Digital Commons Network^™

A Ray-Tracing Algorithm For Computing Self-Shadowing Of Complex Spacecraft Geometries, Matt Pierce, Jack Huun

Small Satellite Conference

As spacecraft geometries become more complex, particularly for In-Space Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing (ISAM) missions, higher fidelity models of shadowing are often necessary for more accurate planning and performance modeling in the mission operations center. For geometries where a vehicle may shadow a large portion of itself, these models must consider self-shadowing events, in addition to planetary eclipses, to provide an accurate estimate of forces and torques from Solar Radiation Pressure (SRP) and more realistic power generation estimates. SRP plays a pivotal role in determining spacecraft fuel usage and momentum accumulation. Many existing models simplify spacecraft geometries to either a …

A Reusable Framework For Fault Detection And Isolation In Small Satellites, Jubilee Prasad Rao, John Pace, Jesse Williams, Ryan Mackey, Liang He, Carlo Menegazzo

Small Satellite Conference

Nearly half of all small satellites launched between 2000 and 2016 have experienced partial or complete failures. Detecting the anomalies and faults responsible for such failures and responding to them rapidly may help increase the success rates of future small satellite missions. However, developing and implementing platform-specific and comprehensive fault management solutions can be cost-prohibitive to most small satellite teams. To enable such teams to achieve this capability quickly and cost-efficiently, we have developed a reusable and fully data-driven framework and associated algorithms to detect and isolate anomalous behaviors. This work is supported by NASA and utilizes correlations between system …

An Autonomous Agent Framework For Constellation Missions: A Use Case For Predicting Atmospheric Co2, Mark Moussa, Matt Brandt, Daniel Rogers, Bethany P. Theiling, Shannon Bull, James Mackinnon, Timothy Chase, Ethan Haengel

Small Satellite Conference

Distributed systems missions (DSM), also known as swarm or constellation missions, is an upcoming class of mission design that is changing the current landscape.Swarms enable multipoint observations and higher fidelity science data collection. Autonomy is a critical feature that DSM will require in order to run successfully, especially beyond earth-centric missions and in dynamic environments due to increased delays between ground and space.

Applications Of Systems Engineering Methodologies To An Undergraduate Student Volunteer-Led Cubesat Constellation, Joanna Cai, Ethan Ledig, Joshua Lazaruk

Small Satellite Conference

The Northern Space Program for Innovative Research and Integrated Training (Northern SPIRIT) satellite consortium launched in March 2023 and consists of three CubeSats designed, assembled, and operated by AlbertaSat, a University of Alberta student group:

• Ex-Alta 2: a 3U CubeSat containing an open-source, multispectral imager designed for wildfire prediction, detection, and prevention.
• YukonSat and AuroraSat: 2U CubeSats developed in collaboration with Yukon University and the Aurora Research Institute, each with an educational outreach payload that can receive, display, and photograph community submitted artwork and messages.
• All three satellites have digital fluxgate magnetometer payloads, and nearly identical buses composed …

Design Of A Low Micro Vibration High Precision Cubesat Reaction Wheel, Cedric Cuypers, Tjorven Delabie, Jelle Lanting, Win De Munter, Rhimas Van De Putte, Joren Malfroy, Lubna Hamid

Small Satellite Conference

Rolling element bearings are known to generate higher order harmonics. These harmonics can reach up to the 10th or higher engine order [1]. When wheels are used in a wide speed range, these higher order harmonics can pass and excite rotor eigenfrequencies and rotor modes, severely increasing the exported μ-vibrations at these frequencies. The amplification of these frequencies will then be governed by the quality factor (Q-factor) of the rotor. Single piece rotors have several advantages such as affordable tight tolerances, uniform mass and elimination of assembly errors, but such monolithic metallic structure feature high Q-factors. Material choice is …

Functional Simulation Of The Uses Of The Onboard Inter-Satellite Network In A Swarm, Pierre Boan, Cécile Dechoz, Julien Galizzi, Patrick Gélard, Yoan Grégoire, Hervé Guillon, Pierre-Baptiste Lambert, Bernard Pontet, Patrice Raveneau, Marie Sauvaud, Irene Valenzuela-Molina, Gavin Walmsley

Small Satellite Conference

There are several network simulators (some on the shelves) that are very useful and helpful for network engineering. Nevertheless, none is efficient enough for simulating an onboard network spread among spacecrafts that are moving in space according to Kepler laws.

Therefore, we tried to fill this gap by building our own tool based on the CNES expertise in space simulator benches. Our bench simulates the environment and the dynamics of each spacecraft, provides a model of the physical layer of the network layer (i.e. Radio Frequency transmission between moving vehicles) and offers an interface to run actual Flight Software. Embedding …

Initial Results For Science Instruments Onboard Equuleus During The Cruising Phase Toward The Earth Moon Lagrange Point, Ryota Fuse, Kazuo Yoshioka, Masaki Kuwabara, Hajime Yano, Takayuki Hirai, Shinsuke Abe, Masahisa Yanagisawa, Ryu Funase

Small Satellite Conference

EQUULEUS (EQUilibriUm Lunar-Earth point 6U Spacecraft) is a spacecraft to explore the cis-lunar region including the Earth-Moon Lagrange point L2 (EML2). The spacecraft is being jointly developed by JAXA, the University of Tokyo, and several other universities in Japan. After being launched into a lunar transfer orbit by NASA's SLS (Space Launch System) Artemis-1 on November 16, 2022, the spacecraft successfully performed a first Delta-V and a trajectory correction maneuver. This enabled a precise lunar flyby and successful insertion into the orbit toward EML2.

Although the size of EQUULEUS is only 6U CubeSat, the spacecraft carries three different science instruments. …

Maveric: Exploring Space Visualization Technology Through Academic Flight Programs, C. Garrido, S. Lin, J. Di, J. Bergstrom, B. Rios, B. Byrne, S. Clements, A. Dhabekar, B. Dadhich, D. Barnhart

Small Satellite Conference

Magnetic Vector and Remote Imaging Communication satellite (MAVERIC) is a science and technology CubeSate designed and built by students at the University of Southern California (USC) and Space Engineering Research Center (SERC). MAVERIC is a student-led and built CubeSat under the Department of Astronautical Project Class for Microsatellites, with a mission to test out science and technology.

Nasa Spacecube Next-Generation Artificial-Intelligence Computing For Stp-H9-Scenic On Iss, Alessandro Geist, Gary Crum, Cody Brewer, Dennis Afanasev, Sebastian Sabogal, David Wilson, Justin Goodwill, James Marshall, Noah Perryman, Nick Franconi, Timothy Chase Jr., Travis Wise, Sarah Flanagan, Michael Monaghan, Jeff Hosler, Leyland Young, Judy Kuntz, Lindsey Seo, Joseph Schreck, Tracy Price, Munther Hassouneh, Steven Kenyon, Samuel Price, Christopher Wilson, Nicole Thai, Madison Hobbs, Andrew Keene, Sammy Lin, Michael Nemerouf, Evan T. Kain, Francisco O. Viramontes, Tyler M. Lovelly

Small Satellite Conference

Recently, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) capabilities have seen an exponential increase in interest from academia and industry that can be a disruptive, transformative development for future missions. Specifically, AI/ML concepts for edge computing can be integrated into future missions for autonomous operation, constellation missions, and onboard data analysis. However, using commercial AI software frameworks onboard spacecraft is challenging because traditional radiation-hardened processors and common spacecraft processors cannot provide the necessary onboard processing capability to effectively deploy complex AI models. Advantageously, embedded AI microchips being developed for the mobile market demonstrate remarkable capability and follow similar size, weight, …

Parametric Assessment To Fully Deploy Autonomous Small Satellite Constellations For Cislunar Space, Mohammed Irfan Rashed, Hyochoong Bang, Nate Mccoun

Small Satellite Conference

In this new age of cislunar competition for attaining the optimal solutions for Earth and the Moon, NewSpace stakeholders have leaned toward sustainable operations. Both industry and academia play major roles in this era of challenging space survival with the growing number of missions and debris. This paper focuses on scaling and optimizing small satellite ( < 500 kilograms) constellations and utilizing them in cislunar space by evaluating earth observation missions’ constellations for support in Artemis-2-like missions for Lunar orbits. From an astrodynamics point of view, a significant amount of scaling of constellations is done by identifying the parameters affecting the performance, which are mission-specific to their environments with fewer satellites. A detailed parametric analysis of medium-sized constellations, operable in cislunar space, for critical applications like communication (Lunar region) and disaster management (Earth region) is presented. Literature, related dynamics, discussions of the possible futuristic scenarios, discussions, and conclusions are explored.

Applying An Aviation Analogy To Sustained Safe Space Operations, Ruth Stilwell, Darren Mcknight

Small Satellite Conference

The current framework for aviation safety is a coherent series of airspace classes to partition air safety concerns. This methodology bases performance requirements on the capabilities and purposes of the air vehicles operating in a given volume of airspace in both an absolute sense and relative to other vehicles used in the same region. It is hypothesized that there may be some lessons learned to apply to space safety initiatives from this approach. Primarily, requiring more capable safety credentials for altitudes where resident missions are most critical, and effects of accidents are most consequential is proposed. The term “consequential” not …

Terrestrial Hardware Simplicity And Versatility Now A Reality For Space Architectures, Kristine Schroeder, Paul Chopelas

Small Satellite Conference

No abstract provided.

Unlocking Onboard Sar Processing: Focusing And Ship Detection On Sentinel-1 Iw Data, Gianluca Campagna, Luca Manca, Armando La Rocca, Federico Fontana, Francesco Tosetti

Small Satellite Conference

This work demonstrates the possibility of enabling onboard processing of SAR data in real-time through the adoption of an innovative focusing technology coupled with object detection, using limited computational resources. Our approach aims to provide a coarse focused product onboard to unlock real-time monitoring capabilities, complementing the ground-based detailed focusing algorithms.

The focusing algorithm transforms the Level-0 raw signal into Level-1 Single-Look-Complex (SLC) data. It consists of a two-layers hybrid architecture: a traditional Fast-Fourier Transform (FFT) algorithm for range processing and a Deep Neural Network (DNN), trained to solved the azimuth processing task, which provides scalability and modularity benefits. After …

Astronomical 6u Cubesat Mission Vertecs, Kei Sano

Small Satellite Conference

No abstract provided.

Imaging Spectrometer Implementation On A Small Satellite Platform For Aquatic Ecosystems Science, Corrie Smeaton, Ronald Lockwood, Michael Chrisp, Charles Bachmann, Laura Kennedy, Steve Gillmer, Linda Fuhrman, Derrick Brouhard, Jade Wang

Small Satellite Conference

The implementation of Imaging spectrometers with state-of-the-art performance on small satellites is challenging due to the size, weight, and power (SWaP) limitations. We have recently developed a compact form, the Chrisp Compact VNIR/SWIR Imaging Spectrometer (CCVIS), that facilitates their usage without sacrificing performance. The CCVIS enables a modular implementation that, combined with a freeform telescope, produces a wide field of view with high signal to noise ratio (SNR) performance. The targeted scientific application is the study of aquatic ecosystems. The imaging spectrometer is designed to address carbon sequestration in coastal margins and wetlands, kelp and seagrass studies, coral reefs, harmful …

Scouts Missions: Esa New Program For Science Mission Based On Small Satellite, Massimiliano Pastena, Jean-Pascal Lejault, Dominique Gilliéron

Small Satellite Conference

This paper presents the main characteristics of the new Scout framework in ESA's Earth Observation directorate aimed to exploit and support the New Space initiative in Europe in the frame of Earth science missions. In particular, details will be provided to explain the subtle balance between the commercial new space aspects and the science traditional aspects of the Scout framework. An overview of the 4 missions selected during the first consolidation round will be given as well as the one under development highlighting for each one the innovations, applications as well as the challenges and the achievements of the development …

Prototype Testing Results Of Charged Particle Detectors And Critical Subsystems For The Esra Mission To Gto, Carlos A. Maldonado, Jonathan Deming, Brooke N. Mosley, Justin Mcglown, Anthony Nelson, Philip A. Fernandes, Anthony J. Rogers, Douglas Patrick, Martin Kroupa, Michael Caffrey, Susan Mendel, Kerry Boyd, August Gula, Kim Katko, Markus P. Hehlen, Daniel Arnold, Jonathan Barney, Ted Schultz, Daniel B. Reisenfeld, Ruth Skoug, Angus Guider, Michael Holloway, Heidi Morning, John T. Steinberg, Erik Krause, Andrew Kirby, Darrel Beckman, Justin Tripp, Keith S. Morgan, Zachary Miller, Robert Merl, Paul S. Graham, Joshua Ortner, Quinten Cole, Chuck Clanton, Brian A. Larsen, Tom Fairbanks, Jeffrey George, Rory Scobie, Kasidit Subsomboon, Kristina Mckeown, Katherine Alano, John Michel, Darren Harvey, Andrew Harvilla, Donathan Ortega

Small Satellite Conference

The Experiment for Space Radiation Analysis (ESRA) is the latest of a series of Demonstration and Validation (DemVal) missions built by the Los Alamos National Laboratory, with the focus on testing a new generation of plasma and energetic paritcle sensors along with critical subsystems. 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 ground-based 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 …

Leveraging Smallsat Technology At Noaa For Space Weather Observations, Nai-Yu Wang, Irfan Azeem, Richard Ullman, Elsayed Talaat

Small Satellite Conference

Space weather observations is a strategic priority for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Services (NESDIS). In 2023, NOAA NESDIS established the Office of Space Weather Observations (SWO) to manage NESDIS' space weather satellite portfolio. SWO is formulating a new Space Weather Next (SW Next) program under the joint NOAA/National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Space Weather Observations Programs Division. The SW Next program will provide critical space weather data products, making observations from a variety of orbits and utilizing diverse platforms and sensors. The SW Next program reference architecture is expected to …

Compact Midwave Infrared System (Cmis) For Feature Tracking, Michael Kelly, Warren Chen, James L. Carr

Small Satellite Conference

The Compact Midwave Infrared System (CMIS) is a multi-angle, multi-spectral radiometer designed for high-spatial resolution stereo imaging in the shortwave infrared (SWIR)/midwave infrared (MWIR). The unique design of CMIS enables the capability to track diverse targets ranging from hot wildfires to cold clouds. CMIS is a low-size, -weight and -power (SWaP) instrument that can be accommodated on a small-satellite constellation to enable a rapid revisit rate needed for characterizing dynamic scenes. CMIS employs mature stereographic techniques to retrieve object heights and motion vectors that are free of the ambiguities between height assignment and along-track motions that are apparent in some …

Analysis Of An Energetic Electron Injection At Geo Using Falconseed: A Low Swap-C, Cubesat-Compatible Instrument For Space Environments, Anthony J. Rogers, Carlos A. Maldonado, John D. Williams, Matthew G. Mcharg, Robert A. Vincent, Richard Balthazor

Small Satellite Conference

We present a detailed analysis of an energetic electron injection (10s - 100s keV) observed at geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) on March 5, 2022 in order to highlight the capabilities of the Falcon Solid-state Energetic Electron Detector (SEED). The high time- and energy-resolution of SEED are used to quantify the dispersion of the injection front and to explore the morphology of the energy distribution throughout the injection encounter. Observations of the same event from nearby platforms are included for context. The SEED is a CubeSat compatible, single element particle telescope, designed to measure 14 to 145keV electrons in GEO. The …

The Pandora Smallsat: Mission Overview, Jordan Karburn, Pete Supsinskas, Hilary Johnson, Maricris Schneider, Elisa Quintana, Jessie Dotson, Knicole Colon, Tom Barclay, Christina Hedges, Jessie Dotson

Small Satellite Conference

The NASA Pioneers Program is tasked with performing compelling astrophysics science at lower cost, with smaller hardware, compared to Explorers Program missions. The Pandora SmallSat was selected as an inaugural Pioneers mission. Pandora uses an aluminum, 45-cm, dual channel Cassegrain telescope as its scientific instrument. The instrument will obtain the first dataset of simultaneous, multiband, long-baseline observations of exoplanets and their host stars. The goal is to use these data to reliably characterize planetary atmospheres by disentagling star and planet signals in transmission spectra.

Early in project formulation, the Pandora team developed a suite of high-fidelity parametrized simulation and modeling …

An Overview Of Distributed Spacecraft Autonomy At Nasa Ames, Caleb Adams, Brian Kempa, Michael Iatauro, Jeremy Frank, Walter Vaughan

Small Satellite Conference

Autonomous decision-making significantly increases mission effectiveness by mitigating the effects of communication constraints, like latency and bandwidth, and mission complexity on multi-spacecraft operations. To advance the state of the art in autonomous Distributed Space Systems (DSS), the Distributed Spacecraft Autonomy (DSA) team at NASA's Ames Research Center is developing within five relevant technical areas: distributed resource and task management, reactive operations, system modeling and simulation, human-swarm interaction, and ad hoc network communications. DSA is maturing these technologies - critical for future large autonomous DSS - from concept to launch via simulation studies and orbital deployments. A 100-node heterogenous Processor-in-the-Loop (PiL) …

A Small Satellite Constellation For Monitoring Of The Aurora, Giada Staniscia, Bastiaan Lagaune, Sten Berge, Milan Battelino, Stefan Kraft

Small Satellite Conference

As part of the European Space Agency's D3S (Distributed Space Weather Sensor System), a small satellite constellation is currently being designed by OHB Sweden which will observe space weather impacts in Earth's vicinity by monitoring of the auroral oval. The primary objective of the Aurora mission is to observe the Aurora Borealis and Australis continuously and as complete as possible. The auroral emissions are the result of interactions of the Solar Wind and Coronal Mass Ejections with the Earth which drive the location and strength of electron precipitation on the ionosphere. Such observations will thereby allow the identification, characterization and …

Formosat-7/Cosmic-2: Impacts On Global Operational Forecasting And Future Architectures With A Smallsat Constellation, William Gullotta, John Braun, Jan-Peter Weiss

Small Satellite Conference

The Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere, and Climate-2 (COSMIC-2) is a mission partnership between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Taiwan Space Agency (TASA) and the US Space Force (USSF). The mission consists of a constellation of six smallsats with a primary Global Navigation Satellite System Radio Occultation (GNSS-RO) payload, which provides observations of the Earth's neutral atmosphere and ionosphere. These observations are delivered in real-time to operational weather and space weather prediction centers across the globe. Since launching in 2019, observations from COSMIC-2 have been making a significant impact on global numerical weather prediction (NWP) systems. …

A Multi-Faceted Approach To Enabling Large-Scale Science In A Microsat Constellation, Ronnie Killough, Craig Deforest, Daniel B. Seaton, Keith Smith, J. Marcus Hughes, Chris Lowder, Ritesh Patel, Matthew J. West

Small Satellite Conference

The Polarimeter to UNify the Corona and Heliosphere (PUNCH) mission is a constellation of microsatellites that combines advances in several areas of technology enabling the use of simple imaging instrumentation to measure, to-date, inaccessible aspects of the outer corona and solar wind. The primary PUNCH measurement is brightness and polarization state of light scattered by electrons entrained in solar wind features. This measurement is made possible in the context of a small explorer budget by leveraging a combination of three key elements: (a) a constellation of four small satellites conducting synchronized observations, (b) availability of low-cost off-the-shelf components, and (c) …

Active Swarm Resiliency In The Helioswarm Mission, Maxwell Joyner, Laura Plice

Small Satellite Conference

Designed to observe plasma turbulence dynamics in solar wind over a distributed volume of space, the HelioSwarm mission comprises a primary chief spacecraft and eight smaller deputy satellites in uniquely assigned "loops" of periodic relative motion in a P/2 lunar resonant orbit. If one or more deputies fail, this multi-satellite architecture facilitates resiliency for science goals through repositioning of satellites to contingency loops. This strategy of Active Swarm Resiliency mitigates risk by modeling quantitative results ahead of time for mission operators to make informed decisions. Responsive actions meet minimum science objectives based on past and predicted system performance, an approach …

Helioswarm: The Swarm Is The Observatory, Butler Hine, Brittany Wickizer

Small Satellite Conference

The HelioSwarm Mission will transform our understanding of space plasma turbulence by being the first-of-its-kind simultaneous, multiscale observatory comprising multiple spacecraft. HelioSwarm was competitively selected under the Heliophysics Explorers Program 2019 Medium-Class Explorer (MIDEX) Announcement of Opportunity. The central powered-ESPA Hub spacecraft is co-orbited by eight SmallSat Node spacecraft, together moving through a High Earth Orbit to obtain data in various solar wind regimes. The mission architecture is that of hub-and-spoke, with the larger hub serving as a communications relay between the Nodes and DSN. Mission operations, management, and technical oversight are provided by NASA Ames Research Center; the spacecraft …

Over-The-Vacuum Update – Starlink’S Approach For Reliably Upgrading Software On Thousands Of Satellites, Akash Badshah, Natalie Morris, Matthew Monson

Small Satellite Conference

Starlink operates the world's largest constellation of over 4000 satellites, all of which receive regular software updates to deliver new capabilities, improve reliability and performance, and maintain security. Updating the software across the constellation requires solving two core challenges: safely updating an individual satellite in the harsh environment of space, and orchestrating thousands of updates without impacting users of the system.

Variations on these problems have been addressed for large scale terrestrial compute systems by the broader software industry, and we have leveraged practices of that state of the art to develop a novel spacecraft software update system that delivers …

Automated Operation Of Multiple Payloads On Agile Microsat (Ams), Erin Main, Clayton Baumgart, Robert Legge, Katherine Picchione

Small Satellite Conference

The Agile MicroSat (AMS) is a 6U CubeSat designed to operate in very low-Earth orbit (VLEO), an orbit which enables a higher ground resolution given a particular optical sensing aperture. AMS was developed by MIT Lincoln Laboratory in collaboration with Blue Canyon Technologies LLC and Enpulsion GmbH. AMS is hosting three disparate payloads: an indium field effect electric propulsion (FEEP) thruster to change and maintain orbit; a laser demonstration payload called Beacon for adaptive optics experimentation; and a camera payload for visible-spectrum imaging. In order to fully exercise the capability of each payload, the AMS operations team has developed an …

Super High Bandwidth Ka Band Nano Satellite For Future Constellation Isl, Daniel Rockberger

Small Satellite Conference

NSLSAT-2 is a 6U Nano satellite launched on January 3rd Rideshare mission, The satellite is a unique power communications machine providing unprecedented bitrates form such a small platform. The satellite equipped with an innovative flexible 60 centimeters deployable antenna and an advanced Ka band SDR modem is able to provide over 2 Gigabits per second to a one meter ground antenna. In addition, a flat antenna small ground terminal was developed, this Terminal the size of 2 smartphones, is able to communicated and send data up to the satellite at rates of 10-50 megabits per second. The satellite use cases …