Digital Commons Network^™

Design Of Modular Star Tracker Software, Luca Merlo Paula Soares

Small Satellite Conference

The current CubeSat attitude sensor landscape is bimodal. One end of the spectrum is occupied by solar angle sensors, magnetometers, and rate gyros. However, these low-cost sensors offer insufficient performance for missions that need higher pointing accuracy. Star trackers occupy the other end of the spectrum, providing much greater pointing knowledge accuracy. Unfortunately, the commercially available star trackers are prohibitively expensive for most modest-budget CubeSat missions. To address this problem, the Cal Poly CubeSat Lab (CPCL) decided to implement a star tracker targeted at filling the gap between commercial options and coarse sensors.

A Tle-Based Algorithm For Correcting Empirical Model Densities During Geomagnetic Storms, Daniel A. Brandt, Charles D. Bussy-Virat, Aaron J. Ridley

Small Satellite Conference

Neutral densities increase up to 800% during geomagnetic storms. Satellite two-line element sets (TLEs) show increased orbital decay during geomagnetic storms from increased drag.

Merging Diverse Architecture For Multi-Mission Support, Kyle Colton, Joseph Breu, Bryan Klofas, Sydney Marler, Chad Norgan, Matthew Waldram

Small Satellite Conference

Planet Labs Inc. (“Planet”) currently operates the world’s largest commercial earth observation constellation with over 150 active on-orbit satellites collecting daily medium resolution imagery of the whole earth, and high resolution imagery of targeted areas of interest. In 2017, Planet combined the SkySat high-resolution satellite constellation with its own existing medium resolution Dove constellation to expand its ability to make global change visible, accessible, and actionable. While the two satellite designs use largely similar ground station architectures, nuances in implementation caused early operations to focus on maintaining separate, siloed ground station networks with unique software and hardware.

As Planet looks …

Expanding The Capability Of Satellite Operations Using A Global Federated Ground Station Network, Matthew J. Szczerba, Justin H. Schachter, Kaylee E. Bell, Michael E. Wilson, James W. Cutler

Small Satellite Conference

Small-scale spaceflight programs such as those found at universities and start-up companies may operate satellites from a single ground station. This station’s location may not be optimal for radio communications, and a single station limits the contact time available to conduct operations. The idea of a global federated ground station network (FGN) has been theorized in the past, and with today’s wide-spread internet connectivity it is now possible for such a network to exist. One example of an FGN that is functioning today is an open-source project called SatNOGS. The Michigan eXploration Laboratory (MXL) at the University of Michigan has …

On-Orbit Results From An Ultra-Low Swap Black Silicon Star Tracker, Darren Rowen, Martin Pralle, Alexander Utter, Garrett Kinum, Hannah Weiher, Andy Wu, Richard Dolphus, Eddson Alcid

Small Satellite Conference

In August 2019, two 1.5U AeroCube-10 satellites built by The Aerospace Corporation were deployed from a Cygnus resupply spacecraft. Each of the satellites has two star trackers which are many times smaller than commercially available alternatives. The significant size reduction is enabled by the SiOnyx XQE-0920 sensor which offers dramatically improved visible and near-infrared sensitivity in an uncooled CMOS platform. This allows the use of a smaller-aperture lens than traditionally used in small form factor star trackers, while maintaining the ability to detect stars of magnitude 5. The reduced volume enables innovative system engineering trades such as forgoing star tracker …

Soft-Switching Gan-Based Isolated Power Conversion System For Small Satellites With Wide Input Voltage Range, Thomas Cook, Brandon Grainger, Ahmadreza Amirahmadi, Ansel Barchowsky, Chris Stell

Small Satellite Conference

As we pursue the advancement of small satellites for space missions with more capabilities, there is a significant need for cutting-edge, modularly configurable, high density power converters. This article proposes a fixed switching frequency, high efficiency, compact isolated converter for sensitive loads such as radar, communication systems, or other instruments on small satellites.

Demonstration Of 2.65 / 3.3 Gbit Per Sec X Band Radiowave Down Link Communications From Leo Small Satellite, Hirobumi Saito, Keishi Murakami, Yoshinori Kunii, Takahisa Tomoda, Tomoki Kaneko, Noriyuki Kawano, Shinichi Nakasuka, Seiko Shirasaka

Small Satellite Conference

This paper reports our new communication system and downlink demonstrations with a small satellite of 2.65 Gbps data rate with 64 APSK modulation and 3.3Gbps data rate with 256 APSK modulation by utilizing two circular polarization channels of X band. We have developed an on-board X-band transmitter, an on-board dual circularly polarized-wave antenna with 17dBi gain and >37dB Cross Polarization Discrimination (XPD) and a 10m ground station with 39dB/K of G/T and >37dB XPD for low-crosstalk polarization multiplexing. Since there are not real- time demodulator systems in such high communication speed, the downlinked signals are stored in a data recorder …

On Demand Vicarious Calibration For Analysis Ready Data: The Flare Network, Christopher Durell, Brandon Russell

Small Satellite Conference

This paper introduces a new capability for performing the vicarious radiometric calibration of high, medium and low spatial resolution sensors. The SPecular Array Radiometric Calibration (SPARC) method employs convex mirrors to create calibration targets for deriving absolute calibration coefficients of Earth remote sensing systems in the solar reflective spectrum.17 The combination of these mirror arrays with a targeting station is the basis for a new, on-demand commercial calibration network called FLARE.

Dedicated On-Board Computer For Active Debris Removal Mission, Michael Juillard, Muriel Richard-Noca, Jean-Paul Kneib

Small Satellite Conference

This paper describes the first steps toward the implementation of a dedicated rendezvous payload on-board computer for the Active Debris Removal mission ClearSpace-1.

Challenges of ADR missions lay in their ability to first detect and track a target, then perform proximity operation and capture. It implies a variety of sensors which are needed for the Guidance, Navigation and Control of the spacecraft. Sensor outputs need to be processed to retrieve position and attitude estimation of the target, then results are transmitted to the GNC algorithms for precise navigation. To obtain accurate target information, the algorithms require a high input data …

Single-Event Latch-Up (Sel) Automatic Detection And Recovery For The Rt6804-1 Battery Stack Monitor, Kristen Chong, Tom Decker, Nathan Wendel, Amado Gomeri

Small Satellite Conference

From previous SEE testing on the RT6804-11, a soft latch-up condition was identified with this device. When exposed to heavy ions, the RT6804-1’s supply current can increase from the typical 12mA to 30mA or higher. This condition can be corrected by pulling all of the cell pins to GND. ADI wanted to provide an application circuit that automatically detects and corrects this SEL condition using minimal external components. This paper describes the mitigation circuit operation and SEE test results.

Challenges And Opportunities For Cubesat Detection For Space Situational Awareness Using A Cnn, Jim Aarestad, Andrew Cochrane, Matthew Hannon, Evan Kain, Craig Kief, Steven Lindsley, Brian Zufelt

Small Satellite Conference

The deployment of artificial neural networks (ANNs) on small satellites will improve space situational awareness (SSA) where scarce radio resources limits the interactions between space-born and ground-based systems. The application of ANNs in space is stymied by lack of curated datasets. This project addresses an ongoing problem of small spacecraft detection and identification. This paper will present the problem and the activities the team has taken to advance this field.

A Step-Change In Cubesat Architecture: Moving From Stacked To Slotted Design, Jeremy Allam, Marcel Lariviere, Piyush Patil

Small Satellite Conference

Exo-Space, Inc. has developed and tested a Cube Sat design utilizing a slotted architecture. The new CubeSat design allows for electronic boards to be easily inserted and removed by sliding them along rails and connecting them to a common electrical back plane called the Bus Connector Card (BCC). The BCC consists of multiple edge card connectors and sits on the back-face of the CubeSat acting as the shared electrical bus. Making each electronic board structurally independent of the boards above and below it, allows for a 1U CubeSat to be assembled in 15 minutes rather than ~3+ hours. Furthermore, the …

Optics Testing At Planetary Scale, James Muehlner, Kyle Racette, Andrew Fisher, Julien Rhodes, Jacob Stern, Chester Gillmore, Caroline Pritchett

Small Satellite Conference

Each and every telescope that ships inside a Planet Dove or Superdove goes through a vigorous testing procedure. These tests are designed so that the user does not have to be an expert to run the test, or to interpret the results. All of our optics tests can be run either at the satellite level, or at the bare telescope level. This gives us maximum flexibility during the manufacturing process.

Passive Attitude Control To Decrease Cubesatellite Complexity, Alexander Barovier, Devan Wagner, William Ward, Andrei R. Hanu, Eric Johnston, Soo Hyun Byun

Small Satellite Conference

Attitude control is often a requirement for the optimal functionality of satellite payloads. The McMaster Neutron Dosimetry and Exploration (NEUDOSE) mission aims to measure charged and neutral radiation in Low Earth Orbit. NEUDOSE can detect particles effectively from any direction due to its spherical symmetry, meaning unlike most satellite missions, it does not require attitude control to function. The attitude is still crucial for the mission in order to achieve optimal communication. The NEUDOSE satellite utilizes Ultra High Frequency and Very High Frequency dipole antennas for communication. If the satellite’s attitude lines up in a specific orientation, communication will be …

A Non-Hohmann Method For Orbital Element Database Pre-Processing, William O. S. Hudnut, Cameron P. Mehlman, Kurt S. Anderson

Small Satellite Conference

One major obstacle to successful orbital debris remediation is the determination of which pieces of debris are the most viable targets for capture and de-orbit. The viability of a target is determined by some combination of the debris’ risk factor (a combination of its size, composition, andthe orbit it occupies), the anticipated resource cost to find and capture the debris, and the underlying probability of successful intercept and capture of that target. The problem of selecting debris for capture by a multi-capture capable spacecraft is fundamentally a traveling salesman problem in which the traveler only has the resources to reach …

Spooqy-1: The First Nano-Satellite To Demonstrate Quantum Entanglement In Space, Tom Vergoossen, Aitor Villar, Alexander Lohrmann, Huai Ying Lim, Divya Shankar, Robert Bedington, Christoph F. Wildfeuer, Douglas Griffin, Daniel K. L. Oi, Xueliang Bai, Chithrabhanu Perumangatt, Tanvirul Islam, Ayesha Reezwana, Subash Sachidananda, Zhongkan Tang, Kadir Durak, Rakhitha Chandrasekara, Alexander Ling

Small Satellite Conference

SpooQy-1 is a 3-unit nanosatellite that was launched into a Low Earth Orbit from the International Space Station on the 17th of June 2019. The spacecraft hosts a scientific payload capable of producing entangled photon-pairs and measuring their polarization in orthogonal bases to perform a Bell test. Since launch, SpooQy-1 has routinely demonstrated the generation and detection of polarization entangled photon-pairs in Space, something that has previously only been demonstrated by the 630kg Micius mission by the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The measured entanglement correlations can violate Bell's inequality with a CHSH parameter value of 2.60±0.06, over operating temperatures of …

Towards The Use Of Commercial-Off-The-Shelf Small-Satellite Components For Deep-Space Cubesats: A Feasibility And Performance Analysis, Stefano Casini, Iosto Fodde, Steven Engelen, Bert Monna, Angelo Cervone, Eberhard Gill

Small Satellite Conference

The aim of this paper is to assess the feasibility of using currently available commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) small-satellites components in deep-space scenarios, studying their applicability and performance. To evaluate the performances, an asteroid fly-by mission is briefly introduced, but several of the selection criteria and ideas can be extended to other deep space mission concepts. This particular mission scenario requires to follow three main trends: miniaturization, standardization and automation. For this reason the mission represents a good test bench scenario to analyze the products of the current small-satellites industry. Once the reference mission has been defined, the preliminary ΔV is computed …

Open-Source Flight Computer Platform For Cubesats, Charles Lindsay, Ethan Sit

Small Satellite Conference

BeaverCube is a 3U CubeSat in development by the Space Systems Development capstone class and STARLab at MIT. The satellite will serve as a testing platform for an electrospray thruster developed by AccionSystems and host a payload with a mvBlueFox visual imaging camera and two FLIR Boson infrared cameras. The BeaverCube Flight Computer (BFC) is designed to serve as the power and data interface for the entire CubeSat bus, and incorporates a Raspberry Pi compute module as the central processor. Key design objectives for the BFC include a novel fault detection, isolation and response (FDIR) system to improve CubeSat reliability, …

Low Swap Laminated Electrostatic Analyzers For Cubesat Applications, Hayden Richards, Carlos Maldonado, Jacob Harley, Richard Balthazor, Matthew Mcharg

Small Satellite Conference

Instead of a cylindrical or spherical tophat design, these analyzers use flat plate with thousands of individual apertures. This flat plate geometry greatly eases manufacturing, and results in a very inexpensive instrument as describe by Enloe et al. (2003).

Thermal Infrared Imager Development For Cubesat Constellation, Lucas Krempel, Reinhard Kienberger, Sanket B. Shah, Thomas Grübler

Small Satellite Conference

Wildfires are becoming a major challenge to our civilization today. Early warning and detection of wildfires not only helps in managing them but also mitigates the loss of lives and property. To meet this challenge, OroraTech is developing a constellation of CubeSats for wildfire detection to alert about wildfire hazards within minutes instead of hours.

On board these CubeSats, a thermal infrared imager will scan the surface in multiple spectral bands to identify fires. Radiometric simulations with influences of sun glint, daylight and atmospheric absorption were done. A prototype of the imager based on an uncooled micro-bolometer focal plane array …

Project Aster: True Microgravity During Free-Fall With Attitude Stabilisation, Flavia Pérez Cámara, Noel Janes, Jonathan Lange

Small Satellite Conference

The verification of a spacecraft component’s functionality under microgravity conditions is an important topic for the low-cost development of CubeSat components. The testing and verification of new components is often carried out on technological demonstration missions. In order to reduce the budget and time required, the verification process can also be undertaken on sounding rockets. In order to achieve true microgravity conditions, the testing platform must be entirely stabilised. Most sounding rockets are spin stabilised and, therefore, a centrifugal force acting upon the components remains. This force can be eliminated by ejecting the testing platform on a fully stabilised Free …

Methodologies For Development Of A Modular Wiring Harness For Use In Small Satellite Constellations, Katie Gwozdecky

Small Satellite Conference

With the rise of satellite constellations imminent, the University of Toronto Space Flight Laboratory has prioritized creating repeatable, modular spacecraft bus designs that can be produced with lower effort, cost, and time. Streamlining for larger production quantities inspired the development of a new SFL bus. DEFIANT aims to satisfy the need for a spacecraft bus capable of supporting a wide variety of payloads all using almost identical structure, power architecture, computing systems and wiring harness. The wiring harness connects all electrical components within the structure and can pose significant challenges during assembly and integration if not considered during initial design. …

Very Low Frequency Propagation Mapper (Vpm) Experience And Results From The Systems Engineering Cycle Of A Small Satellite, Travis Willett Gies, Tanya Rodriquez, Garrett Holt, Lee Jasper, Brandon Shirley, Collin Enger, Ryan Jaynes, Franklin Hinckley, Michael Lopez, Gordon Wilson, Stephen Tullino

Small Satellite Conference

The Very Low Frequency Propagation Mapper, an Air Force Research Laboratory 6U CubeSat, is currently in operations complementing the Demonstration and Science Experiments (DSX) satellite by taking coincident measurements with DSX of the inner magnetosphere. This presents an exciting way to have a low-cost platform enhance an existing mission’s data set with multiple spatial collection points. The Small Satellite Portfolio (SSP) had overall responsibility for the vehicle, ground system, and mission design; by enabling the team to make technical and programmatic decisions on their own, the team has been able to overcome many hurdles in short timeframes. Further, the team …

Cat Differential Drag Implementation And Lessons Learned, Dawn Moessner, Wen-Jong Shyong

Small Satellite Conference

The CubeSat Signal Preprocessor Assessment and Test (CAT) spacecraft were deployed via Nanoracks from the International Space Station on January 31, 2019 and have successfully operated for over a year. These twin 3U configuration spacecraft rely on differential drag to maintain desired in-track separation distances of 10 – 150 km. The design and implementation of the differential drag maneuvers is presented along with the on-orbit results. Lessons learned throughout the past 1.5 years of spacecraft operations as well as updates to how the orbit determination and differential drag planning are conducted are also discussed. The CAT mission has been considered …

Novasar And Sstl S1-4: Sar And Eo Data Fusion, Rebecca Couchman-Crook, Avyaya Kolhatkar, Tobie Carman, Jess Park, James Lambert, Claire Morris

Small Satellite Conference

The NovaSAR and SSTL S1-4 satellites were launched into a 580 km sun-synchronous orbit on 16th September 2018. NovaSAR is an S-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) platform, and SSTL S1-4 hosts a multi-spectral (RGB, NIR) and panchromatic electro-optical (EO) high-resolution payload1. As the satellites are adjacent in orbit, with NovaSAR leading SSTL S1-4 by ~15 minutes, this provides an opportunity to demonstrate the benefits of using SAR and EO data together. The key demonstration principles are: to show the complementary nature of near-contemporaneous SAR and EO data, tipping and cueing opportunities of a tandem sensor, and to demonstrate the superiority …

Progress Towards The ElroiTm Satellite License Plate, David M. Palmer, Michael A. Holloway, Rebecca M. Holmes, Donathan J. Ortega, Charles T. Weaver

Small Satellite Conference

The ELROI^TM System, (Extremely Low Resource Optical Identifier), uses a beacon that could be attached to any object that goes into space and provide a persistent identifier to the space object that can be read out by a small telescope on the ground. This could alleviate the approaching crisis in Space Traffic Management caused by mass launches of small satellites and the formation of large constellations. Identification beacons on all future space objects will simplify satellite operations and greatly relieve our overstressed space tracking and traffic management infrastructure.

Debris - A Small Satellite Approach To Active Debris Removal, Niklas Wendel, Tilman Hoffbauer, Louisa Gerhard

Small Satellite Conference

The current space debris situation is distressing and becomes even worse with the launch of many new satellites and the emerging trend of mega-constellations. While efforts are made to implement a mechanism for deorbiting into newly launched satellites, these mechanisms can fail and old satellites may not even have it. By collision of these large objects, many new smaller objects are generated which in turn may generate new collisions. This effect known as the Kessler syndrome will lead to an endangering of all future spaceflight if no solution is found. The DEBRIS project wants to deorbit large objects from LEO …

Testing Of The Cubesat Laser Infrared Crosslink (Click-A) Payload, Ondrej Cierny, Paul Serra, William Kammerer, Peter Grenfell, Grant Gunnison, Joseph Kusters, Cadence Payne, Paula Do Vale Pereira, Kerri Cahoy, Tyler Ritz, John Conklin, David Mayer, Jan Stupl, John Hanson

Small Satellite Conference

The CubeSat Laser Infrared CrosslinK (CLICK-A) is a risk-reduction mission that will demonstrate a miniaturized optical transmitter capable of ≥10 Mbps optical downlinks from a 3U CubeSat to aportable 30 cm optical ground telescope. The payload is jointly developed by MIT and NASA ARC, and is on schedule for a 2020 bus integration and 2021 launch. The mission purpose is to reduce risk to its follow-up in 2022, called CLICK-B/C, that plans to demonstrate ≥20 Mbps intersatellite optical crosslinks and precision ranging between two 3U CubeSats. The 1.4U CLICK-A payload will fly on a Blue Canyon Technologies 3U bus inserted …

Drag Augmentation Systems For Space Debris Mitigation, Zaria Serfontein, Jennifer Kingston, Stephen Hobbs, Ian Holbrough

Small Satellite Conference

Although advances in small satellite technologies has allowed for the development of large constellations and has made space more accessible to all, space debris is a growing concern within the space community. Every year, an increasing number of small satellites are launched, adding to the already high number of objects currently in low-Earth orbit. When considering the infinite possibilities of space mission architectures it is important not just to focus on the advancements in science and technology, but also to consider the sustainability of the spacecraft and its impact on its environment. If the challenge of space debris is not …

Usma Space Cadets: The First Class, Chalie L. Galliand, Alex L. Kedrowitsch, Diana C. Loucks

Small Satellite Conference

The United States Military Academy (USMA) at West Point has been developing leaders of character since 1802. This year’s graduating class, the Class of 2020, includes West Point’s first Space Science majors. The United States Army has officially had space professionals in its ranks since 1997 with the inception Space Operations Officer career field, also known as Functional Area 40 (FA40). It is only recently that the Army has shifted its focus to building the FA40 ranks from officer accessions programs (USMA, ROTC, and OCS). The establishment of the Space and Missile Defense Program under USMA’s Physics and Nuclear Engineering …