Digital Commons Network^™

A Torrent-Inspired Large File Transfer System For Small Satellite Swarms, Caleb Adams, Michael Iatauro, Brian Kempa, Sergei Gridnev, Pavlo Vlastos, Caroline Lassiter

Small Satellite Conference

The increasing complexity and coordination requirements of multi-spacecraft missions, distributed space systems, and small satellite swarms necessitate efficient and scalable data transfer mechanisms. Inspired by peer-to-peer file sharing protocols, we present a novel large file transfer (LFT) system designed for NASA’s Core Flight Software (cFS) framework. The LFT system was tested on NASA’s Starling mission, a multi-cubesat swarm with S-Band cross-link capabilities and a mesh network topology. Our system leverages the Better Approach to Mobile Ad-hoc Networking (BATMAN) routing protocol and the Data Distribution Service (DDS) standard to enable seamless communication among swarm members. The LFT system features two primary …

Angel: An Architecture For Simplified Ai/Ml Implementation On Low-Power Fpgas For Small Satellites, Shawn Jones, Benjamin Lewis, Jonathan Phillips, Charles Swenson, Kade Howes, Justin Hulme

Small Satellite Conference

Utah State University has been developing a complier to ease burden of implementing artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) algorithms to FPGAs for both low-power and accelerated computation purposes. This system called “Architecture and Network Generalization for Edge computing and Low-power applications” (ANGEL) is aimed at the problem of the growing volume of data collected by small satellites, combined with the increasing interest in AI/ML algorithms to process this data onboard. Executing modern AI/ML algorithms onboard small satellites in GPUs or CPUs demands significant power—often stretching the capabilities of small satellite platforms. FPGAs, particularly the MicroSemi Polar Fire series, …

Optical Inter-Satellite Link Demonstration On Cubesats - Update On The Cubeisl-Iod Mission, Benjamin Rödiger, Jorge Rosano Nonay, Arvind Kumar Balan, Alberto Rodríguez Pérez-Silva, José Franciso Briz Valero, Cristóbal Nieto Peroy

Small Satellite Conference

Free-space optical communication has become a mature technology to extend and replace classical radio channels for data transmission from satellites to the Earth. The advantages of high data throughputs, resilience against electromagnetic disturbances and its robustness against jamming spoofing and eavesdropping makes laser communication attractive for governmental, defense authorities and commercial users. To enable global connectivity and interoperability beyond the line of sight, inter-satellite links are required and therefore terminals with high data rates are necessary to avoid communication bottlenecks. Size weight and power limitations on spacecraft demand highly efficient and miniaturized payloads, especially for use cases on smallest satellites. …

Improving Retention And Knowledge Continuity In University Cubesat Laboratories, Murphy Stratton

Small Satellite Conference

The Laboratory for Advanced Space Systems at Illinois (LASSI) at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) trains students from diverse engineering disciplines in CubeSat design and mission development. Despite offering hands-on experience and industry-like training, LASSI previously faced challenges retaining students, particularly after the first semester. Knowledge gaps in these students and the loss of expertise in technical areas, such as software development and electrical engineering, in graduating senior members contributed to retention losses. This paper discusses strategies implemented to address these challenges, their measurable impacts, and the lessons learned during implementation. In 2019, LASSI transitioned from a student organization …

Improving Retention And Knowledge Continuity In University Cubesat Laboratories, Murphy Stratton

Small Satellite Conference

The Laboratory for Advanced Space Systems at Illinois (LASSI) at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) trains students from diverse engineering disciplines in CubeSat design and mission development. Despite offering hands-on experience and industry-like training, LASSI previously faced challenges retaining students, particularly after the first semester. Knowledge gaps in these students and the loss of expertise in technical areas, such as software development and electrical engineering, in graduating senior members contributed to retention losses. This paper discusses strategies implemented to address these challenges, their measurable impacts, and the lessons learned during implementation. In 2019, LASSI transitioned from a student organization …

From Classroom To Orbit: How A High School Girls-In-Stem Club Started The Journey Of Pleiades Orpheus, Diya Dalal, Pooja Verma, Rhea Cherukuri

Small Satellite Conference

Students from Irvington High School in Fremont, California built and launched a 1U CubeSat satellite called Pleiades Orpheus after its establishment in 2022. This project was a central part of the Irvington High School Girls-in-STEM Club and is among the few high school student-run programs globally to design, build, and successfully launch a satellite. The Pleiades Orpheus team strived to increase gender diversity in their student body, eventually leading them to form IHS Women in Satellite Engineering (IHS WiSE) in 2024.

This paper will showcase the central goals and progress of the team, highlighting their most important goal: to make …

From Classroom To Orbit: How A High School Girls-In-Stem Club Started The Journey Of Pleiades Orpheus, Diya Dalal, Pooja Verma, Rhea Cherukuri

Small Satellite Conference

Students from Irvington High School in Fremont, California built and launched a 1U CubeSat satellite called Pleiades Orpheus after its establishment in 2022. This project was a central part of the Irvington High School Girls-in-STEM Club and is among the few high school student-run programs globally to design, build, and successfully launch a satellite. The Pleiades Orpheus team strived to increase gender diversity in their student body, eventually leading them to form IHS Women in Satellite Engineering (IHS WiSE) in 2024.

This paper will showcase the central goals and progress of the team, highlighting their most important goal: to make …

Dream Big: A Novel, Flexible And Robust ½U Thinsat Constellation Solution, Dillon Embry, Alex Reno, Thomas Foltz, Jasmin Consales, Matt Orvis, John Pugsley, Matthew C. Voss, Jeff Dailey, Hank Voss

Small Satellite Conference

The Dream Big project is a joint initiative between NearSpace Launch (NSL) and NearSpace Education (NSE), combining commercial satellite development with hands-on educational outreach. Focused on advanced manufacturing and space entrepreneurship, the program engages university teams in designing, building, and integrating custom payloads into a novel ½U ThinSat bus. Over the past year, six Midwestern universities completed Phase 1, culminating in the development of six student-built payloads integrated into the NSL bus scheduled for launch in late 2025 or early 2026.

In addition to satellite development, teams conducted high-altitude balloon flights to validate hardware and promote STEM engagement in their …

Towards Realizing The Promise Of Lower-Cost Near-Term Mars Science And Exploration, Steven Matousek, Ryan Woolley, Michelle Viotti, Charles Edwards, Kristina Hogstrom, Marguerite Syvertson, Nathan Barba, Richard Davis, Lane Painter

Small Satellite Conference

The Mars Exploration Program (MEP) 2024-2044 Plan [1] charts a new path for the next two decades of science-driven missions. An underpinning of the MEP 2024-2044 Plan is the ability to have a high cadence of missions leveraging frequent, low-cost access and at-Mars infrastructure. Current rapid maturation of affordable Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and lunar industry capabilities point towards near-term Mars adaptation. Towards understanding Mars adaptations, cost, and needed government investment, MEP competitively solicited and conducted 12 studies across four major classes of potential missions with 9 companies in 2024. Additionally, MEP sought to understand if there is sufficient maturity …

Dream Big: A Novel, Flexible And Robust ½U Thinsat Constellation Solution, Dillon Embry, Alex Reno, Thomas Foltz, Jasmin Consales, Matt Orvis, John Pugsley, Matthew C. Voss, Jeff Dailey, Hank Voss

Small Satellite Conference

The Dream Big project is a joint initiative between NearSpace Launch (NSL) and NearSpace Education (NSE), combining commercial satellite development with hands-on educational outreach. Focused on advanced manufacturing and space entrepreneurship, the program engages university teams in designing, building, and integrating custom payloads into a novel ½U ThinSat bus. Over the past year, six Midwestern universities completed Phase 1, culminating in the development of six student-built payloads integrated into the NSL bus scheduled for launch in late 2025 or early 2026.

In addition to satellite development, teams conducted high-altitude balloon flights to validate hardware and promote STEM engagement in their …

Pulse-A Mission Overview: Optical Communications For Undergraduate Students, Logan Hanssler, Seth Knights, Graydon Schulze-Kalt, Juan Ignacio Prieto Asbun, Robert Pitu, Lauren Ayala, Rohan Gupta, Vincent Redwine, Spencer Shelton, Catherine Todd, Maya Mcdaniel, Sofia Mansilla, John Baird, Mason Mccormack, Leah Vashevko, Tian Zhong, Michael Lembeck

Small Satellite Conference

Recent advances in the size, weight, and power (SWaP) requirements for space-based sensing have dramatically increased the demand for high-bandwidth downlink. However, high data rate RF transceivers still pose significant SWaP and cost restrictions, especially for university-class CubeSat missions. Optical communication may provide a solution to this challenge, enabling data transmission with order-of-magnitude rate increases over RF while being both secure and SWaP-efficient. The Polarization-modUlated Laser Satellite Experiment (PULSE-A) is a University of Chicago mission to demonstrate optical downlink at a data rate of up to 10 Mbps using circular polarization shift keying (CPolSK). PULSE-A comprises a <1.5U Optical Transmission Terminal, 3U CubeSat Bus, Optical Ground Station (OGS) employing an amateur telescope, and RF Ground Station (RFGS), all of which are being designed and integrated by a team of over 60 undergraduate students. The mission objective is threefold: (1) to provide hands-on educational experiences for undergraduate students, (2) to make hardware for optical communication systems more accessible via open-source design, and (3) to explore the viability and potential advantages of using CPolSK for optical downlink.

PULSE-A serves an …

Rideshare On Nasa Missions, Alicia Mendoza-Hill, William Atkinson, Shaun Daly, Katherine Nelson

Small Satellite Conference

Small spacecraft technology advancements have transformed the way NASA’s Science Mission Directorate (SMD) strategically executes science investigations. In support of this new approach, SMD established the Rideshare Office in 2020 to implement and define the SMD-wide rideshare strategy. The objective of the office is to maximize science, exploration, and technology return on investment by enabling rideshare or accommodation opportunities for small spacecraft on SMD primary mission launches, and VADR launch procurements which are managed by the NASA Launch Services Program (LSP). The SRO also enables opportunities for NASA small sats on other government agency and international space agency partner launches. …

Pulse-A Mission Overview: Optical Communications For Undergraduate Students, Logan Hanssler, Seth Knights, Graydon Schulze-Kalt, Juan Ignacio Prieto Asbun, Robert Pitu, Lauren Ayala, Rohan Gupta, Vincent Redwine, Spencer Shelton, Catherine Todd, Maya Mcdaniel, Sofia Mansilla, John Baird, Mason Mccormack, Leah Vashevko, Tian Zhong, Michael Lembeck

Small Satellite Conference

Recent advances in the size, weight, and power (SWaP) requirements for space-based sensing have dramatically increased the demand for high-bandwidth downlink. However, high data rate RF transceivers still pose significant SWaP and cost restrictions, especially for university-class CubeSat missions. Optical communication may provide a solution to this challenge, enabling data transmission with order-of-magnitude rate increases over RF while being both secure and SWaP-efficient. The Polarization-modUlated Laser Satellite Experiment (PULSE-A) is a University of Chicago mission to demonstrate optical downlink at a data rate of up to 10 Mbps using circular polarization shift keying (CPolSK). PULSE-A comprises a < 1.5U Optical Transmission Terminal, 3U CubeSat Bus, Optical Ground Station (OGS) employing an amateur telescope, and RF Ground Station (RFGS), all of which are being designed and integrated by a team of over 60 undergraduate students. The mission objective is threefold: (1) to provide hands-on educational experiences for undergraduate students, (2) to make hardware for optical communication systems more accessible via open-source design, and (3) to explore the viability and potential advantages of using CPolSK for optical downlink.

PULSE-A serves an …

A Proposed Process To Define And Collect Project Information For Cost Estimation Of Cubesat Platforms, Ana Carolina Di Iorio Jeronymo, Lidia Hissae Shibuya Sato, Renan Guilherme Soares Menezes, Felipe Oliveira Tavares, Maria Eduarda Mora Camino-Priante, Luís Eduardo Vergueiro Loures Da Costa

Small Satellite Conference

Cost estimation is a key element in the planning and execution of CubeSat mission, as it helps ensure that resources are used efficiently and that mission objectives remain aligned with technical and operational constraints. A solid technical baseline - one that clearly describes the system’s characteristics - is essential for developing reliable cost estimates and for establishing a shared understanding of the project among stakeholders. This paper presents the cost estimation process used at the ITA Space Center for CubeSat platforms. The method follows a structured, eight-step approach adapted from NASA and ESA standards. The steps begin with receiving the …

A Proposed Process To Define And Collect Project Information For Cost Estimation Of Cubesat Platforms, Ana Carolina Di Iorio Jeronymo, Lidia Hissae Shibuya Sato, Renan Guilherme Soares Menezes, Felipe Oliveira Tavares, Maria Eduarda Mora Camino-Priante, Luís Eduardo Vergueiro Loures Da Costa

Small Satellite Conference

Cost estimation is a key element in the planning and execution of CubeSat mission, as it helps ensure that resources are used efficiently and that mission objectives remain aligned with technical and operational constraints. A solid technical baseline - one that clearly describes the system’s characteristics - is essential for developing reliable cost estimates and for establishing a shared understanding of the project among stakeholders. This paper presents the cost estimation process used at the ITA Space Center for CubeSat platforms. The method follows a structured, eight-step approach adapted from NASA and ESA standards. The steps begin with receiving the …

Next-Generation Medium Lift, Nicole Jordan, Aaron Prescott

Small Satellite Conference

Northrop Grumman and Firefly Aerospace are moving rapidly to mitigate a bottleneck in launch capacity in the medium lift segment and increase launch site diversification for government and commercial satellite customers. With existing heavy-lift vehicles often booked to capacity and small-lift vehicles limited by their mass to orbit, medium-lift vehicles provide an ideal solution for affordably delivering medium payloads to LEO and beyond.

Positioned between small-lift and heavy-lift rockets, the new Eclipse™ Medium Launch Vehicle (MLV) (Figure 1) will add significant payload mass to orbit and volume beyond the capacity of the existing Northrop Grumman Antares 230+ launch vehicle. The …

Small Satellite Enabled Human Capital Development Approaches For A Space Professional Cadre, Stanley O. Kennedy Jr., Brandon "Bt" Cesul

Small Satellite Conference

The rapid growth of the commercial and government space sectors has highlighted a critical shortfall in qualified talent. Addressing these gaps requires innovative educational programs that can efficiently develop human capital without extensive resources or extended classroom requirements. This paper will explore these challenges and present solutions through a focus on Small Satellite (SmallSat) resources and lessons learned from previous attempts, as well as highlighting a number of emerging programs that are quickly helping to address this growing concern.

One promising approach is the Space Force Cadet Corps Cadet Training in Space, Cyber, and Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning. This program exposes …

Launch Support: Managing Complementor Bottlenecks In The Disruptive Innovation Of Small Satellites, Yue Song, Yue Maggie Zhou

Small Satellite Conference

Small satellites represent a disruptive innovation that significantly reduces the time and cost of satellite production and launch. Despite the large number of small satellites launched today, initially, they were viewed as “second-class launch citizens,” with incumbent large-rocket companies resisting launching them. This paper examines how small-satellite manufacturers overcame this resistance before establishing their dedicated small-satellite ecosystem. We identify the adjustment costs that caused resistance from large-rocket companies and examine two specific strategies implemented by disruptors—technological standardization and forward integration—to mitigate these costs and gain support from large-rocket companies.

Small Satellite Enabled Human Capital Development Approaches For A Space Professional Cadre, Stanley O. Kennedy Jr., Brandon "Bt" Cesul

Small Satellite Conference

The rapid growth of the commercial and government space sectors has highlighted a critical shortfall in qualified talent. Addressing these gaps requires innovative educational programs that can efficiently develop human capital without extensive resources or extended classroom requirements. This paper will explore these challenges and present solutions through a focus on Small Satellite (SmallSat) resources and lessons learned from previous attempts, as well as highlighting a number of emerging programs that are quickly helping to address this growing concern.

One promising approach is the Space Force Cadet Corps Cadet Training in Space, Cyber, and Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning. This program exposes …

Implementation Of The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (Moca) Tool For Early Detection Of Dementia, Nadege Djeukui

DNP and Student Works

As the population ages, the prevalence of cognitive impairment increases (Hilsabeck et al., 2024). There are about 10 million new cases reported annually, and over 55 million people worldwide are currently living with dementia, a number projected to increase to 78 million by 2030 (WHO, 2023). Dementia is a growing public health concern that is often underdiagnosed in primary care, leading to missed opportunities for early intervention, care coordination, and patient support. Early detection of dementia is crucial for timely intervention, effective care planning, and enhanced patient outcomes. Early identification of cognitive impairment is critical in improving patient outcomes, enhancing …

Deploying Post Quantum Cryptography On Newspace Satellites, Erik Lewerenz

Small Satellite Conference

We describe and implement a new key exchange protocol combining both Post Quantum Cryptography (PQC) and Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC). The protocol is designed to allow for authenticated key exchanges with a single satellite. The Triple Key Encapsulation Mechanism (KEM) protocol is designed to be secure against both classical and quantum attackers and retains its full security even if one of the two cryptographic schemes is broken. The protocol was implemented on two generations of Berlin Space Technology (BST) On Board Computers (OBC) and tested on the AFR small satellite in low earth orbit using an In Orbit Demonstrator (IOD) …

Ibis Advanced Technology For Smallsats, Johan Leijtens, Frank Stelwagen

Small Satellite Conference

For many years, ESA has been involved in attempts to develop a commercially attractive radiation hardened true digital Sunsensor. Although both Galileo Avionica (IT) (now Leonardo) and TNO (NL) developed a sensor based on standard active pixel sensors (APS) none of these products became commercially successful. Although TNO started the development of a single chip true digital Sunsensor in 2004 and a prototype was successfully tested in 2011,^{[1] [2]} the product was neither radiation hardened nor optimized for volume production. Development of this prototype into a real sensor was however never completed.

Although both a digital output and albedo …

Cubesat-Compatible Q/V Band Phased Array Antenna Design For High-Bandwidth Mmwave Inter-Satellite Communications For Scalable Leo Satellite Constellations, Lucien Hammond, Rachel Swan

Small Satellite Conference

As instruments and payloads aboard satellites increasingly demand higher data rates to fulfill scientific objectives, the shift by industry and governments toward small satellite platforms necessitates high-performance communication systems tailored to these compact designs. With the growing use cases for multi-agent satellite constellations, particularly in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), frequency band congestion remains a critical challenge. To address this spectrum scarcity and enable adaptive, inter-satellite communication for multi-agent satellite constellations, this paper explores the design of a Q/V band patch antenna array to enable adaptive beamforming, high data rate inter-satellite communication for scalable satellite constellations. The use of millimeter wave …

Sentinelcam / Sentineltrac: Leveraging An Optical System With Dual Functionality For Space Proximity Operations, Laila Kazemi, Vincent Yim, Colin Huber, Peter Schwarz

Small Satellite Conference

The growing demand for on-orbit servicing missions such as inspection, refueling, repair, and assembly has increased the need for reliable, compact, and accurate sensing systems capable of supporting Rendezvous and Proximity Operations (RPO). This paper presents the feasibility and advantages of employing Redwire’s SentinelCAM-1 and SentinelTRAC-2 as a dual function optical system to meet the sensing and attitude determination needs of RPO missions. Both systems share a common hardware system, with SentinelCAM-1 functioning as a high-resolution flight camera and SentinelTRAC-2 serving as a star tracker for real-time spacecraft attitude estimation. The shared design enables efficient cross-cueing, simplifies sensor fusion, and …

Roads: A Low-Cost 3u Cubesat Approach To Rendezvous, Proximity Operations, And Docking, Alexander Hickman, Ramon Blanco, Dawson Harrington, Benjamin Wilson, Pol Via Ortega, Rainer Diaz De Cerio, Ronald Fevig, Pablo De León University Of North Dakota, Mason Peck

Small Satellite Conference

The University of North Dakota’s Rendezvous & Operations for Autonomous Docking and Servicing (UND ROADS) mission will show through a flight demo that Rendezvous, Proximity Operations, and Docking (RPOD) can be accomplished by two 3U CubeSats at orders-of-magnitude lower cost and complexity than today’s benchmark missions. Instead of cameras or LiDAR, ROADS employs an inter-satellite RF link combined with carrier-phase differential GNSS (CDGNSS) to deliver centimeter-level relative navigation entirely onboard, eliminating reliance on continuous ground contact, ground processing or complex on-board sensor packages. Coupling this sensing architecture with an innovative re-configurable magnetic docking system and predictive Guidance, Navigation and Control …

Curie Power Suite: Enabling Deep Space High-Power Cubesat Exploration, Daniele Rizzieri, Cristina Erbeia, Paride Amabili, Michele Ferrarese, Paola Celesti, Andrea Bononi, Pasquale Smoraldi, Angelo Masera Ludovica Bozzoli, Stefano Bottigliero, Federico Porrà, Emilio Fazzoletto Argotec, Pablo Hernández, Simone Simonetti

Small Satellite Conference

With the development and consolidation of new space exploration solutions, new operational scenarios are enabled, and with them new challenges arise. This paper describes the design drivers, process and achieved features of the newly developed CURIE Power Conversion and Distribution Unit (PCDU), aiming at deep-space CubeSat-operated critical missions. Born from cooperation between Argotec and the Power Electronics unit of the European Space Agency (ESA), this power unit is going to be employed on the HEliospheric pioNeer for sOlar and interplanetary threats defeNce (HENON) mission by ESA and the Italian Space Agency (ASI), aiming at demonstrating new solutions for near real-time …

Space Payload For Inertial De-Spin Efficient Effects (Spidee) For Reusable On-Orbit Attachment, Kailia Crowder, David Smith, Raefa Malik, Adam Orris, Simon Lee, Victor Agüero

Small Satellite Conference

The Space Payload for Inertial De-spin Efficient Effects (SPIDEE) is an electroadhesion-based general purpose in-space attachment payload ideally suited for docking, augmentation, mobility, and in-space assembly missions that does not require pre-preparation of the attachment surface.

Built around eTAP^TM (electrical Thin Attachment Pad), SPIDEE supports missions to attach to, detumble, and provide space mobility to defunct satellites and/or rocket bodies. eTAP's low power, reusability, and flexibility make it ideal as an all-purpose attachment and docking technology for the upcoming space challenge of reducing, reusing, and recycling in-orbit debris and/or assets. eTAP adheres to virtually all materials that are used …

Decoding Customer Digital Engagement And Challenges: A Bibliometric Study, Uday Arun Bhale, Harpreet Singh Bedi, Samrat Ray, Padmavathi Pv

Management Dynamics

The rapid proliferation of digital technologies has fundamentally reshaped how businesses engage with customers, positioning customer digital engagement (CDE) as a strategic imperative across industries. Despite a surge in scholarly interest, the literature on CDE remains fragmented, with diverse definitions, measurement approaches, and conceptual frameworks. This study addresses these gaps through a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of research on CDE published between 2010 and April 2024, using data extracted from the Scopus database. The analysis is guided by four key research questions: (1) What are the key trends and growth patterns in CDE research? (2) Who are the most influential authors, …

Analysis Of Photonic Crystal Fiber For Terahertz Applications In Optical Communications, Hiba Noori, Rasha A. Hussein, Muwafaq F. Jaddoa

Al-Bahir

This study discusses photonic crystal fibers (PCFs), a novel type of optical waveguide that performs noticeably better than traditional optical fibers and offers an extraordinary light-guiding mechanism. In this work, a porous core PCF was designed and analyzed. The fiber has a core of 360 μm diameter surrounded by four circular rings of air holes. COMSOL Multiphysics is used to simulate the suggested PCF. By altering two crucial structural components—the pitch spacing, which ranges from 165 to 175 μm, and the diameter (d), which ranges from 140 to 160 μm—the fiber behavior was investigated at frequencies ranging from 0.9 to …

Periodic Test Signals For Measurement And Calibration Of Phase Modulated Signals Directly With Spectral Analysis, Brendan Hill, Nazia Mozaffar, Slawan Damman

Small Satellite Conference

Software Defined Radio (SDR) transmitters that employ digital phase modulation can have imperfections in the transmitted waveform that either distort the intended signal or introduce undesired spurious interference. In the case of zero-intermediate frequency transmission, these impairments include amplitude imbalance between the in-phase and quadrature components, quadrature skew in the vector modulator, and local oscillator feedthrough. In the case of heterodyne transmission, where the digital modulation is applied to a carrier offset before digital-to-analog conversion, an undesired image may be present at the vector modulator output. These transmitter impairments can be observed and measured directly with a vector signal analyzer …