Digital Commons Network^™

The Auroral X-Ray Imager (Axis), Andrew Holland, Karen Holland, David Colebrook, Thomas Buggey, Chiaki Crews, Michael Hubbard, Colin Forsyth, William Dunn, Shyama Narendranath, Srikar Tadepalli, Anurag Tyagi, Koushal Vadodariya, Douglas Jordan

Small Satellite Conference

The interaction of the solar wind with the Earth is a subject of significant study. One phenomenon is the occurrence of aurorae at the polar regions, resulting from the interaction of particles in the solar wind with the atmosphere, often giving light shows which captures the publics’ imagination. These energetic interactions also extend to X-ray wavelengths. Whilst aurorae have been studied for generations in the visible, the X-ray emission of aurorae has only been observed by a couple of spacecraft, with a paucity of data. There are only a couple of instances of emission intensity having been measured, but without …

Seeing 230 Ident: A Compact, High-Precision Zerodur®-Based Imager For Smallsat, A. Bouée, X. Bozec, J. L. Carel, F. Dong, V. Dumont, L. Duveau, P. Manfredi, V. Mengeling, R. Philipps, S. Ques, C. Soncin, L. Swyngedauw

Small Satellite Conference

The SEEING 230 IDENT is a compact space imager based on a ZERODUR^® main structure. It provides a ground sampling distance of 1 meter when operating at an altitude of 500 km. The optical layout adopts a space-efficient Korsch design, optimized for compactness and performance. This paper provides a comprehensive presentation of the instrument’s main specifications, its opto-mechanical concept, and the experimentally validated performance.

Ninjasat Achievements And Lessons Learned, Toru Tamagawa, Takao Kitaguchi, Yo Kato, Tatehiro Mihara, Kentaro Taniguchi, Teruaki Enoto, Tomoshi Takeda, Hiromitsu Takahashi, Naoyuki Ota, Amira Aoyama, Satoko Iwata, Takuya Takahashi, Kaede Yamasaki, Yousuke Nakano, Soma Tsuchiya, Yuto Yoshida, Syoki Hayashi, Sota Watanabe, Arata Jujo, Yuanhui Zhou, Keisuke Uchiyama, Wataru Iwakiri, Mayu Ichibakase, Masaki Numazawa, Hiroki Sato, Chin-Ping Hu, Hirokazu Odaka, Tsubasa Tamba

Small Satellite Conference

NinjaSat is a 6U CubeSat dedicated to X-ray astrophysics, launched on November 11, 2023. Scientific observations began on February 23, 2024, and as of June 27, 30 X-ray sources have been observed, yielding numerous scientific outputs. Beyond its primary mission of astronomical observations, NinjaSat has contributed to additional fields, including X-ray pulsar-based navigation, atmospheric studies using X-rays passing through Earth’s limb, investigations of atmospheric structure through orbital decay analysis, and studies of the relationship between the orbital radiation environment and solar activity. By expanding beyond its initial astronomical focus, NinjaSat has demonstrated the versatile potential of scientific CubeSats. This paper …

Launch Fast Learn Fast: Lessons Learned From The R5-S2 And R5-S4 Missions, James Berck, Sam Pedrotty, Jack Wisbiski, Morgan Alexander, Kathryn Knesek, Ruth May, Jacob Nunez-Kearny, Rob Stoddard, Thomas Kirven, Robin Onsay, Roger Hunter

Small Satellite Conference

The Realizing Rapid, Reduced-cost high-Risk Research (R5) project is pushing the envelope on minimizing cost and schedule for complex spacecraft that support low Technology Readiness Level payload demonstration in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). R5 has recently designed, built, launched, and operated multiple spacecraft that are iteratively and incrementally delivering improved payload hosting capabilities while maintaining cost targets (< $100k in materials per bus) and schedule targets (launching at least two spacecraft per year). This paper will describe the unique architecture, approach, technological advancements, and lessons learned from the project. The primary stakeholder for R5 is the Small Spacecraft Technology program within the Space Technology Mission Directorate at NASA with the project based out of Johnson Space Center.

To achieve the aggressive cost and schedule targets, R5 is redefining the understanding of how much rigor, quality, and robustness are required to succeed in high-risk LEO missions. Starting with a clean-slate for process and system design, R5 has charted a path, …

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 …

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 …

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, …

Productization And Qualification Of A 22n Bipropellant Hydrogen Peroxide Engine, Thomas White, Vivek Vidyarthi, Avery Clotfelter

Small Satellite Conference

As the space industry expands quickly and green propellants enjoy growing interest, the key question of research is no longer basic viability but productization. The most valuable engine is one that is qualified and available as close to “off the shelf” as possible. But publications on the process of taking an engine from first demonstrations to true product status are rare. This paper describes the process of transitioning Benchmark Space System’s 22N Ocelot engine – first flown as the 1.0 product version in 2022 – into a high-volume, well-characterized product, including details on the qualification program for the 1.2 version, …

Designing Coordinated Multi-Vehicle Networks For Leo-To-Geo Transport Using Low-Thrust Propulsion, Shan Selvamurugan, E. Glenn Lightsey

Small Satellite Conference

Elements of on-orbit servicing (OOS), such as propellant depots and refuellable servicing spacecraft (servicers), offer promising means to extend the operational lifespan of Earth-orbiting assets. While current concepts for reusable in-space transportation often rely on a single, versatile servicer to transfer payload satellites to high-energy orbits, an alternative approach to this monolithic architecture may employ a network of space-resident transport vehicles to move payloads from low-Earth orbit (LEO) to geostationary orbit (GEO). This paper investigates how servicers equipped with low-thrust propulsion can be used to design fuel-optimal, multi-vehicle transport architectures under temporal constraints. A set of analytical solutions is derived …

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 …

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 …

The Conventional Emptiness Of Human Beings: Reviewing Archer’S Theory Of Agency Through Nagarjuna’S Looking Glass, Federico Podestà

Comparative Philosophy

Margaret Archer is probably the critical realist who has most significantly affected the debate around the relationship between social structure and agency. In the volume, Being Human: The Problem of Agency, she aims to better define what is meant by the properties and causal powers of agency itself, i.e., self-consciousness and reflexivity. In this paper, this theoretical attempt is reviewed through the critical standpoint of Nagarjuna. Nagarjuna’s philosophy appears to be a particularly compelling tool for criticizing Archer’s theory. Claiming the emptiness of everything, the founder of the Buddhist Madhyamaka school provides a critical perspective for revising the distinctiveness of …

A Constructive Engagement Between Oxford Ordinary Language Philosophy And Latin American & Latine Liberatory Philosophy, Alessandro R. Moscaritolo Palacio

Comparative Philosophy

In this paper, I bring into dialogue a movement in Latin American social and political philosophy – which I have named Latin American and Latine Liberatory Philosophy – and a Western, or more precisely global North, philosophical movement sometimes called Ordinary Language Philosophy. By ‘Latin American and Latine Liberatory Philosophy’, I refer to a movement, adumbrated at the dawn of the 19^th century and developed during the 20^th century, whose guiding theme is the political, social, and cultural liberation of Latin America (and global South peoples more generally). By ‘Ordinary Language Philosophy’, on the other hand, I refer …

Reassessing The Deontological Undercurrents In Mo Zi’S Ethical Thought, Nuno Miranda

Comparative Philosophy

This article reexamines Mo Zi’s ethical philosophy, challenging the dominant interpretation of Mohism as a purely consequentialist or proto-utilitarian system. While Mo Zi’s emphasis on social utility—such as material welfare, population growth, and aversion to warfare—aligns with outcome-oriented reasoning, I argue that his invocation of the will of Heaven introduces a deontological dimension. Heaven’s will serves not merely as a heuristic for maximizing benefits but as an absolute moral standard, demanding adherence to duties like universal love and non-aggression, irrespective of immediate practical gains. Through a close reading of the Mo-Zi corpus, this study reveals a hybrid ethical framework that …

Is The Mahāyāna Buddhist Doctrine Of Mutual Dependence A Case Of Begging The Question?, A. K. Jayesh

Comparative Philosophy

This paper employs a number of argumentative strategies that the Buddhist philosopher Nāgārjuna employs in his Yukti-corpus to demonstrate that the Mahāyāna Buddhist doctrine of mutual dependence is not a case of begging the question. More precisely, this paper demonstrates that to say that A and B are mutually dependent is not to say that what grounds B is grounded in what it itself grounds; it is to say that both A and B lack ontological independence, and that they are a part of a changing, interdependent whole. Mutual dependence thus is a case of dynamic holism, and not of …

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 …

Target Selection For The Pandora Smallsat: A Nasa Mission To Disentangle Stellar And Exoplanet Atmosphere Signals, Knicole Colón, Elisa Quintana, Thomas Barclay, Benjamin Hord, Jessie Dotson, Daniel Apai, Benjamin Rackham, Jason Rowe

Small Satellite Conference

The Pandora SmallSat mission was selected for implementation in 2021 as part of NASA’s Astrophysics Pioneers Program. Pandora is designed to monitor stellar variability while studying the atmospheres of transiting exoplanets via transmission spectroscopy. The transmission spectroscopy technique is one of the best methods to identify the makeup of exoplanetary atmospheres now and in the coming decade. However, stellar variations that occur from the presence of, for example, cool star spots, have been shown to contaminate the exoplanet atmosphere spectra obtained with high-precision transmission spectroscopy measurements. This stellar contamination leads to ambiguous interpretations when attempting to distinguish features like potential …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Quarcs Light: Validation Of An Abbreviated Assessment Of Undergraduate Numeracy And Mathematics Affect, Isaac S. Rosenthal, Kate Follette, Vonna L. Hemmler, Catherine Sarosi, Sanlyn Buxner, Erin Galyen, Margaret Shea, Soon-Young Shimizu, Brendan Seto

Numeracy

In this study, we present evidence for the validity of a shortened form of the Quantitative Reasoning for College Science (QuaRCS) Assessment, a validated instrument assessing the numeracy and math-related affect of undergraduate students in general education/introductory science courses. Previously published analyses of QuaRCS data revealed that 1) roughly 30% of students found the assessment boring, leading to lower self-reported effort and 2) affective factors (e.g. numerical self-efficacy) were significant predictors of QuaRCS score. As a result, we reduced the length of the assessment from 25 to 15 quantitative items, and expanded the affective variable selection from three to eight …

Closed-Loop Satellite Planning And Scheduling For Low-Latency Data Collection And Analysis With A Conversational Agent Interface, Neil Dhingra, Sean Kearns, Nathan Evans, Ella Herz, Armin Rezaiyan-Nojani

Small Satellite Conference

We demonstrate a closed-loop geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) Tasking, Collection, Processing, Exploitation, and Dissemination (TCPED) pipeline that provides data and data analyses using commercial satellite imagery. The Cloudbased Automated Satellite Tactical TCPED (CASTT) software platform obtains data through automated interfaces with satellite operators, performs analyses of that data which drive automated re-tasking by Auria’s optimized collection planning software, and then issues those new follow-up tasks to the satellite operators. Automation shortens the timeline from the receipt of data that warrants follow-up data to its actual collection and delivery. CASTT leverages progress across the space industry to providing an integrated solution drawing …

Novel Pressure-Based Electric Propulsion Discovery, Wesley Faler, Brad Berkson

Small Satellite Conference

This paper presents a novel electric propulsion system that uses pulsed plasma and ion- electron recombination to generate thrust primarily from internal pressure, using water vapor as propellant. In-space testing of the Poseidon^™ thruster demonstrated 37.49 mN average thrust and over 4,800 seconds specific impulse at under 1.5 W input power. A physics-based model captures the full mass, energy, and momentum balances and matches experimental results, supporting pressure as the dominant thrust mechanism. Experimental detection of proton–boron fusion in the exhaust plume further validates the system's plasma behavior and confirms a key element of its operating cycle.

Big Data Solutions For Cubesat Mission Operations: A Case Study From The Michigan Exploration Lab, Daniil Voloshin, James W. Cutler

Small Satellite Conference

As space missions generate increasingly vast and complex datasets, efficient data management and processing solutions are critical. At the Michigan eXploration Lab (MXL) at the University of Michigan, where we design, build, and operate CubeSats, we have adopted big data technologies, specifically a Hadoop and Spark-based cluster, to address challenges in handling and analyzing large-scale data. These challenges include processing raw I/Q sample recordings from CubeSat satellite passes and suborbital missions, as well as mission-long spacecraft telemetry. The cluster leverages the distributed storage capabilities of the Hadoop Distributed File System (HDFS) and the in-memory data processing power of Apache Spark, …

Under-Actuated Target Tracking Performance - Flight Results From The Ghgsat-D Spacecraft, Niels Roth, Benoit Larouche, Robert E. Zee, Stéphane Lokocki, Laura Bradbury, Marcela Arias

Small Satellite Conference

The GHGSat-D spacecraft, a precursor demonstration to GHGSat’s commercial constellation, was launched on June 21 2016 into a polar Sun-synchronous orbit with altitude 507 km and local time of descending node 10:30. The spacecraft successfully demonstrated GHGSat’s novel payload’s ability to measure and monitor precise greenhouse gas emissions from low Earth orbit. Such measurements were enabled by custom target tracking maneuvers allowing its imaging spectrometer to pan across ground targets of interest at prescribed rates. In July 2017 one of its three reaction wheels exhibited signs of high friction, resulting in its discontinued use. With only two functional reaction wheels …

Exploring Beamed Energy Propulsion: Development And Application Of A Configurable Simulation Tool, Charles Cundiff, Michael Harrington, Victoria Coverstone, John Larosa

Small Satellite Conference

Laser sailing enables propellantless spacecraft propulsion by transferring momentum from a directed energy beam to a reflective sail. Unlike traditional chemical or electric propulsion systems, laser sails decouple propulsion performance from onboard mass and stored energy, presenting an opportunity for lightweight, scalable spacecraft maneuvering. This work develops and applies a simulation framework in FreeFlyer to evaluate the performance of laser sailing across a range of orbital missions, with emphasis on low-mass systems, such as CubeSats.

The simulation model incorporates several critical physical effects, including beam divergence, atmospheric attenuation, sail material reflectivity and emissivity, thermal loading, and realistic station visibility. The …

Hardening And Advancing Cots Fpga/Gpu Integrated Circuits For The Realization Of Space-Grade System-On-Module, Kwen-Siong Chong, Wei Shu, Joseph S. Chang

Small Satellite Conference

We propose radiation-hardening solutions to mitigate single-event-latchup (SEL) and single-event-upset (SEU) on Commercial-off-the-Shelf (COTS) Field-Programmable-GateArrays (FPGAs) and/or Graphic-Processing-Units (GPUs), advancing COTS FPGAs/GPUs suitable for the realization of spacegrade radiation-tolerant system-on-module (SoM). Our solutions include enhanced power reliability solutions to mitigate SEL, and enhanced data integrity solutions to mitigate SEU. We demonstrate our solutions on an SoM embodying the Xilinx Zync UntraScale+ FPGA, 32GB eMMC, 5 DDR4 memories, and a 32MB QSPI flash. Collectively, on the basis of the (performance × cost) figure-of-merit, our radiation-tolerant SoM is several magnitudes higher than present-art solutions.

A Dynamic Wireless Channel Emulator For Realistic Cubesat Testing, David Michelson, Eisha Khan, Max Xiang, Yun Xing, Ada Li, Ryan Manak

Small Satellite Conference

Failure of the communication subsystem has been responsible for approximately 20% of small satellite mission failures over the period between 2000 and 2019. Insufficient system-level integration and testing has been cited as one reason why corrective actions weren’t taken before launch to prevent such failures. Here, we introduce a relatively inexpensive GTEM-cell-based dynamic channel emulator that will permit designers of CubeSats operating at frequencies up to 20 GHz to evaluate their spacecraft’s communications over multiple simulated passes with the spacecraft in as close to over-the-air flight condition as possible, including fully deployed antennas. Using this over-the-air channel emulator allows the …