Digital Commons Network^™

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 …

Compact And Cost-Effective Solar Array Drive Mechanisms To Enable High-Performance Small Satellites, Benjamin Nero, Jeremy Hawke

Small Satellite Conference

To enhance spacecraft power generation, deployable solar arrays are often used to increase the surface area available for solar cells. To maximize their effectiveness, a solar array drive mechanism (SADM) can be implemented, allowing independent array rotation from the spacecraft body. This capability is particularly valuable for Earth observation and target-tracking missions, where it enables continuous power generation despite spacecraft orientation limitations. This paper presents the design, analysis, and qualification testing of two low-cost SADMs: the SolarDrive-μ for microsatellites and the SolarDrive-S for small satellites. Each SADM consists of two primary elements—the drivetrain and the twist capsule—both designed with commercial …

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 …

Mitigation Strategies For Pattern Mismatching In Star Trackers, Melanie Phillips

Small Satellite Conference

Star tracker mismatching, although infrequent, can be detrimental to satellite operation and becomes more likely with worsened conditions including high slew rates, radiation, and stray light. Rocket Lab’s ST-16 Star Trackers use several methods to test for match validity; however, in general, there are trade-offs between matching robustness and hardware performance, and it is impractical to entirely remove the possibility of false positive returns.

To understand the types of scenarios where false positives occur, a review of existing datasets from the ST-16 was completed, and false positives were identified. The likelihood of false positive matching grows exceedingly rare as the …

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 …

The Atlantic Constellation Very High Resolution, A Small Satellite Approach Achieving High-Performance Optical Imagery, Henrique Candeias, Carlos Roldán, Carmen Velarde, Filipe Almeida, Francisco Miguel Ferreira, Gonçalo Aguiar, Gonçalo Correia, Henrique Santos, João Pedro Leitão, John Meyer, Lídia Nogueira, Liliana Baptista, Luis Gomes, Mónica Patrícia Moitas, Pedro Cruz, Pedro Prates, Ricardo Grosso Ferreira, Vasco Amorim, Vítor Botelho, Pedro Coelho, Patrick Silva, João Andrade, Nuno Catarino, André Oliveira

Small Satellite Conference

The Atlantic Constellation (AC) was launched politically by Portugal and Spain in 2021 as an initiative to develop an Earth Observation (EO) satellite constellation capable of delivering multispectral optical imagery at high revisit. The Constellation has evolved over time and is an anchor programme of the Portuguese National Space Strategy. It entails optical VHR satellites as well as SAR observation capabilities. Sharing the same ground and data infrastructure, the constellation will provide coverages at < 1m and images below 50 cm resolution with daily access time based on tasked imaging acquisitions. This constellation will constitute a strategic autonomy asset capable of serving a broad field of sectors, such as Defence, Maritime, Agriculture, Security and Disaster monitoring. As the leader of the VHR space segment component of the AC, and its main industrial partner, N3O faces diverse technical and programmatic challenges. The major challenge arises from the growing commercial demand for rapid access to orbit, which shortens the development and integration timelines imposed by customers. This demand leads to wider adoption for off-the-shelf components. The VHR satellites are a product of this philosophy. One of the major drivers is tailoring the mission requirements to accommodate what standard VHR payloads and small satellite platforms in the market can offer, and what their interfaces can support. Another challenge is maintaining a low orbit altitude, due to limited low thrust system and power capabilities that keep cost and complexity manageable, while ensuring the target 50 cm Ground Sampling Distance (GSD) and fulfilling the updated space debris regulation to decay within 5 years. Moreover, these commercial space products do not always follow standard processes and specifications (e.g. ECSS, MIL), making co-engineering effort and heritage knowledge key for satellite design and verification activities. Opportunities for rideshare and small satellite launch service providers are growing, together with the diverse market on Ground Stations services. Lastly, the development of dedicated in-house facilities and planning for the assembly, integration and test (AIT) phase of the VHR satellites, built from scratch, and based on space industry best practices and standards, all combine to make this one of the most ambitious space programmes ever carried out in Portugal.

A Ground System Framework For Operating Satellites In Very Low Earth Orbit, Kashyapa Naren Athreyas, Bryden Cho, Xiaohua Zhang, Wee Seng Lim

Small Satellite Conference

In the space industry, the space-segment and ground-segment work in tandem to effectively and safely control satellites, execute its intended missions, and obtain meaningful data. In recent years, the space industry has been exploring Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO) for the following advantages: (a) reduced satellite traffic, (b) increased revisit frequency, (c) shorter communication distances, and (d) closer Earth observation points. However, the exponential increase in atmospheric density and gravitational forces, combined with shorter operational response times to critical events, poses significant challenges for satellite operations. While satellite design should ensure appropriate system sizing and requirements to address these issues …

The Development Of Dwts (Doppler Wind Temperature Sounder) Climatology Missions For Earth And Mars, Marcus S. Murbach, Alejandro Salas, Arwen Davé, Malachi Mooney-Rivkin, Avery Brock, Kwabena Boateng, Ali Kashani, Larry Gordley, Benjamin Marshall, Joe Gubeli, Amanda Cook, Donald Banfield, Anthony Colaprete

Small Satellite Conference

The Doppler Wind and Temperature Sounder instrument (DWTS) is a unique atmospheric instrument being developed by Global Atmospheric Technologies (GATS), NASA and NOAA. Invented by Larry Gordley/GATS, it is a mid-wave infrared camera paired with a nitrous oxide (NO) cell, which acts as a spectral filter. Wind velocities and kinetic temperatures in the stratosphere and lower thermosphere are extracted by measuring the induced Doppler shift and Doppler broadening of emissions as they pass through the DWTS field of view. Eventually, the use of 3 gas cells(N2O, CO2) would complete the complement such that 20-200km during the day or night could …

Using A Software-Defined Radio Ground Station For A Small Satellite Mission, Simon Gläsner, Victoria Koßack, Mario-Rafael Ionian, Enrico Stoll, Tom Baumann

Small Satellite Conference

In January 2025, InnoCube, a 3U CubeSat was launched with the Transporter-12 mission, becoming the 31st academic satellite of TU Berlin. The technology demonstration mission is the first one at TU Berlin which uses software-defined radio to operate the satellite in the amateur UHF band. The ground station is based on software-defined radio, which has been a vital part of the development of the communication system of InnoCube. Integration into the ground segment is a logical step in the test-as-you-fly philosophy of the mission. The ground segment consists of a SDR which is paired to a power amplifier which includes …

Laser Crosslink Experiment: Post-Mission Review, Sean Stanko, Dan Frey, Jose Ruvalcaba, Sean Burk, Damian Klaren, Dmitriy Obukhov, Barry Tidmore, Jason Bousquet, David Wayne, Nathan Barnwell, Galen Cauble, Kevin Book, Ben Laxton, Grant Webster, Stan Volchenok, David Sadowski, David Palmer

Small Satellite Conference

The Laser Crosslink Experiment (LaCE) was a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) microsatellite mission that flew between March 4, 2024, and May 18, 2025. LaCE was a two-CubeSat, multi-payload mission developed by Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific (NIWC). Its major payloads included the CACI Skylight laser communication terminal, the ELROI optical beacon, the Vulcan CSR payload radio, and a newly developed NIWC Tracking, Telemetry, and Command (TT&C) ground operations center. Additionally, LaCE led to the development of the Stratospheric Optical Link Demonstration (SOLD) high-altitude balloon experiment, a companion mission which demonstrated the Skylight terminal in the stratosphere as a risk reduction …

Ronald E. Mcnair Scholars Program Profiles And Abstracts 2025, Mcnair Scholars Program

McNair Symposium

This publication provides research abstracts and biographies of 2025 McNair scholars and their mentors.

Development And Qualification Of An E Ink Thermal Control System For Tactically Responsive Satellites, Warren Su, Brian Phan, Dustin Holta

Small Satellite Conference

The United States Space Force (USSF)'s objective to establish Tactically Responsive Space (TacRS) capabilities — the ability to integrate and launch a satellite within 24 hours — is hindered by the inflexible and time-consuming nature of conventional Thermal Control Systems (TCS). Current industry-standard design approach is a mission-specific process that relies on static materials with fixed thermo-optical properties, such as paints, silver teflon tapes, and multi-layer insulation blankets.

This traditional approach creates a significant bottleneck, as the development of the TCS cannot begin until a customer's payload and orbit details are confirmed. This introduces an incompressible 3-6 month lead time …

Grotifer: A Compact Three-Dimensional Electric Field Instrument Suitable For Small Spacecraft Constellations, Scott Candey, Solène Lejosne, David Auslander, John W. Bonnell, Tatsuyoshi C. Kurumiya, Neli Montalvo, David Pankow, John G. Sample, Van Shourt, Orion V, Van K. Vu, Joshua Zhou

Small Satellite Conference

Existing double probe instruments cannot make equally accurate measurements of all three components of the DC and low frequency E-field. The spin axis booms on spinning spacecraft must be much shorter than spin plane booms and the resulting uncertainty in the spin axis is usually greater than the measured value.

Ronald E. Mcnair Research Symposium Presentation Schedule 2025, Mcnair Scholars Program

McNair Symposium

This is the presentation schedule for the 23rd Undergraduate Ronald E. McNair Research Symposium 2025.

The Role Of Structured Light Sensors In Small Satellite In-Orbit Operations, Linda Ngozwana, Matthew Hand, Aleksander Maslowski, Pete Blacker, Sean Kruszewski, Joshua Longstaffe, Fredric Richardson, Jose Sansano

Small Satellite Conference

The advancement of in-orbit servicing (IOS) technologies is crucial for establishing a circular economy in space, particularly for small satellites. Innovative sensing solutions are demanded to enable the reuse, repair, recycling and de-orbiting of space assets, providing critical support for the close-range navigation, robotic manipulation, and inspection tasks needed in IOS.

Apophis Cratering Experiment Mission Concept, Ethan Kayser, Tyler Presser, Cristyn Merry, Matthew Givens, Kevin Walsh, Viliam Klein

Small Satellite Conference

Apophis is set to become one of the most extensively studied asteroids in history thanks to the detailed observation campaign of OSIRIS-APEX during its 2029 and 2030 extended mission to the near-Earth object, alongside Ramses which is expected to launch in 2028. To supplement those missions, we propose the Apophis Cratering Experiment (ACE), an impactor mission that leverages OSIRIS-APEX or Ramses as a dedicated observer, during and after the collision, to maximize scientific return at a low cost. In addition to providing significant science return, the mission offers a low-cost opportunity to demonstrate novel SmallSat technologies in deep …

An Intelligent Tasking And Processing Chain For Generating Climate Resilience Insights Onboard, Lucy Donnell, Cameron Anderson, Richard Tipper, Hazel Jeffrey, Clare Rumsey, Murray Ireland, Charlotte Crawshaw, Luis Sanchez

Small Satellite Conference

Poster presented during the 2025 SmallSat Conference.

Magnetic Balancing For Microvibration Reduction In Passive Magnetic Bearings For Smallsat Reaction Wheels, Deckers Niel, Baekeland Mante, Cuypers Cedric, Seiler Rene, Vandepitte Dirk, Delabie Tjorven

Small Satellite Conference

Poster presented during the 2025 SmallSat Conference.

The Move Towards A Modular Spacecraft: Design And Manufacture Of Rf Components Using Additive Manufacturing, Rupesh Chudasama, Benjamin Falkner, Evangelos Mellios, Hossein Eskandari

Small Satellite Conference

Waveguides are critical components for communicating with satellites. Traditional waveguides consist of two parts and are relatively simple in geometry and require multiple steps and fasteners for assembly which add additional weight and the extended delivery times. Our approach is to use Additive Manufacturing (AM) and its design freedoms to produce a lighter, more compact, and printable version of a waveguide. The waveguide will undergo electrical testing to understand the performance of the 3D printed waveguide against the simulation.

Optimizing Ground Station Communications Using Multiple Spacecraft Per Aperture In A Ground Segment As A Service Framework, Stefan Vlad Tudor, Giovanni Zanotti

Small Satellite Conference

The increasing deployment of satellite clusters in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) presents new challenges and opportunities for satellite communications, particularly from a Ground Segment perspective. This paper investigates efficient management of multiple ground contacts, in the Ground Segment as a Service context, by leveraging on Multiple Spacecraft Per Aperture (MSPA) technique to maximize connectivity by sharing ground resources to multiple satellites simultaneously.

MSPA is particularly valuable for handling multiple spacecraft in close proximity, such as during the Launch and Early Orbit Phase (LEOP) of rideshare missions, all being supported by same ground segment infrastructure. By enabling simultaneous downlinks through a …

Accommodating A Very Large Aperture Antenna On A Small Satellite: The Global L-Band Observatory For Water Cycle Studies (Glows), David Long, Rajat Bindlish, Jeffrey Piepmeier, Mark Bailey

Small Satellite Conference

The NASA Instrument Incubator Program funded the initial development of the Global L-band active/passive Observatory for Water cycle Studies (GLOWS) as a NASA Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) data continuity mission. SMAP, launched in 2015, collected L-band radiometer and radar measurements over land and ocean using a large aperture reflector antenna [1,2]. SMAP observations have demonstrated utility in measuring sea surface salinity and ocean vector winds over the ocean, as well as sea ice thickness. While the SMAP quad-polarization radar failed soon after launch, the SMAP polarimetric radiometer continues to provide high quality radiometer measurements to the present.

To address …

Advancing Real-Time Gnss Data Transmission And Education Through Atak Integration At Cosmiac, Chad Rathbun, Craig Kief, Luis Hernandez, Rachel Hock-Mysliwiec, Michael Starks

Small Satellite Conference

This study showcases COSMIAC at the University of New Mexico (UNM), a leading center for configurable space microsystems and aerospace applications, as it integrates cutting-edge technologies to advance secure and efficient communication systems. Under the AFRL RAPID program, COSMIAC tested a novel architecture combining Azure Orbital Cloud Access (AOCA), the Azure Stack Edge Mini Rugged device, and SpaceX’s Starlink satellite constellation to transmit real-time Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) data. The project also leveraged the Android Tactical Assault Kit (ATAK), a geospatial situational awareness tool, to demonstrate the operational utility of advanced data delivery and visualization systems. The results inform …

Ai-Based Orbit Propagation And Conjunction Screening For Improved Space Situational Awareness, Plamen Petrov, Kevin Vanslette, Charles Stewart, Aisha Yousuf

Small Satellite Conference

Poster presented during the 2025 SmallSat Conference.

Ai-Driven Mission-Critical Software Optimization For Small Satellites: Integrating An Automated Testing Framework, Vishnupriya S. Devarajulu

Small Satellite Conference

Small satellites (SmallSats) have revolutionized our modern digital infrastructure, such as Earth observation, navigation, real-time communications, and deep space exploration, due to their composable design, effectively reduced cost, and accelerated development cycles. However, SmallSat software must function autonomously, often under limited bandwidth, processing power, and computing resources. Pre-launch techniques such as Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL), Software-in-the-Loop (SIL) and Unit testing are generally used, but often insufficient to detect errors, timing anomalies, fault propagation, or further telemetry-based degradations. This paper presents a Python-based validation framework influenced by recent testbeds like EIRSAT-1, ITASAT-2, and NOS3, integrating telemetry simulation, synthetic fault injection, resource logging, anomaly …

Attitude Control Of A Floating Satellite (Floatsat) Via Deep Reinforcement Learning, Muhammad Faisal, Dennis Reimer, Sergio Montenegro

Small Satellite Conference

In this work, attitude determination and control (ADC) of a Floating–Satellite(FloatSat)1 through artificial intelligence is proposed. More specifically, Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) will be used to generate an optimal control policy for small satellites. This project evaluated an attitude control policy based on deep reinforcement learning using stable–baseline3 (a library which implements the DRL algorithms in PyTorch).² This Artificially intelligent attitude control was realized for a one-dimensional laboratory-based satellite, which is specifically designed to train the students for satellites and their subsystems.

Autonomous Dual Interchangeable Robotic Arms For In-Space Servicing, Assembly, And Manufacturing, Jonathan Tindall, Michael Daher, Arin Churi, Jake Piccirillo, Anais Mera-Sarnelli, George Serra, Zach Merly, Andrew Dishchuk, Michael Madden, Christian Szczezniak

Small Satellite Conference

The expansion of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellations highlights the critical need for In-Space Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing (ISAM) to perform novel orbital missions that reduces launch and operating costs and extends mission lifespans. Existing space robotic systems are too expensive, large, and specialized for many ISAM applications in LEO. A small-scale twin robotic arm system that features interchangeable end effectors enhances future ISAM mission capabilities. This robotic arm system leverages smaller, low-cost, arms to perform precise autonomous operations, including satellite repair, repositioning, and recovery. Initial designs and analysis show the arms to be 62% smaller in length and …