Digital Commons Network^™

Development Of Advanced Ablative Carbon Phenolic Tps For Future Nasa Missions And Commercial Space, Matthew Gasch, Keith Peterson, Mairead Stackpoole, Ethiraj Venkatapathy, Greg Gonzales, Kyle Hendrickson

Small Satellite Conference

Phenolic Impregnated Carbon Ablator (PICA) is a low-density carbon phenolic ablator that has been used as the planetary entry heatshield for several NASA missions since the late 90's. Its low density and efficient performance characteristics have proven effective for use from Discovery to Flagship class missions, from Sample Return missions such as Stardust, OSIRIS-REx to large Mars lander missions such as MSL and Mars 2020.

Continued development of a mass efficient, compliant version of PICA that use a carbon felt as the substrate will be presented. The felt based versions of PICA known as Conformal PICA (C-PICA) and Soft PICA …

Navigating The Spectrum: An Overview Of Itu's Regulatory Process For Small Satellites, Chuen Chern Loo, Xiuqi Wang

Small Satellite Conference

Originating from 1865, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has evolved into a diverse community comprising 193 member states, more than 1000 public and private sector companies, universities, research institutes as well as international and regional telecommunication entities. World Radiocommunication Conferences (WRC) are convened every four years, providing a crucial platform for updating the ITU Radio Regulations, ensuring that it continues to meet the demands of the industry.

The ITU regulations for frequency and orbit regestration of satellites, particularly on the occupancy of the geostationary satellite orbits (GSO) for the traditional telecommunications satellites, have been well-known among operators with large satellites. …

Equatorial Low Earth Orbit (Eleo): An Orbital Incubator And Nursery, Siegfried Janson

Small Satellite Conference

Recent research has shown that Equatorial Low Earth Orbit (ELEO) below 500 km has an exceptionally low space radiation environment that is ideal for long-term space settlements. The pressure vessel itself provides enough radiation shielding to enable decades of on-orbit habitation for an individual without exceeding radiation safety limits. My calculations using SPENVIS show that a minimum radiation "Incubator" region exists between 24° inclination at 350 km altitude, which drops linearly with increasing altitude to 0° inclination at 550 km altitude. Silicon-based spacecraft electronics inside a 1-mm thick aluminum hull would have a trapped particle dose rate ~4 orders-of-magnitude lower …

Vulcan Wireless Is Heading To The Moon, Stuart Golden, Kevin Lynaugh, Nathan Moore, Lance Lerum, Travis Wambach

Small Satellite Conference

Vulcan Wireless radios are being deployed across multiple Lunar Landers and Lunar Orbiters. The Lunar radio solutions will be operating the first deployment of the new CCSDS Proximity 1 S-Band profile for the Lunar environment. Also, the software defined radio will be used as a precision calibration source for the upcoming LuSEE Night payload. LuSEE Night is a payload manifested on the CLPS CS-3 task order which is part of the Firefly Blue Ghost Mission Two (BGM-2) to the far side of the moon. In this paper, we discuss key aspects of the Vulcan Wireless software defined radio and some …

Starling Formation-Flying Optical Experiment: Initial Operations And Flight Results, Justin Kruger, Simone D'Amico, Soon S. Hwang

Small Satellite Conference

This paper presents initial flight results for distributed optical angles-only navigation of a swarm of small spacecraft, conducted during the Starling Formation-Flying Optical Experiment (StarFOX). StarFOX is a core payload of the NASA Starling mission, which consists of four CubeSats launched in 2023. Angles-only methods apply inter-satellite bearing angles obtained by on-board cameras for navigation, increasing satellite autonomy and enabling new mission concepts. Nevertheless, prior flight demonstrations have only featured one observer and target and have relied upon a-priori target orbit knowledge for initialization, translational maneuvers to resolve target range, and external absolute orbit updates to maintain convergence. StarFOX overcomes …

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 …

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. …

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 …

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.

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 …

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 …

Solar Array Membrane Prototype For The Opens-0 Small Saturn Probe, Masanori Matsushita, Osamu Mori, Yasuyuki Miyazaki, Yasutaka Satou, Yuki Kubo, Ahmed Kiyoshi Sugihara, Tetsuya Kusumoto, Naoya Ozaki, Hajime Yano, Ryu Funase, Nobukatsu Okuizumi, Akihito Watanabe, Toshiyuki Hori, Hiroaki Ito, Yoshihiko Katsuyama, Minoru Tabata, Minoru Kurose, Hiroyuki Ono, Hiroaki Yoneda, Yoshiki Sugawara

Small Satellite Conference

The Institute of Space and Astronautical Science at Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency is actively engaged in the research and development of a cutting-edge lightweight deployable solar array paddle, called solar array membrane. This technology is specifically designed for small satellites, with a particular focus on the OPENS-0 small probe for the Saturn flyby engineering demonstration. This paper provides the current status of the development of the full-scale prototype for the 9 m² solar array membrane.

Edge Node: A Multi-User Rendezvous And Proximity Operations On-Orbit Testbed, Darren Rowen, Joel Rivera, Susan Lui, Joseph Gangestad, Alex Gallenberger, Binh Dinh, Phaedrus Leeds, Noah Weiner, Rudd Johnson, Christopher Day, Alexander Christidis

Small Satellite Conference

Edge Node is a multi-small satellite free-flying, collaborative testbed for formation flight and rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO) under development by The Aerospace Corporation that is planned for launch in 2026- 2027. Edge Node will develop and advance local space situational awareness sensors for CubeSat-scale platforms and facilitate the development and qualification of autonomous on-board RPO software for CubeSats. Edge Node is intended to serve as a multi-user on-orbit facility through which technologies and algorithms can be tested and validated in the authentic operational low Earth orbital environment. Edge Node leverages recent advances in miniature sensor and computing hardware for …

From Design To Orbit: Engineering Sub-Arcsecond Cubesat Pointing Performance On Pathfinder-3, Paaras S. Agrawal, Christian O. Fuller, Kyle R. Kung, Jeremiah J. Dimatteo

Small Satellite Conference

Pathfinder-3 (PTD-3) spacecraft is the third vehicle of the NASA Pathfinder Technology Demonstrator (PTD) series, which are a collection of 6U CubeSats launched in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) to demonstrate innovative payload capabilities. The payloads are hosted on commercially developed satellites designed and manufactured by Terran Orbital Corporation (TOC) with a goal to support a wide array of technology demonstration missions through a flexible architecture that can be tailored for custom needs. PTD-3 hosts a high data rate laser communications payload that does not include its own pointing acquisition and control system, and, therefore, is dependent on accurate bus pointing …

Characterizing A Chip Scale Atomic Clock In Low Earth Orbit, Mikaela Dobbin, Austin Hunter, William Gravel, Conner Parker, Penina Axelrad

Small Satellite Conference

The University of Colorado Boulder has developed an experiment to characterize the behavior of a chip-scale atomic clock (CSAC) in space, conducted on the MAXWELL CubeSat mission. This experiment integrates a CSAC as an external oscillator to the onboard GPS receiver, enabling clock characterization through real-time estimates of clock bias, GPS pseudorange, and carrier phase measurements. These data will demonstrate the CSAC's short and long-term stability and its sensitivity to the space environment.

This paper evaluates the observation of CSAC performance using GPS within the constraints of the MAXWELL mission. The results, derived from tests with realistic orbit and spacecraft …

Characterisation Of Satcom Networks For Rapid Message Delivery: Early In-Orbit Results, Robert Mearns, Airlie Chapman, Michele Trenti

Small Satellite Conference

Traditional nanosatellite communication links rely on infrequent ground-station access windows. While this is well suited to both payload data and detailed scheduling information, it leads to both intermittent and short communication windows. The resulting long periods without contact are ill-suited for both opportunistic tasking of satellites and triggers generated by autonomous operations. Existing orbital infrastructure in the form of satellite communication (SATCOM) networks, such as Iridium and others provide a readily available and cost effective solution to this problem. While these networks continue to be utilized onboard nanosatellites, a full characterization of their utility and performance in-orbit is vital to …

Waratah Seed-1: Australia's First Commercial Ride Share Satellite, Xueliang Bai, Patrick Oppel, Iver H. Cairns, Xiaofeng Wu, Youngho Eun, Andrew G. Dempster, Ignatius Bramananditya Rivaldi, Nick S. Bennett, Roger Kermode, Laryssa S. Raffa, Mohammad Arqam, Matt Ryall, Anita Ho-Baillie, Laura Granados Caro, Shi Tang, Md Arafat Mahmud, Taofiq Huq, James Buttenshaw, Peter Toth, Gavin Conibeer, Brian Lim, Harindi Perara, Abishek Shrestha, Quinn Musulin, Bohan Deng, Zihao Wang, Anne Bettens, E. Cetin, Timothy L. Parsons, Jason Held

Small Satellite Conference

In this paper, we report on a 6U CubeSat named Waratah Seed-1, designed by the ARC Training Centre for CubeSats, UAVs, and their Applications (CUAVA) and partners under the Waratah Seed project. Waratah Seed is a pilot Space Qualification Mission initiated under the NSW Government's Space Industry Development Strategy with partial funding from Investment NSW. The goal of the mission is to allow NSW and Australian space industry groups to test their technology in space by flying on a 6U ride-share CubeSat. This project is the first of its kind in Australia, allowing space-tech start-ups and other groups to access …

Math Is Instrumental: An Analysis Of Multi-Decade Space Flight Science Instrument Cost Performance, Rachel Sholder, Eric Plumer, Joseph Mrozinski

Small Satellite Conference

No abstract provided.

Beavercube Ii: Using Ai-Optimized Processors On Earth-Observing Cubesats For Autonomous Image Analysis And Intelligent Data Handling, Adam Bahlous-Boldi, Celvi Lisy, Neelambar Mondal, Brianna Ferro, Shreeyam Kacker, Mary Dahl, Madeline Anderson, Kerri Cahoy

Small Satellite Conference

The mission goal of BeaverCube II is to demonstrate autonomous on-orbit image processing and classification using the Xilinx Versal System-On-Chip (SOC). The Versal has 400 dedicated AI engines on an FPGA-based platform, enabling compute-intensive machine learning capabilities. While the Versal can consume over 100 W of power, BeaverCube II will demonstrate its on-orbit function in a low-power, size-constrained system. The system will use machine learning algorithms such as K-means clustering to autonomously assess whether features or changes of interest are present across keyframes.

BeaverCube II has a 1U imaging payload consisting of three Commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) cameras: two identical visible …

A Building Block Approach To Satellites And Its Impact On Changes In Late Ai&T Athena – A Case Study, Kory J. Priestley, William Crandall, Talbot Jaeger

Small Satellite Conference

The Space Force, NASA, and NOAA partnered to fly the pathfinder Athena climate-change mission using NovaWurks’ building block approach to demonstrate a new way to build and fly sensorcraft. This mission to measure Earth Radiation Budget was originally planned for launch in 2023 on a LauncherOne rideshare. Due to cessation of Virgin Orbit launch operations, Athena was shifted to a Falcon 9 with a different LTAN. The change from 1300 to 1800 in a sun-synchronous LEO orbit dramatically impacts the solar illumination of the satellite and frequency/duration of eclipse, resulting in severely impacted CONOPS. NASA asked NovaWurks whether the vehicle …

Hera Cubesats Trajectory Design And Conops For Didymos Binary Asteroid Characterization, Pâmini Annat, Clément Beal, Julie Verniere, Aurélien Felin, Romain Pinede, Jean Jaubert, Aurélie Moussi, Sébastien Goulet

Small Satellite Conference

The Asteroid Impact Deflection Assessment (AIDA) mission, a collaborative effort for Planetary Defense, involves the DART and Hera spacecrafts targeting the Didymos-Dimorphos binary asteroid system. Their objectives include assessing asteroid deflection, conducting close observations, and demonstrating future mission technologies. DART, launched by NASA, impacted Dimorphos in September 2022. While Hera, an ESA spacecraft, carrying Juventas and Milani 6U-XL CubeSats, will be launch in October 2024 to reach the binary asteroid system after a two-year Cruise. Hera will arrive in December 2026 in order to characterize afterwards the result of the DART impact in terms of reshaping and deflection of Dimorphos. …

Manufacturing In Microgravity And Sample Re-Entry Using A Commercial Rideshare Spacecraft Platform, Katie Gwozdecky, Karan Sarda

Small Satellite Conference

In 2021, Varda Space Industries contracted Rocket Lab USA to design, build, and operate four spacecraft to support an in-space manufacturing payloads inside of a commercial capsule and provide the capsule with a safe return to Earth. This mission was to be the first fully commercial controlled Earth re-entry and recovery of a space-based capsule. Four spacecraft, Winnebago-1 through -4, are to be built and launched on SpaceX Falcon-9 Transporter rideshare launches into sun-synchronous low Earth orbit. Each of these satellites feature Varda’s re-entry payload capsule which will demonstrate varied types of in-space capability from pharmaceutical crystal growth to use …

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

Small Satellite Conference

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

Assessment Of Generative Ai Tools To Enhance Software Development For Early-Stage Cubesat Design In A Resource-Limited Environment, Morokot Sakal

Small Satellite Conference

For developing countries, access to space is still limited due to a lack of expertise and resources. This study assesses the extent to which generative AI can augment software development for early-stage CubeSat design in a resource-limited environment. ChatGPT-4 was used to guide the software development process. To demonstrate its effectiveness, a case study involving the construction of an orbital simulator for predicting the mission lifetime of a CubeSat in LEO was conducted, comparing the AI-assisted software with baseline software previously developed by the team. The results demonstrate significant advantages in terms of development effort reduction, but also introduce challenges …

Prompt Anomaly Detection For Small Satellites In Low-Earth Orbit Constellations: A Machine Learning Approach, Weicheng Qian, Joshua Dejong, Bryan Cooke

Small Satellite Conference

Small satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) constellations are shaping the future of communications and Earth observation. Despite having inherent advantages such as lower latency and faster deployments due to quicker and cheaper access to space, monitoring the large number of LEO satellites imposes a significant burden when considering the long-established methods of human-in-the-loop anomaly detection and recovery. Timely responses to anomalies reduce operational outages and help maximize the availability of the network. Traditional rule-based detection and supervised learning have inherent limitations in monitoring the large numbers of space assets projected to be launched over the next decades because more …

The Framework Makes The Mission - An Analytical Comparison Of Two Popular Nasa Open Source Flight Software Framework Offerings, Sterling L. Peet, Scott M. Gilliland, Jeffrey S. Young

Small Satellite Conference

Selecting a flight software (FSW) framework is a critical part of starting the software development for a mission. Currently, there are two primary NASA-supported frameworks that might be considered as possible solutions: F Prime (F') and core Flight System (cFS). Both of these frameworks share similarities in their focus but differ in their design and assumptions of how an end user might utilize and extend them.

The evaluation and comparison of the discussed frameworks is based on two immersion visits with core development teams. To demonstrate each framework and to compare their implementations, the same two-wheeled robotic explorer reference mission …

System Design For Small Satellites In Very Low Earth Orbit, Kashyapa Naren Athreyas, Anusha Banninthaya, Wee Seng Lim

Small Satellite Conference

In the recent years, the very low earth orbit (VLEO) mission concepts are getting popular owing to the advantages it brings. VLEO is considered to be below 400 km in general, and as the satellites orbit closer to the surface, the earth observation data can be more accurate than the data from LEO. The image resolution can be better for the same camera technology, the radio wave applications will experience lower ionospheric disturbances, and the scientific data collection in those altitudes can help to improve the atmospheric models. However, there a significant challenge in orbiting at such altitudes, which is …

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

Small Satellite Conference

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