Digital Commons Network^™

Investigated Leak Rates Of As5202 Port K-Port Seals Utilizing Helium Mass Spectrometry, Ryan Plessinger, Tyler Noyes, Stefan Roeseler, Erin Volpe, Elaine Motyka, Jonathan Kweder

Small Satellite Conference

AS5202 port seals provide sealing for a wide range of fluids in which a significant amount are liquids with some in the gaseous phase. The amount of compression of a standard seal geometry (O-ring, C-ring etc.) can often be attributed to its ability to create a seal up to a critical value of displacement. This relationship has been well tested within the respective metallic seal families except for k-port seals. This study aims to test this relationship of compression to leak rate within the k-port seal family to further the understanding of how these seals behave in different operational environments. …

Mantis, A 12u Smallsat Mission Taking Advantage Of Super-Resolution And Artificial Intelligence For High-Resolution Imagery, Marina Mercè Cañete Muñoz, Florian Deconinck, Jordi Barrera Ars, Nicola Melega, Camille Pirat, Borja Jimeno Soto, Aubrey Dunne, Léonie Buckley, Juan Romero Cañas, Gionata Benelli, Gianluca Giuffrida, Sam Brooke, Theo Ogier

Small Satellite Conference

The successful launch of the MANTIS mission, on November 11th 2023, was one of the key milestones of this three year long development. MANTIS is a commercial Earth Observation mission targeting the energy and mining industries whose resources are usually found in remote and hostile regions and that require dedicated and high resolution monitoring. The mission is part of the UKSA supported ESA-InCubed programme which stimulates innovation in industry by co-funding industry-initiated projects. The consortium is led by Open Cosmos and includes SATLANTIS as payload provider and Ubotica and Ingeniars as suppliers of the onboard AI capabilities.

The space segment …

Maximizing Ground Network Efficiency In The Ground Segment As A Service (Gsaas) Context Via Stochastic Model-Driven Capacity Demand Prediction, Stefan-Vlad Tudor

Small Satellite Conference

No abstract provided.

Reusable Net-Based Active Debris Removal System Using Nanosatellites, Alano Peirce

Small Satellite Conference

No abstract provided.

Assessing The Results Of A Space-To-Ground Data Transfer Link Of A 1u Laser Communication Terminal For Smallsats, Johan Du Plooy, Jacob Hejderup, Steven Engelen, Tushar Goyal, Gert Witvoet, Rodof Herfst, Dick De Bruin, Stefano Redi, Floris Van Kempen

Small Satellite Conference

As advancements in small satellite technologies continue to improve in precision and functionality, the volume of data produced has grown exponentially. The existing balance of size, weight, and power (SWaP) in radio frequency (RF) systems is unable to keep up with these advancements, necessitating a new medium for data transfer. Laser-based communications represent the future of data transmission technology, promising to increase bandwidths into the tens to hundreds of gigabits per second and facilitate larger data transmissions to earth. This enhances the versatility, functionality, and significance of SmallSats in data collection missions.

AAC Clyde Space's subsidiary, AAC Hyperion, in collaboration …

Assessing The Results Of A Space-To-Ground Data Transfer Link Of A 1u Laser Communication Terminal For Smallsats, Johan Du Plooy, Jacob Hejderup, Steven Engelen, Tushar Goyal, Gert Witvoet, Rodof Herfst, Dick De Bruin, Stefano Redi, Floris Van Kempen

Small Satellite Conference

As advancements in small satellite technologies continue to improve in precision and functionality, the volume of data produced has grown exponentially. The existing balance of size, weight, and power (SWaP) in radio frequency (RF) systems is unable to keep up with these advancements, necessitating a new medium for data transfer. Laser-based communications represent the future of data transmission technology, promising to increase bandwidths into the tens to hundreds of gigabits per second and facilitate larger data transmissions to earth. This enhances the versatility, functionality, and significance of SmallSats in data collection missions.

AAC Clyde Space’s subsidiary, AAC Hyperion, in collaboration …

Characterization And Far-Field Plume Analysis On The Het-X Hall Effect Thruster, Adrian Vicente, Dan Lev, Mitchell Walker, Nathan Rosenblad, Michael Holmes

Small Satellite Conference

The performance of the Earth Observant Inc. novel 600W Hall effect thruster prototype, designated HET-X, is characterized from 300 W to 1100 W at a facility operating pressure range of 7E-6 to 5E-7 Torr on xenon gas. The performance characterization includes time-resolved measurements of the discharge current oscillations during IVB mapping. A Faraday probe and retarding potential analyzer were used to measure the ion current density profile from −90° to +90° and the ion energy distribution function, respectively. The calculated beam divergence, current utilization, and voltage utilization efficiencies are 92.4%, 85.4%, and 93.6%. The thruster achieves a maximum performance of …

Collection Planning For A Constellation Of Small Thermal Imaging Satellites, Neil Dhingra, Georgina Orso

Small Satellite Conference

CPAW software has been deployed to operational small satellite missions. CPAW couples high fidelity spacecraft modeling with multiple advanced scheduling algorithms and a user-friendly interface to generate optimized collection plans for one or more satellites of various missions and sensor phenomenologies.

Automated Test Conception For Next Generation Cmg Avionics, Edgars Pavlovskis, Xavier Gillard

Small Satellite Conference

Over the last 10 years the number satellites launched into space have risen exponentially, reaching a record 2588 registered satellites in 2023¹. A large portion of these are mega-constellations that inherently have very short development cycles, driving the sub-system manufacturing lead times down to several months.

Nmc-1 An Innovative Avionics System For Cubesat And Smallsat Missions, Don Golding

Small Satellite Conference

The space industry is in a transformative period, attempting to balance cost, performance and reliability. Nextage is addressing this issue through our development of a robust, low cost, fully space qualified, FPGA based computer for CubeSat and SmallSat platforms. The Nextage NMC-1 utilizes the state-of-the-art, low power, high performance PolarFire® FPGA. Our architecture incorporates embedded CORE I parallel processing, along with a RISC V soft core that enables C/C++ programming. This architecture supports heritage applications and enables highly deterministic, real-time algorithms at speeds beyond real-time processing performance of even the most advanced microprocessors. Additionally, the NMC-1 offers massive parallel processing …

Automatic Data Processing On The Ground For The 6u Cubesat X-Ray Observatory Ninjasat, Naoyuki Ota, Tomoshi Takeda, Sota Watanabe, Arata Jujo, Amira Aoyama, Kaede Yamasaki, Satoko Iwata, Takuya Takahashi, Yuanhui Zhou, Keisuke Uchiyama, Yuto Yoshida, Syoki Hayashi, Toru Tamagawa, Takao Kitaguchi, Yo Kato, Tatehiro Mihara, Kentaro Taniguchi, Teruaki Enoto, Wataru Iwakiri, Masaki Numazawa, Hiroki Sato, Chin-Ping Hu, Hiromitsu Takahashi, Hirokazu Odaka, Tsubasa Tamba

Small Satellite Conference

NinjaSat is a 6U CubeSat X-ray observatory that observes time variations in X-ray flux through longterm monitoring of black holes or neutron stars and performs follow-up observations of unexpected objects discovered by other observatories. NinjaSat is equipped with gas X-ray detectors (GMCs) sensitive to 2–50 keV. The satellite is operated in cooperation with NanoAvionics (NA) responsible for satellite operation. As a science team, we need to process GMCs’ data and cross-check the power system and attitude of the satellite. We are developing data processing software, consisting of Quick Look software for satellite bus and GMC health checks, and calibration software …

Tigercub: An Accessible, Open-Source Pocketqube Platform, Candace Do, Michael Galvin

Small Satellite Conference

• PocketQubes are 5-cm cubical picosatellites inspired by CubeSats. They are less expensive and have a faster development time, ideal for first-time builders.
• Many nanosatellites fail due to loss of downlinking abilities after launch. Custom PocketQube communications systems are complex, and there are no COTS options with flight heritage.
• We propose TigerCub, a PocketQube platform built around the RockBLOCK 9603, a communications module that uses the Iridium satellite network. This simplifies development and testing.
• Pre-built breakout boards, a sheet metal frame, and the use of COTS components increase accessibility for first-time developers.
• TigerCub is open-source!

Validation By Tests Of The Idefix® Rover On The Mmx Mission To Phobos, Clément Brysbaert

Small Satellite Conference

The Martian moons eXploration (MMX) mission by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, JAXA, aims at the Martian Moons Phobos and Deimos. It will return samples from Phobos back to Earth and deliver a small Rover (about 25 kg) named IDEFIX® to the Phobos surface. It aims to demonstrate locomotion in a milli-gravity environment, to provide valuable insights about Phobos to the MMX spacecraft before its own landing and to perform science in situ with its 4 different instruments. It will communicate via RF with the Rolbox which remains on the spacecraft. IDEFIX® is a joint contribution by the Centre …

Guardians Of The Galaxy: An Integrated On-Gorund/ On-Board Ai System For Satellite Health Monitoring, Aiko Space

Small Satellite Conference

Traditional satellite monitoring relies on limited on-board detection and time-consuming ground intervention. "Guardians of the Galaxy" proposes a groundbreaking AI-powered approach. This integraded on-ground/on-board system utilizes Machine Learning to achieve:
Enhanced Anomaly Detection:
Catch subtle issues missed by current methods.
Autonomous Anomaly Resolution:
Automatically fix minor recurring problems.
Real-Time & Predictive Monitoring:
Gain continuous insights and anticipate potential failures.
Improved Efficiency & Lifespan:
Reduce operational costs and extend satellite operation.

Autonomous Navigation, Guidance, And Control Software In A Low Swap Box, Sun Hur-Diaz, Behnam Azimi, Michael Romeo, Andrew Liounis, Nathan Stacey, Robert Pritchett, Gary Crum, Sean Semper

Small Satellite Conference

An onboard software application suite built on the core Flight System (cFS) and flight hardware solution that performs real-time autonomous spacecraft navigation, guidance, and control (NGC)

The Bosuns Locker: A Universal Payload Enclosure For In Space Manufacturing & Robotic Assembly In Space, Noah Gladden, Rahul Rughani, Dave Barnhart

Small Satellite Conference

Arkisys is dedicated to enabling payloads to reach LEO that don't have a free-flying requirement. Our unique Port Module is an autonomous long-duration modular orbital platform designed to host payloads and servicing technologies in any orbit with a simple process, with the first roll-out in LEO. It will enable our customers to qualify and test their hardware in orbit in less than 90 days!

Speye – Space Eye, Vincenzo Capuano, Fabio Saggiomo, Caterina Noberasco, Camilla Colombo, Giacomo Borelli, Gabriella Gaias, Yu Nakajima, Brunella Montanari, Vito Fortunato, Roberto Opromolla, Giuseppe Leccese, Silvia Natalucci

Small Satellite Conference

Space Eye (SpEye) is a two-satellite technology (Free Flyer and Carrier Target) demonstration mission for the in-flight validation of critical technologies and techniques related to advanced on-orbit inspection and formation-flying techniques, applicable to future operational nano-satellite capabilities and operations.

Rf Antenna System Autonomy Through Additive Manufacturing, Steven Meyers, Peter Beaulieu, Joshua Bolte, John Burns, Nader Daravach, Matthew Skinner

Small Satellite Conference

No abstract provided.

Oscillating Heat Pipe Enabled Radiators, Corey Wilson, Patrick Margavio, Bob Ducommun

Small Satellite Conference

What is an Oscillating Heat Pipe (OHP)?

A passive high performance heat transfer device that can be manufactured in thin ( < 4 mm) and structural members (aluminum, copper). A radiator effective thermal conductivity can be > 10,000 W/mK.

Electro-Optical Lyot Filter Automation, Mitchell Jeffers, Elizabeth Bernhardt, Nir Patel

Small Satellite Conference

Lyot Filters offer solar physicists the advantage of full-disk imagery combined with spectropolarimetry, enabling the observation and analysis of solar activity in detail. This technology not only captures physical interactions on the sun's surface but also provides mapping of spectral characteristics such as Doppler shifts. This capability, along with the extended observational periods afforded by space-based operations, drives the development of the Lyot Filter Demonstration Instrument (LFDI) at NSF-NCAR's High Altitude Observatory

Usgs Eccoe System Characterization: Understanding And Quantifying The Capability Of Remote Sensing Systems, Jeff Clauson, Jim Vrabel, Cody Anderson

Small Satellite Conference

Data quality is one of the most important properties of remote sensing system design. It is important to independently characterize and validate remote sensing products to gain an understanding of the capabilities of these data. The USGS ECCOE's System Characterization process analyzes the geometric, radiometric, and spatial characteristics of remote sensing data products, including those from small satellites, using standard processes and methods. This poster provides a summary of these methods.

The One Freedom Unit Deployer, Chloe Lau

Small Satellite Conference

A new deployer for a new standardized dimension, the Freedom Unit, a proposed standardized 1 foot by 1 foot by 1 foot small satellite, signifies a notable progression in satellite technology. Its larger standardized size allows for the integration of familiar off-the-shelf components, reducing development costs and addressing previous traditional CubeSatellite limitations in stability and power. The modularity and balanced design of the Freedom Unit will pave the way for cost-effective and innovative small satellite missions, ushering in a new era of capabilities in space exploration.

However, due to the nature of the current existing CubeSatellite design form factor, there …

Optimal Control Design Of Rotation Floating Space Robot During Grasping Operation: An Rl Approach, Roshan Sah, Kaushik Das

Small Satellite Conference

This poster introduces an innovative model-free learning-based controller designed to comprehensively control an orbiting space robot engaged in proximity and grasping operations. Proximity control techniques are crucial for space robots, specifically robotic manipulators on a floating satellite base, facilitating tasks like in-orbit servicing and debris grasping. Traditional controllers need help managing these robots' coupled motion due to the satellite base's floating nature. While conventional controllers have been utilized for coupled control in nonlinear systems, their complexity increases with the growing degrees of freedom in the robot. In contrast, Model-free Reinforcement Learning (RL) has successfully mastered intricate policies within robotic manipulation. …

Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation (Jacie), Jim Vrabel, Jeff Clauson, Cody Anderson

Small Satellite Conference

Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation (JACIE) was formed in 2000 to leverage resource from Federal agencies to characterize remote sensing data and to share results across the remote sensing community. JACIE initially consisted of National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA - Stennis), the National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA), and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) with a focus on high-resolution satellites such as IKONOS and QuickBird.

Additive Manufactured Loop Heat Pipe With Deployable Radiator To Unlock Cubesat Thermal Capacity, Jimmy Hughes, Rohit Gupta, Mckenzie Sandberg, Larry Bradley

Small Satellite Conference

As the cost for access to space continues to lower, there is a trend toward higher power compact payloads in CubeSats. This leads to thermal and power limitations to maintain payloads in appropriate operating temperatures. The problem is two-fold: 1) the high heat flux due to compact design and 2) the limited radiator area for heat rejection. The high heat flux ( > 2-3W/cm²) demands a two-phase solution to remove heat effectively without large temperature gradients ( < 5°C) and is ideally passive for reduced complexity and cost. CubeSats also inherently have a limited radiator area. To make the most of the area, radiators are designed to be isothermalized at the highest temperature to reject as much heat as possible. Higher operating temperatures allow more heat to be rejected through the limited radiator area but is restricted by payload operating temperatures; thus, a deployable radiator is desirable to increase radiator area and allow for greater heat rejection. Conduction-only solutions such as thermal straps have high thermal resistance and do not allow for iso thermalization of the radiator. Thus, a two-phase approach is desirable.

The solution to this two-fold problem is the utilization of an additively manufactured Loop Heat Pipe (LHP) with a deployable radiator. Additive …

Development, Installation, And Operation Of A Small Satellite Ground Station At A Public High School, Logan Emery, Kendell Hvizdos, Maeve Spencer, Jacqueline Schroeder, John Stout, Robert Gardin, Patrick Johnson, Alex Walker, Philip Putman

Small Satellite Conference

For the past three years, the FIRST robotics team at Perkins High School (PHS) has worked to prepare for an educational CubeSat mission. The name of the mission is Foras Promineo, coined by a high school Latin teacher to mean "outreach" or "pushing beyond previous limits." The goals of the mission are (1) to provide a fun, educational experience for the public by giving them real-time control of a robot arm carried by the satellite with very low resolution "live video" (100X100 pixel four color images), and (2) to give PHS students the opportunity to work on an actual space …

Beyond The Visible: Jointly Attending To Spectral And Spatial Dimensions With Hsi-Diffusion For The Finch Spacecraft, Ian Vyse, Rishit Dagli, Dav Vrat Chadha, John P. Ma, Hector Chen, Isha Ruparelia, Prithvi Seran, Matthew Xie, Eesa Aamer, Aidan Armstrong, Naveen Black, Ben Borstein, Kevin Caldwell, Orrin Dahanaggamaarachchi, Joe Dai, Abeer Fatima, Stephanie Lu, Maxime Michet, Anoushka Paul, Carrie Ann Po, Shivesh Prakash, Noa Prosser, Riddhiman Roy, Mirai Shinjo, Iliya Shofman, Coby Silayan, Reid Sox-Harris, Shuhan Zheng, Khang Nguyen

Small Satellite Conference

Satellite remote sensing missions have gained popularity over the past fifteen years due to their ability to cover large swaths of land at regular intervals, making them ideal for monitoring environmental trends. The FINCH mission, a 3U+ CubeSat equipped with a hyperspectral camera, aims to monitor crop residue cover in agricultural fields. Although hyperspectral imaging captures both spectral and spatial information, it is prone to various types of noise, including random noise, stripe noise, and dead pixels. Effective denoising of these images is crucial for downstream scientific tasks. Traditional methods, including hand-crafted techniques encoding strong priors, learned 2D image denoising …

On-Orbit Automated Processes From Fault Recovery To Mission Activities, Courtney Melville, Hannah Umansky, Claire Carlton, Anthony Ortega, Rebecca Rogers

Small Satellite Conference

While real-time command and control is an invaluable element of spacecraft operations, many functions must be automated for the benefit of mission health and success. Routine tasking, state machine implementation, payload operations, and fault recovery are all on-board activities that can be self-contained within the spacecraft’s software configuration. Currently employed for multiple on-orbit missions, the in-house flight software developed for Terran Orbital spacecraft manage these processes through a system of automatic events (auto-events). Auto-events are highly configurable functions that take inputs from the spacecraft state, then execute a defined action once that input meets a set criteria. Auto-events are defined …

Development And Application Of Web-Based Interface Ground Station Software (Wings) For The Operation Of Sphere-1 Eye, Tomoki Mochizuki, Yosuke Kawabata, Takeshi Matsumoto, Shunsuke Shimomura, Akihiro Ishikawa, Ryu Funase, Shinichi Nakasuka, Kota Kakihara

Small Satellite Conference

The evolution of small satellites as both technological demonstrators and operational platforms has been significant. However, these projects often face constraints like limited budgets and stringent timelines, coupled with growing mission complexities. To address these challenges, the Intelligent Space System Laboratory (ISSL) at the University of Tokyo developed Web-based INterface Ground station Software (WINGS), an open-source ground station software with a modular architecture that includes front-end, back-end, and database components, as well as a telemetry and telecommand interface (WINGS-TMTC-IF). The paper highlights the application of WINGS in the SPHERE-1 EYE mission, showcasing its capability to customize and rapidly deploy satellite …

Estimation And Control Of Dynamic Mass-Moment Parameters For Spacecraft Attitude Simulator, Oleksii Padun, Ye Lu

Small Satellite Conference

Spacecraft attitude testbed has been a popular platform for the development, testing, and validation of real-time attitude determination, estimation, and control, algorithms. The focus of this paper is the development of a dynamic mass moment estimation algorithm and an automatic mass balancing control system with numerical validations. Two estimation layers are implemented: one for attitude estimation and another for mass-moment parameter estimation. Attitude estimation follows the existing literature of quaternion estimators with a nonlinear Kalman filter. Dynamic mass-moment parameter estimation is formulated as batch estimation with a nonlinear filter. The initialization process of the EKF parameter estimator is enhanced by …