Digital Commons Network^™

Expanding Cubesat Horizons: A 27u Mission To Sun-Earth L5, Tabitha Patrick, Allen Martinez, Aimee Dew, Shane Hancock, Michael Generale

Small Satellite Conference

CubeSats have gained increasing popularity in the aerospace industry due to their compact, modular designs, which offer a cost-effective and versatile solution for orbital applications. Historically limited to low Earth orbit (LEO) due to propulsion and communication constraints, CubeSats are now being explored for deeper space missions. The Icarus mission seeks to demonstrate that a 27U CubeSat can operate at the Sun–Earth Lagrange Point 5 (L5), leveraging recent advancements in efficient electric propulsion and deployable subsystems to monitor solar activity and relay data back to Earth. By capitalizing on a standardized CubeSat form factor with commercial off-the-shelf components, Icarus offers …

Sardonyx: A Building Block Towards In-Space Assembly, Michael Swartwout

Small Satellite Conference

In-space assembly and manufacturing (ISAM) is an enabling capability for future space missions, and one where small satellites can play an essential role. Of the many technologies needed for ISAM, the Sardonyx mission will demonstrate two: capture of noncooperative resident space objects and close-proximity, agile maneuvering. Sardonyx is a partnership between Saint Louis University, Cambrian Works and Bennett Research Technologies.

The baseline design consists of a single 12U-scale spacecraft carrying multiple deployable Objectives. Each Objective will expand to at least a meter in diameter and be gently released. The Sardonyx spacecraft will detect the target, maneuver to within a few …

Outer Planet Exploration By Novel And Small Spacecraft: Jaxa’S Opens Program Concept And Its First Mission Opens-0, Ryu Funase, Naoya Ozaki, Hajime Yano, Isas/Jaxa Opens Working Group

Small Satellite Conference

The OPENS (Outer Planet Exploration by Novel Small spacecraft) program, proposed by JAXA's Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS), aims to revolutionize outer planet exploration through the use of small, low-cost spacecraft. Unlike traditional flagship-class missions, OPENS promotes high-frequency, high-risk, high-return missions that can be achieved even by countries with limited resources. The program’s first mission, OPENS-0, targets the demonstration of key technologies necessary for future small outer planet explorers, including solar-powered spacecraft operations and long-term hibernation capability. The spacecraft will be launched by JAXA’s Epsilon S rocket and perform gravity assists en route to Saturn, with the earliest …

High Resolution, Wide Swath Sar Observation From Disksat At Vleo, Hirobumi Saito, Yasuyuki Miyazaki, Michio Takikawa, Tien M. Nguyen, Roy Nakagawa, Ching-Yao (Tony) Chang, David Hinkley, Ryo Natsuaki, Mitsuteru Kaneoka, Jiro Hirokawa, Kazuyuki Nakamura

Small Satellite Conference

This paper proposes a novel concept of quasi-two-dimensional SAR (synthetic aperture radar) satellites, SAR DiskSats, featuring a deployable passive slot array antenna (De-PSAA) that can be compactly folded within the quasi-two-dimensional (Q-2D) satellite body. This Q-2D configuration allows for potential flexible solar cell sheets to be installed on the backside of the antenna, as the antennas do not dissipate heat. This satellite configuration is also suitable for stacking within a rocket fairing for the mega-constellation launch of SAR DiskSats into VLEO (very low Earth orbit). The proposed DiskSat's thin edge cross-section reduces aerodynamic drag, enabling the satellite to operate at …

Astra – Autonomous Satellite Technology For Resilient Applications: A Technology Demonstrator, Lauren Underwood, Fernando Figueroa, Zachary Lewton, Landon Tynes, Travis Martin, Jonathan Morris, Quentin Oswald, John Curry

Small Satellite Conference

ASTRA is an on-orbit technology demonstrator establishing a new paradigm for implementing on-board “thinking.” ASTRA is a system-level autonomy capability (including digital twins, anomaly detection, diagnostics/prognostics, and mission management) enabled by an innovative technology, NPAS - NASA Platform for Autonomous Systems. NPAS is developed by NASA Stennis Space Center (SSC) Autonomous Systems Laboratory (ASL) with support from NASA Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate (ESDMD) Advanced Exploration Systems and Mars Campaign Office. ASTRA leverages NPAS for on-board “thinking” autonomy. ASTRA also includes advanced hardware required for implementing autonomy. ASTRA Flight Software (FS) is running on commercial hardware that provides the computational …

Kentucky Re-Entry Probe Experiment-3: The Third Hypersonic Flight Of The Krups Capsules, Bruno Tacchi, Eric T. Adams, Alexander R. Barrera, Asa C. O'Neal, Aaron Cramer, James E. Lumpp, Savio J. Poovathingal, Alexandre Martin

Small Satellite Conference

The Kentucky Re-entry Universal Payload System (KRUPS) is a small flight capsule with dimensions of 11 by 8.5 inches and a sphere-cone geometry. KRUPS aims to serve as a cost-effective testbed for hypersonic atmospheric entry experiments, collecting thermal response and flight data during re-entry and testing novel thermal protection systems (TPS). The forebody of the capsule is fitted with an instrumented TPS containing thermocouples and pressure ports. Furthermore, the instrumentation suite contains a high-g accelerometer, a GPS, an IMU, and a spectrometer.

The KRUPS project started in 2013. Since then, the capsule has flown five sounding rocket missions, a high-altitude …

On-Orbit Validation Of An Ai-Enabled Cloud Removal And Compression Solution For Eo Satellites, Rosana Rodríguez-Bobada, Jose Manuel Heredia-Oliver, Pablo Tomás Toledano González, Carlos Espinosa-Peral, José Luis Espinosa-Aranda, Tom Hendrix, Amaury Perrocheau, David Rijlaarsdam, Aubrey Dunne

Small Satellite Conference

Optical Earth Observation (EO) sensors can be significantly affected by atmospheric conditions, particularly cloud cover, which can obscure their images and reduce the information content in the final image. It is estimated that over 50% of the Earth’s surface is covered by clouds at any given moment. As a result, up to half of the data captured by visible EO satellite imagers is rendered unusable for most applications. Transmitting this unusable data, even in a compressed form, unnecessarily utilises valuable communications downlink bandwidth. This is particularly acute for hyperspectral EO missions, where the tens to hundreds of bands per acquisition …

Novel Global Navigation Satellite System Receiver For Characterization Of Ionospheric Scintillation And Plasma Bubbles With A Cubesat Swarm, William Gullotta, John Braun, Jan-Peter Weiss, Nicholas Pedatella, Qian Wu

Small Satellite Conference

Ionospheric scintillation and equatorial plasma bubbles (EPBs) are phenomena related to turbulence and depletion in the plasmas in the ionosphere. EPBs are depletions in the plasma density in the equatorial region in the post-sunset period. These depletions can lead to turbulent irregularities in the amplitude and phase of communications signals, called scintillation. Scintillation also occurs in the polar regions, where it is caused by particle precipitation and convection. EPBs and scintillation in low- and high- latitudes both have an impact on the quality and availability of space-based communication and navigation systems which leads to a high demand for observations from …

Advancing Space Weather Research With The Next-Generation Space Weather Probes, Justin Wellington, Rowan Antonuccio, Kade Howes, Benjamin Lewis, Todd Wilson, Charles Swenson

Small Satellite Conference

Accurate characterization of ionospheric conditions is essential for improving space weather forecasting and mitigating its impacts on communication, navigation, and space-based systems. Utah State University’s Center for Space Engineering has developed the second-generation Space Weather Probes (SWP2) instrumentation suite, optimized for deployment on small satellite platforms. Building upon experience from the Scintillation Prediction Observations Research Task (SPORT) mission, SWP2 integrates advanced Langmuir probes, floating potential double probes, and an RF impedance probe onto a compact, FPGA-controlled electronics module, conforming to the standard 9×9 cm CubeSat form factor. The design provides complementary diagnostic measurements of electron density, electron temperature, electric fields, …

Slalom: A Mission Concept For Autonomous Very Low Lunar Orbit Operations, Jeffrey S. Parker, Bradley Cheetham, Charles Cain, Ethan Kayser

Small Satellite Conference

A Sustained Low-Altitude Lunar Orbital Mission (SLALOM) maintains an orbital path very close to the surface of the Moon: passing within 1–5 kilometers of topographical peaks and maintaining an average altitude under 10 kilometers. This extremely low orbit enables high-resolution observations of the Moon but requires a new class of autonomous navigation and stationkeeping. The au-tonomous software system, ALPINE (Auto-maneuver Location Processor using Integrated Navigation Estimates), fuses real-time optical navigation data with one-way and cross-link radiometric tracking data to maintain continuous and autonomous custody of the spacecraft. This paper examines a stationkeeping strategy that maximizes surface coverage of desirable locations …

Does Teach Lead To More Teachers? Evaluating The Effects Of The Federal Teach Program, Daniel Sparks

Journal of Student Financial Aid

Teachers are critical to education production. Yet, recruiting and retaining teachers has remained challenging, particularly in high need fields, at schools serving a high proportion of students from low-income backgrounds, and from racially diverse backgrounds. To incentivize enrollment in teacher preparation programs and to support teacher candidates through degree completion, the federal government implemented the Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant in 2008. The TEACH Grant offers undergraduate and graduate students up to $16,000 and $8,000 in grant aid, respectively, to pursue degrees in high need teaching fields. I use difference-in-differences analyses to estimate the effects …

Chipsat Design For The Descent Mission, Matt Hurford, Bryan Peters, Joshua Umansky-Castro, Corbin Heywood, Andy Filo, Alex Burke

Small Satellite Conference

The Demonstration of Suborbital ChipSats Ejected from New Shepard Test Flight (DeSCENT) mission, conducted by Cornell’s Space Systems Design Studio (SSDS) in partnership with the Applied Physics Laboratory (APL), is a suborbital endeavor that aims to deploy 100 ChipSats from a Blue Origin New Shepard rocket when the rocket reaches 100 km above the Earth’s surface. ChipSats are a type of FemtoSat (satellite with a mass less than 100 grams) that can fit into the palm of your hand and contain all the fundamental functionality of a spacecraft. The mission’s primary objective is to refine models that predict the freefall …

Leopard: Demonstrating Cubesat Technologies For Light Scattering Observations And Satellite Positioning In Leo For Future University-Based Lunar Missions, Necmi Cihan Orger, Victor Hugo Schulz, Jose Rodrigo Corodova-Alarcon, Hanadi Abdalla, Mehmet Esit, Makiko Kishimoto, Sara Aziz, Mengu Cho, Minh Pham Anh, Hery Steven Mindaro, Subsinchai Ratatamanun, Enkhmend Ochirsukh, Husseinat Etti-Balogun, Kubo Shota, Jeje Kudakwashe, Thibaut Tena, Rafiki Yves Ndayishimiye, Daisuke Nakayama, Alper Sanli, Konosuke Nishinaga, Akihiro Oboshi, Edgar Mujuni, Ramson Munyaradgi Nyamakondiwa, Im Polimey, Hiroto Hidaka, Hirokazu Masui, Josue Reynel Galindo Rosales

Small Satellite Conference

The LEOPARD (Light intensity Experiment with On-orbit Positioning and satellite Ranging Demonstration) satellite is a 3-unit (3U) CubeSat platform to demonstrate several technologies and payloads in low Earth orbit (LEO) prior to future lunar CubeSat missions. After deployment from the International Space Station (ISS), it plans to perform the following missions, including onboard processing of Earth-origin one-way radio ranging signals (OPERA), multispectral imaging to monitor light scattering above the horizon (MSC), single event latch-up detection (SEL), solar panel deployment using shape memory alloy (SMA), and ambient magnetic field measurements. First, the OPERA mission will validate critical steps towards deep-space positioning …

Book Review On The Worlds Of Classical Chinese Aesthetics (By Paul R. Goldin), Lin Wang

Comparative Philosophy

No abstract provided.

Moral And Ethical Nature In Confucian Liang-Zhi And Islamic Fitra: Comparative Perspectives On Innate Morality, Yanrong Shi

Comparative Philosophy

This article offers a comparative philosophical analysis of Confucian liang-zhi (innate moral knowledge) and Islamic fitra(primordial nature), focusing on their accounts of innate morality and moral epistemology. Drawing on classical Confucian sources—especially the praxis-oriented interpretation of Wang Yangming—and foundational Islamic texts and commentary, the study demonstrates that both traditions posit an inborn moral faculty grounding ethical universality and responsibility. Wang Yangming’s liang-zhi is conceived as an innate moral principle that, under the imperative of zhi (to actualize or extend), is continually activated through moral practice. In parallel, fitra is understood as a God-given orientation to truth, cultivated and safeguarded through …

In 8 Years From Design To Launch: Objectives, Challenges And Risk Mitigation Of The Educational Student Cubesat Project Source, Philipp Hoffmann, Kaja Gebhard, Mario Spahr, Klemens Boltenhagen, Michael O'Donohue, Daniel Galla, Robin Schweigert, Natascha Bonidis, Sabine Klinkner

Small Satellite Conference

The Stuttgart Operated University Research CubeSat for Evaluation and Education (SOURCE) project is a 3U+ CubeSat developed in collaboration between the Small Satellite Student Society at the University of Stuttgart (KSat e.V.) and the University of Stuttgart’s Institute of Space Systems. This educational satellite mission is designed to provide students with hands-on experience in all phases of satellite development, from the initial concept to the final mission operations. SOURCE’s development began in 2018 and has been supported by ESA’s Fly Your Satellite! program since 2020. Over the past seven years, more than 500 students have had the opportunity to work …

Improving Equity In Financial Aid Policy For Students With Disabilities, Ryan S. Wells, S. Kate Farmer, Morgan D. Woroner

Journal of Student Financial Aid

Disabled college students face significant barriers to degree completion, including systemic inequities in financial aid policies. This Issue Article investigates financial aid policies that unfairly limit aid to disabled students, at times forcing them to choose between maximizing their financial aid and the recommended accommodations to which they have a legal right, such as a reduced courseload. We highlight how current policies, including Pell Grant proration, Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) requirements, and lifetime funding caps, create financial and administrative burdens that disproportionately affect disabled students. By examining federal and state-level policy responses, we identify both promising practices and persistent gaps …

Performance Evaluation Of 1 U+ Module Of Water Ion Thruster With 7000 Ns Of Total Impulse, Yuichi Nakagawa, Hiroto Saito, Jun Asakawa

Small Satellite Conference

Water has emerged as a promising propellant for small satellite propulsion systems due to its inherent advantages in safety, affordability, and ease of handling. Traditional chemical propellants such as hydrazine pose significant safety risks due to their toxicity and explosiveness, while electric propulsion systems often rely on high-pressure gases like xenon and krypton, which present logistical and supply chain challenges. Although water exhibits lower propulsive performance, particularly in terms of specific impulse, its practical benefits have gained attention with the rise of CubeSats and nanosatellites, where mission requirements prioritize simplicity and safety over maximum efficiency. Various water-based propulsion technologies have …

Rhok-Sat: Investigating Perovskite Solar Cell Performance And Degradation In Low Earth Orbit Through A 1u Cubesat, José R. Pastrana, Anas Matar, Kerry Tang, Damian Nguyen, Marouf M. Paul, Mallory Miller, Phuc H. Nguyen, Jasper Scherz, Zheng Yu Wong, Jess G. Hamer, Olivia A. Kaufmann, Benjamin T. Wilson, B. Burnham

Small Satellite Conference

RHOK-SAT is a 1U CubeSat scheduled to launch in September 2025 aboard a resupply mission to the International Space Station (ISS) through NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative (CSLI) program. Its mission is to characterize the performance and degradation of six experimental perovskite solar cells in low Earth orbit for 12 months. Characterization consists of current-voltage measurement taken by one dedicated microcontroller per solar cell. Measurements are performed when the cells are in direct sunlight, determined via a quadrant photodiode. A silver-alloyed copper indium gallium selenide (ACIGS) solar cell serves as a reference for comparative analysis due to its well-characterized behavior. Each …

Extended Testing Of A Steam-Powered Propulsion System For Rapid-Orbit Corrections: A Viable Alternative To Chemical Propulsion, Marco Pavan, Ivan Timofeev, Vladimir Fedorov, Jinyoung Shin

Small Satellite Conference

The Steam Thruster One is an electro-thermal propulsion system capable of delivering a thrust level up to 20 mN, using 20 W of power and reaching a total impulse of about 1200 Ns in its 2U configuration. The system operates solely on low-pressure water, ensuring complete safety for integration and operations both on the ground and in space. The propulsion cycle involves converting liquid water into superheated steam, which is then expanded through a nozzle to generate thrust.

The propulsion system was tested in space in Q3 2023 and Q2 2024, where it successfully demonstrated short propulsion manoeuvres. However, for …

Stp-H12-Vantage: Combining Visual And Event-Based Sensing For Earth Observation, Diego Wildenstein, Michael J. Cannizzaro, Ian Peitzsch, Linus Silbernagel, Joshua Poravanthattil, Peter Drum, Mark Hofmeister, Cole Bowman, Natan Herzog, Evan W. Gretok, Alan D. George

Small Satellite Conference

Conducting Earth-observation tasks from orbit can provide valuable research insights in fields such as meteorology, geology, forestry, cartography, and defense. Developing and building space payloads for Earth observation poses significant challenges, including the high cost of radiation-tolerant systems, the widening gap between current state-of-the-art apps and the capabilities of space-grade processors, and the increase in fidelity of modern sensors. Many Earth-observation missions typically collect data by leveraging visual and/or multispectral imagers. However, when using conventional imaging, there can be significant losses in context due to the frame-based operation of these sensors, as well as both relevant and irrelevant data mixed …

Doing Business On Indian Reservations: Tribal Business Owners' Perspectives On Entrepreneurship, Terry L. Anderson, Thomas Stratmann

Indigenous Business & Public Administration

This paper reports insights from focus group discussions from Montana reservations, which provide insights and perspectives on the experiences of Native American entrepreneurs. The narratives from these discussions highlight the challenges the current regulatory context poses for entrepreneurial activities and their communities. The participants spoke of regulatory unpredictability and inefficiency, resulting in uncertainty faced by business owners and thus not impeding economic prosperity. The discussions also revealed a disconnect between tribal governments and community members, characterized by a lack of transparency and accountability. Judicial independence emerged as another significant concern. These insights from the focus groups suggest a path forward …

Senior Living: Filling The Gap, Katy J. Johnson

The Interactive Journal of Global Leadership and Learning

This white paper explores how colleges and universities can help address the housing crisis for Americans aged 65 and older by integrating seniors into college campuses. This approach not only helps to fill dormitories but also provides students with valuable work experience. The paper examines three key issues: the Silver Tsunami (the growing senior population), declining enrollment leading to campus housing vacancies, and the financial burden of higher education. By advocating for intergenerational living, the proposal offers an innovative solution that benefits seniors, students, and universities.

An Exploratory Study Of Soft Skills Development Expectations In Two-Year Generation Z College Students, Kelli Hallsten Erickson

The Interactive Journal of Global Leadership and Learning

Workplace demands around competent demonstration of soft skills have been steadily increasing; therefore, institutions of higher education have started focusing attention on instilling these skills within their student populations. The latest generational cohort to enter college and the workforce, Generation Z, has only recently begun to be studied for the impact of its members’ attitudes towards work and how those might change employer expectations around soft skills. A research gap exists, however, regarding students in Generation Z attending two-year schools and which soft skills they feel are most valuable to their future careers. This study sought to explore those attitudes …

Development Of The Music Hall Thruster Family For Small Satellite Missions: Current Status And Upcoming Missions, George-Cristian Potrivitu, Matteo Laterza, Khoo Kai Sheng, Nunki Pontianus, Suryono Gunawan Ali, Justin Ong, Dylan Lim, Zhuo Xuan Chua, Wei Jian Joshua Lim, Willem Frederik Von Lynden, Garreth Christopher Anwar, Mooi Meng Wai, Jian Wei Mark Lim

Small Satellite Conference

The MUSIC – MUlti-Stage Ignition Compact – Hall thruster family is developed to operate at system power below 100 W making it ideal for small satellites ranging from 3 U to a few 100 kg. The concept relies on the versatility of the MUSIC thruster unit which can be operated in various modes, and the modularity of the peripherals, i.e., the power and electronic control units, and propellant management assembly. This contribution expands the existing scarce literature on low-power Hall thruster systems that are qualified for flight, presents an overview of the capabilities of the MUSIC Hall thruster, past and …

Consolidated Simultaneous Ranging And Clock Synchronization With Application To Positioning In Cis-Lunar Space, Junichiro Kawagichi, Shingo Nishimoto

Small Satellite Conference

The AOWR scheme functions as a set of transceivers connecting two entities: the ground station and the spacecraft. The phase difference information obtained from both sides intrinsically contains data related not only to the range but also to the clock difference simultaneously. The AOWR scheme can synchronize the clock onboard the spacecraft regardless of the distance. In cis-lunar space due to poor geometric configurations, until the position is determined, the clock difference cannot be established. It drastically improves and reduces the dilution-of-precision index. The paper will present the outcomes confirmed through demonstration experiments utilizing hybrid devices related to the GNSS …

Standards And Schematics For Intelligent Extensible Mission Architectures In Space, Evana Gizzi, Alan Gibson, James Marshall, Shannon Bull, Timothy Chase Jr., Jonathan Davis, Matthew Dosberg, Michael Johnson, Peter Knudtson, John Lucas, Michael Monaghan, Chris Robberts, Daniel Rogers, Bethany Theiling, Julie Breed, Larry Kepko, Carrie Vuyovich, Connor Firth, Lily Clough, Aaron Woodard, Brian Kempa, Caleb Adams, Robin Onsay, Sam Pedrotty, James Berck

Small Satellite Conference

As the space sector trends toward complex mission types, the demand for multi-asset, multi-generational, and multi-organizational paradigms has grown. It is critical that the spaceflight community builds the infrastructure needed to realize these mission architecture goals. To this end, we present a standard and schematic for intelligent extensible mission architectures, which will allow missions of the future to be distributed, heterogeneous, incremental, and interoperable for enhanced flexibility, adaptability, and responsiveness in space. We begin by describing a motivation for intelligent extensibility, followed by a review of related work in standards and autonomous multi-agent systems. Next, we present the theoretical definition …

Machine Learning For Interference Detection And Mitigation On Space Telecom Software-Defined Radio Signals, Adhémar De Senneville, Dennis Ogbe, Zaid Towfic

Small Satellite Conference

Detecting anomalies and interference is an essential capability of contemporary flight radios and ground support equipment. The advent of software-defined radios (SDRs) has made this task feasible. These radios allow real-time monitoring and potential mitigation of interference by adjusting frequency bands. This feature is useful as spacecraft components degrade and interference from other instruments may disrupt communications. The implementation of automated anomaly detection systems on SDRs can enhance both spacecraft and ground station testing by identifying abnormal waveforms and potential interference in communication channels. First, this work investigates how machine learning compares against classical signal processing approaches for the anomaly …

Preliminary Scale Analysis Of Formation Flying For Direct-To-Device Communication Using Ultra-Small Satellites, Sumio Morioka, Harunobu Kobayashi

Small Satellite Conference

Direct-to-Device (D2D) communication in satellite constellations is attracting attention for enabling direct links to mobile terminals without large ground antennas. This approach could extend mobile coverage and support future Cyber-Physical System (CPS) use cases, such as connected vehicles and IoT sensing.

To overcome data rate limitations caused by the small antenna size on individual satellites, we propose a formation-flying system that constructs a large-aperture phased array antenna [1]. Our analysis shows that a swarm of tens of thousands of pico- or femto-class satellites can meet the required link budget, enabling broadband D2D communication with practical.

Compact Satellites For Big Insights: Mission Analysis Of A 16u Cubesat For High-Resolution Earth Observation, Abdelmadjid Lassakeur, Kamel Djamel Eddine Kerrouche, Imène Taleb, Abdelhak Benikhlef, Mohammed Amine Meghabber

Small Satellite Conference

The demand for high-resolution Earth observation data has been growing rapidly, driven by applications in environmental monitoring, disaster response, urban planning, and defense. Governments, research institutions, and private companies increasingly rely on detailed satellite imagery to make informed decisions. However, traditional Earth observation satellites are often expensive and require long development timelines, creating a need for more compact and cost-effective solutions. Recent advancements in CubeSat technology, particularly in high-performance Attitude Determination and Control Systems (ADCS), have significantly expanded the capabilities of nanosatellites. These improvements have made it possible for smaller satellites to achieve imaging performance once limited to larger spacecraft. …