, Spencer P. Magleby

Small Satellite Conference

In space missions, many methods and techniques are used to enable large deployable structures—such as solar arrays, antennas, and radiators—for power, communication, and heat regulation. With origami as inspiration, a new class of self-deployable, self-stiffening, and retractable (SDSR) array has been developed and is reviewed. SDSR arrays are a scalable deployable architecture based on origami flasher patterns. They do not require the aid of external support and actuation structures common in space applications, instead replacing them with strained compliant joints and reeling cables. Aluminum construction has previously been successfully modeled and demonstrated, however, SDSR technology can be greatly improved with …

Utilizing Additive Manufacturing Of Semi-Crystalline Thermoplastics And Topology Optimized Generative Designs For Complex Small Satellite Bus Geometries, William Hunter Bradford, Aidan Delliponti, Ryan Formel

Small Satellite Conference

Small satellite buses have traditionally been manufactured through subtractive means and ultimately limiting capability in feature, form, and an inability to alter the volumetric density of the material. However, emergent additive manufacturing methods that utilize Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) integrated with soluble support material allow us to print synthetic thermoplastics, such as Polyetheretherketone (PEEK). Consequently, the number of structural parts and hardware components is reduced, along with the cost. Structural strength and dimensional stability of PEEK are comparable to traditional aluminum alloys in the construction of most satellite components. Additive manufacturing further allows the implementation of topology optimization algorithms to …

Developing Machine Learning Models For Space Based Edge Ai Platforms, James Murphy, John E. Ward, Brian Mac Namee

Small Satellite Conference

On September 3rd 2020, one of the first small satellites equipped with Edge AI hardware was launched. The inclusion of a UB0100 board on PhiSat-1 enabled the use of deep neural networks to provide real-time image analysis on-board an Earth Observation satellite. The primary benefit of this was a 90% reduction in downlink data as the system only transmitted non-cloudy, and thus usable, data. PhiSat-1 and missions like it have started the revolution of satellite-based machine learning, leading ESA and other space agencies to further explore the in-situ deployment of machine-learning models. Other applications that can benefit from on-board space-based …

The Maker's Cubesat: Increasing Student-Lab Capabilities In The Design, Integration & Test Of The Alpha Cubesat, Joshua Umansky-Castro, Yaw Tung Tan, Eleanor Glenn, Lauren Greenhill, Jenny Wen, Mason Peck, Andrew Filo, Alex Burke

Small Satellite Conference

Alpha is a 1U CubeSat developed at Cornell University that deploys a ChipSat-equipped free-flying light sail into LEO. While the payload is rather unique, the spacecraft that deploys it is designed to be adaptable and scalable to future student-led missions. Technology demonstrations include a 3D-printed chassis, entirely commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) electronics, an Iridium modem that bypasses the need for ground-station hardware, and magnetorquer-only spin-stabilization and pointing. This paper details the driving factors behind Alpha’s novel architecture with a focus on the affordable methods developed for design verification and optimization. Drawing inspiration from the maker community, the lab acquired a suite …

An Evaluation Of Potential Compute Platforms For Picosatellites, Ofir Cohen, Sivan Toledo

Small Satellite Conference

What compute platform should picosatellites use? CubeSats, classified as nanosatellites, are transitioning from microcontrollers that cannot run modern operating systems and modern programming environments to Linux-capable compute platforms. As electronics continue to shrink, picosatellite missions are likely to become more common, perhaps using the PocketQube standard. This paper characterizes the requirements that compute platforms for picosatellites should satisfy and analyzes in detail 4 potential platforms. We show that suitable hardware does exist, but that it is not yet supported well enough to allow small teams to use it in satellites or other specialized sensor nodes.

Cubesat Radiation Hardness Assurance Beyond Total Dose: Evaluating Single Event Effects, Braden Oh, Celvi Lisy, Gia-Uyen Tran, Whitney Lohmeyer, Michael Campola, Scott Palo

Small Satellite Conference

Radiation poses known and serious risks to smallsat survivability and mission duration, with effects falling into two categories: long-term total ionizing dose (TID) and instantaneous single event effects (SEE). Although literature exists on the topic of addressing TID in smallsats, few resources exist for addressing SEEs. Many varieties of SEEs exist, such as bit upsets and latch ups, which can occur in any electronic component containing active semiconductors (such as transistors). SEE consequences range from benign to destructive, so mission reliability can be enhanced by implementing fault protection strategies based on predicted SEE rates. Unfortunately, SEE rates are most reliably …

Design Of 6u Nanosatellites In Formation Flying For The Laser Crosslink Mission, Geuk-Nam Kim, Sang-Young Park, Han-Gyeol Ryu, Young-Eon Kim, Suyong Choi, Joohee Lee, Sungmoon Lee, Seuggwon Jeon, Sehyun Seong

Small Satellite Conference

With a recent growth in the volume of spaceborne data, free space optical (FSO) or laser communication systems are attracting attention, as they can enable super-high data rates faster than 1 Gbps. The Very high-speed Inter-satellite link Systems using Infrared Optical terminal and Nanosatellite (VISION) is a technical demonstration mission to establish and validate laser crosslink systems using two 6U nanosatellites in formation flying. The final goal is to achieve a Gbps-level data rate at a distance of thousands of kilometers. To establish space-to-space laser communication, the payload optical axes of each satellite should be precisely aligned during the crosslink. …

New Results And Lessons Learned From The Move-Ii And Move-Iib Cubesats, Lucien Volk, Rosalinde Borrek, Nicolas Zischka, Johannes Koch, Isha Sharma, Matteo Nardini, Linda Holl, Simon Gruber, Florian Schummer, Jonis Kiesbye, David Messmann, Martin Lülf

Small Satellite Conference

This paper covers the operations and lessons learned for the MOVE-II and MOVE-IIb satellites. Both are 1U CubeSats, with their purpose being hands-on education for students of all technical fields related to aerospace. The hardware of the spacecraft consists of a commercial on-board computer and an electrical power system, while all other systems, including the software, were designed by the student team. The MOVE-II CubeSat was successfully launched on December 3rd, 2018 and remains active in orbit to this day with almost daily commanding. The operations were full of surprises that pre-launch simulations did not foresee. With on-orbit data, we …

Satellite For Estimating Aquatic Salinity And Temperature (Seasalt) A Payload And Instrumentation Overview, Shreeyam Kacker, Mary Dahl, Albert Thieu, Cadence Payne, Kerri Cahoy, Paul Fucile, Viviane Menezes, Sean Mccarthy

Small Satellite Conference

The Satellite for Estimating Aquatic Salinity and Temperature, or SEASALT, is a 6U CubeSat designed to acquire coastal images to measure Sea Surface Temperature (SST) and to develop and utilize an algorithm to estimate Sea Surface Salinity (SSS). SSS can be retrieved in coastal zones by utilizing atmospherically corrected optical images to retrieve remote sensing reflectance (Rrs). Rrs and SSS can then be empirically related through algorithms specific to different aquatic bodies. Current satellite instruments used for SSS calculations, such as MODIS and VIIRS, have limited revisit times and low spatial resolutions that make it challenging to implement SSS retrieval …

A Low-Cost Attitude Determination And Control System And Hardware-In-The-Loop Testbed For Cubesats, Benjamin Jensen, Zachary Manchester

Small Satellite Conference

The attitude determination and control system (ADCS) for a satellite is responsible for multiple key roles in a satellite’s mission, including detumbling the satellite after deployment, pointing payload sensors, and orienting antennas and solar panels for effective communication and power generation. Designing an effective ADCS is crucial to a mission’s success; however, current methods often rely on actuators and sensors that are bulky and expensive, such as reaction wheels and star trackers. While these systems can provide high accuracy, they often cannot be used on CubeSats due to volume, weight, and cost restrictions.

This work builds upon PyCubed, a radiation-tolerant …