Digital Commons Network^™

Augmenting Attitude Knowledge For Optical Communication Terminals On Cubesats By Kalman Filter Based Estimation, Elisa Garbagnati, René Rüddenklau, Chrisopher Schmidt

Small Satellite Conference

Given the growing demand for high data rate transmission on small satellites like CubeSats, free-space optical communication terminals have recently attracted an increasing interest thanks to their capability of ensuring high data rates, compact designs and low power requirements. Yet, the performances of the acquisition and pointing processes crucially depend on their attitude knowledge information. This information is currently available only if an optical link has already been established. Nevertheless, it is likewise important to accurately know the attitude during the link acquisition phase to shorten the search time until the opposing target is found. This aspect is equally relevant …

Integrating Launch Vehicles And Satellite Communications: Interstellar's Advancements With Toyota's Expertise, Keiji Atsuta

Small Satellite Conference

Interstellar Technologies, a private Japanese aerospace company, is developing a vertically integrated space infrastructure combining orbital-class launch vehicles and advanced satellite communications. Its rocket, ZERO, is a two-stage vehicle designed and manufactured entirely in Japan. To scale production, Interstellar has partnered with Woven by Toyota, applying automotive manufacturing principles to rocket production. This collaboration, backed by a ¥7 billion (~$44 million USD) investment, aims to create Japan’s first mass-producible launch platform.

In parallel, Interstellar is developing direct-to-device broadband communication satellites and has been selected for JAXA’s formation flight program, working with top universities to develop femto-satellite constellations. By integrating launch …

Tes-11 Goes Dcs Demonstration: A Novel Leo-To-Geo Communication System For Nanosatellites, Marcus S. Murbach, Beau Backus, Brett H. Bestill, David B. Kunkee, Thom Stone, Alejandro Salas, Malachi Mooney-Rivkin, Vasant Chalemcherla

Small Satellite Conference

A satellite in any low Earth orbit (LEO), with access to various geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) satellites, could have a near constant, low bandwidth, real-time link back to Earth during most of an orbit. These GEO satellites could include the two GOES, steadily refreshed since 1974, the European Space Agency (ESA) Meteosat, and the Japanese Space agencies (JAXA) Himawari satellite. These satellites implement the GOES Data Collection System (DCS), or analog, with applications which include meteorology, oceanography, hydrology, ecology, and remote sensing of Earth resources. The relatively compact DCS ground stations used by thousands of researchers transmit data at 100, …

Flight Demonstration Of A Next-Generation Uhf Telecommand Card With Cognitive Clear Channel Assessment For Cubesat Missions, Dhruva Anantha Datta, Pratik Aher, Srinidhi Gonahal, Immanuel Raja, Priyadarshan Hari

Small Satellite Conference

We present a developmental in-orbit demonstration of a TRL-9 UHF telecommand card, flown as a technology demonstrator payload on the fourth and final stage of the PSLV-C60/SPADEX Mission by ISRO. The card is an in-house developed RF PCB utilizing the ADF7030-1 transceiver from Analog Devices, marking the first flight of a new generation of sub-GHz modules with on-chip GFSK modulation and AX.25 packetization, widely used in CubeSat communications. Design and Implementation discussion of the UHF card is discussed, the design philosophy and various debugging techniques employed in the RF PCB development are discussed. The card integrates a digital SPI interface, …

Poundmaker – A Legacy Of Leadership, Love And Conciliation, Andrew J. Karesa

Indigenous Business & Public Administration

Chief Poundmaker was a foundational figure in early Canadian history. He was responsible for unifying warring nations into cohesive alliances that advocated for fundamental and inherent Indigenous rights. Throughout his life, his dedication was to his people and their overall well-being, even when it stood against his own personal well-being. This research expands on leadership theory through a case study of the life of Chief Poundmaker. His life exemplifies relational and servant leadership, which an individual can extrapolate into profound leadership lessons. By learning about Chief Poundmaker’s life and leadership journey, contemporary leaders can effectively learn how to lead through …

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. …

Deployable Diffractive Optical Elements For Small Satellite Lidar Missions, Adam Bahlous-Boldi, Leila Freitag, Amber Cooper, Mary Dahl, Afreen Siddiqi, John Leckey, Kerri Cahoy

Small Satellite Conference

SPECIES (Smart Polyimide Expandable Collector to enable Investigations for Earth Science) is a NASA Earth Science Technology Office (ESTO) project that explores the use of a deployable diffractive optical element (DOE) in a space-based lidar instrument for a 12–24U CubeSat operating in low Earth orbit (LEO). The DOE, a 0.6-meter hybrid multi-level Fresnel zone plate, is made using a tessellation of hexagonal molds, each with a unique number of diffractive levels. It is stowed for launch and deployed on orbit using a 3 meter long extendible boom, which positions the optic at the correct distance from the spacecraft, while guy …

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 …

Novel Orbits For Resilient Launch – Enabling The Optimization Of Rideshare Options To Cislunar And Geo Destinations, Tom Gardner, Jeffrey Parker, Ethan Kayser, Alec Forsman

Small Satellite Conference

Launch and delivery access to cislunar space is a unique challenge that has received increased interest in recent years for a variety of mission applications. Beginning with the CAPSTONE mission and followed by Artemis I CubeSat rideshares, iSpace, Intuitive Machines, KARI, and CLPS landers, launches to cislunar space have increased dramatically. With launches increasing and other expected missions deploying to this valuable domain, evaluations of efficient and sustainable launch approaches are highly relevant to future operations. Launching to cislunar space utilizing the benefit of third-body perturbations from the Sun and Moon has been demonstrated by multiple missions including the ARTEMIS …

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 …

Paradise Lost In The Patent Law? Changing Visions Of Technology In The Subject Matter Inquiry, Dana Remus Irwin

Florida Law Review

In recent decades, the Patent and Trademark Office and the federal courts have dramatically expanded the scope of patentable subject matter—the set of inventions eligible for patent protection. Existing scholarship has taken a narrow view of this expansion. Scholars argue on efficiency grounds that without more meaningful limits on the scope of patentable subject matter, future invention will be impeded rather than encouraged. This Article takes a broader view of the subject matter inquiry, tracing its historical development and its changing theories of technology, from the patent system’s inception to the present. This Article demonstrates that through these theories of …

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) …

Novel Solutions For Cubecat Attitude Determination And Control Systems Using Pcb Magnetorquers And Low Power Control Solutions, Weston Willardson, Eero Ward, Harrison Thomas, Michael Evans, Michael Williams, Sarahi Oretga-Duran, W. Seth Nelson, David Long

Small Satellite Conference

Satellite attitude determination and control systems (ADCS) can be large, heavy, and expensive relative to a CubeSat’s size, weight, and cost requirements. We have developed a compact, low-mass, inexpensive ADCS prototype suitable for a student-class 1U CubeSat. We utilize three enabling technologies to reduce size, weight, and power (SWaP): 3-axis low-profile printed circuit board (PCB) magnetorquers, a basic sensor package, and computationally efficient control. The PCB magnetorquers are mounted on the exterior of the CubeSat frame to conserve internal volume for spacecraft electronics and payload. Attitude is determined by infrared horizon sensors and a magnetometer. The control algorithms utilize computer …