Digital Commons Network^™

Hyti-2: Advancing Hyperspectral Thermal Imaging Into The Era Of Space-Based Edge Processing, Miguel Nunes, Yosef Onodera, Trevor Sorensen, Robert Wright, Paul Lucey, Luke Flynn, Eric Pilger, Scott Ginoza, Mark Wood, Lance Yoseshige, Gabriel Guererro, Lucas Anderson, Charles Swenson, Sachidananda Babu

Small Satellite Conference

The Hyperspectral Thermal Imager 2.0 (HyTI-2) is a next-generation long-wave infrared (LWIR) hyperspectral imaging payload designed to operate as a continuously sensing, onboard intelligent node on a small satellite platform. Building on the heritage of the original HyTI mission, HyTI-2 delivers advances in spectral and spatial performance, onboard processing capability, and operational duty cycle, enabling sustained operational capability to support low-latency, data-rich Earth observation architectures for future satellite constellations. As the primary payload of the NASA ESTO InVEST-funded Active Cooling for Multispectral Earth Sensors (ACMES) mission, HyTI-2 is scheduled to launch in 2027 to a 550 km sun-synchronous orbit. HyTI-2 …

Optimization Of Orbit-Maintenance Strategies For Small Satellites In Cislunar Space, Timothy Lauinger, Bradley Cotten, Robert E. Zee

Small Satellite Conference

Renewed interest in lunar exploration and the development of a sustained cislunar economy has driven demand for low-cost missions supporting mapping, communications networks, navigation services, and scientific studies. Recent growth in rideshare opportunities to the Moon has made small-satellite architectures a viable and cost-effective approach for these missions. Successful execution of these missions, however, depends critically on fuel-efficient and reliable orbital insertion and maintenance strategies, as cislunar missions impose substantially higher delta V requirements than low-Earth orbit missions due to the inherent instability of low lunar orbits. Perturbations arising primarily from lunar mass concentrations drive secular growth in orbital eccentricity …

Nasa Stari Mission: A Formation-Flying Pathfinder For Space Interferometry, Akshat Dubey, Caden Burkhardt, Raven St. Clair, Austin Thomas, Tobey Chang, Shivani Sunil, Jacob Klingler, Bradley Bialke, Hannah Cherry, Adrien Boissy, Yethinder Ragav Lakshmi Kumar, Daniil Voloshin, Michael Meyer, John D. Monnier, James W. Cutler, Ethan Foss, Samuel Y. W. Low, Antonio Rizza, Simone D'Amico, Althea Noonan, Mark Gorrow, E. Glenn Lightsey, Melissa Flores, Alexa Lapinta, Albert Ostoja-Starzewski, Leonid Pogorelyuk, Gautam Vasisht, Kerri Cahoy

Small Satellite Conference

The STarlight Acquisition and Reflection toward Interferometry (STARI) mission is a NASA-funded two spacecraft 8U CubeSat technology demonstrator currently in Phase B designed to advance key capabilities required for future space-based optical interferometers. STARI will demonstrate end-to-end beam transfer by reflecting starlight from one spacecraft to another and injecting the received beam into a single-mode optical fiber when it launches in 2029. Formation flying and transferring starlight at very close proximities (25-200 m) presents GNC challenges such as collision safety, precision position control, and fast, precise beam control. The mission ConOps along with a sophisticated GNC system enables passively safe …

Model To Predict Solar Eclipse Impacts On Cygnss Mission Operations, Zach Wiens, Jillian Redfern, Amanda Alexander, Brian Magee, Sam Jones, William Wells, Caden Gobat

Small Satellite Conference

Launched into low-Earth orbit in 2016, the Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) mission is a constellation of eight small satellites that studies hurricanes and soil moisture. The spacecraft orbit in a fixed orientation with the instrument pointed nadir and the main solar array pointed zenith. During high beta angle seasons – periods during which the magnitude of angle between the Sun vector and the orbit plane is large – the solar arrays generate less power, so mission operators roll the spacecraft 10-16° towards the Sun. This maintains the battery state of charge above the safe-mode threshold. After nine years …

A Feasibility-Aware Attitude Trajectory Planner For Small Satellites, Patrick Mckeen, Niclas Scheuer, Kerri Cahoy

Small Satellite Conference

Spacecraft attitude control traditionally requires extensive per-mission engineering—hand-tuned gains, mission-specific mode logic, and conservative operating envelopes—that breaks down when on-orbit conditions deviate from ground assumptions. This is especially costly for small satellites, where limited ground support makes autonomous adaptability essential. We present a feasibility-aware attitude trajectory planner that replaces this hand-engineered stack with continuous planning from a digital twin: less a new feedback law than a different division of labor, in which the mode logic, gain tuning, and desaturation a conventional ADCS builds as separate pieces are instead absorbed into a single optimization.

Built on the ALTRO trajectory optimization algorithm, …

Dante: A Spaceborne Radar Constellation For Debris Detection And Tracking, Leonardo Carrer, Davide Giudici, Bernhard Niedermayer, Christian Federspiel, Wolfgang Ebner, Robert Greinecker

Small Satellite Conference

The growth of space debris in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) is increasing collision risk and challenging the sustainability of space operations, while current ground‑based radars remain limited in sensitivity, coverage and update rates especially for small objects. This paper presents DANTE (Detection ANd Tracking of space dEbris), a spaceborne radar constellation concept designed to enhance debris detection, tracking and orbit refinement directly from LEO. DANTE employs multiple low‑cost satellites equipped with X‑band phased‑array radars operating in two modes: a Tracking Mode for trajectory refinement of known objects and a Beam‑Park/Electronic Fence Mode for debris discovery. Performance analyses indicate sub‑meter resolution …

Software Defined Swarms, Nathan Benz, Scott Miller, Jeff Huang, Sonny Hwang, Todd Sarshad, Edmund De La Cruz, Thomas Magesarcher

Small Satellite Conference

The Starling Extended Mission has demonstrated the transformative potential of software-defined architectures in multi-spacecraft swarms. Building on the original Starling mission, which validated autonomous coordination and networking among small satellites, the extended phase focused on adaptability—updating onboard payload software and software-defined radios (SDRs) to enable entirely new experiments without hardware modifications. This capability signals a new approach: spacecraft swarms can evolve post-launch to meet emerging scientific and operational objectives. 

Central to this extension was the deployment of new software enabling two-way ranging and “reverse GPS” source identification using raw radio frequency (RF) signals. Traditionally, ranging and navigation rely on pre-integrated …

The Space Cognitive Network: From Fractionated Spacecraft To Collaborative Ai-Enabled Space Infrastructure, Owen Brown, Dennis Gatens, Fred Kennedy, John Moberly, Rusty Thomas, Derek Tournear

Small Satellite Conference

Over the past two decades, small satellite architectures have undergone a fundamental transformation — from platform-centric spacecraft, to globally distributed data-centric constellations. This paper traces that evolution and argues that a third shift is now underway: cognition-centric space architectures enabled by artificial intelligence (AI) as infrastructure. 

We begin by revisiting one of the earliest disruptive space architecture concepts: the fractionated satellite. Developed at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in the mid-2000s, the fractionation concept decomposes a monolithic spacecraft into distributed elements. While the original vision emphasized physical subsystem decomposition, the System F6 program ultimately revealed that the greatest …

Sar Disksat Demonstration Mission For Constellation In Vleo, Hirobumi Saito, Mitsuteru Kaneoka

Small Satellite Conference

We proposed a novel concept of quasi-two-dimensional SAR (synthetic aperture radar) satellites, SAR DiskSats, in 2023 at this conference. This year, in 2026, the demonstration missions of SAR DiskSats are authorized by the Japanese government as a Space Strategy Fund’s Mission. This paper describes the concept and the mission scenario of the demonstration mission in 2028 and 2030. The SAR DiskSat features a deployable passive slot array antenna that can be compactly folded within the quasi-two-dimensional satellite body. This configuration allows for flexible solar cell sheets to be installed on the backside of the antenna, as the antennas do not …

Scaling High-Resolution Operations: Implementing Automated Anomaly Response In The Skysat Constellation Via Dove Heritage, Hira Nadeem, Shannon Kyle Cabrera Deleon, Alexander Bauer

Small Satellite Conference

As Planet operates the world's largest commercial Earth observation satellite fleet, the transition from manual mission operations to autonomous systems has become a cornerstone of the ability to image Earth’s landmass each day. Planet operates a constellation consisting of hundreds of Dove satellites, approximately 15 SkySats, and a growing number of Pelican and Tanager satellites. As these on-orbit assets grow in both number and complexity, the move toward heterogeneous fleet management has required a unified approach to automation that spans across diverse satellite architectures concurrently and seamlessly. 

Drawing on the robust heritage of its large-scale Dove constellation, Planet has evolved …

Design Mechanism Framework For Autonomous Small Satellite Constellations – A Newspace Outlook, Mohammed Irfan Rashed

Small Satellite Conference

The increasing deployment of small satellite constellations is driving a transition from isolated spacecraft missions toward distributed and coordinated space operations. However, as constellation size and mission complexity grow, traditional ground-centric operational approaches become difficult to scale due to communication limitations, delayed decision-making, and increased operational workload. While autonomy has been widely explored through onboard algorithms and artificial intelligence techniques, there remains limited focus on how autonomy should be integrated into the systems engineering architecture of constellation missions. This paper presents a Design Mechanism Framework (DMF) for autonomous small satellite constellations that embeds autonomy directly into mission architecture, operational logic, …

Satellite Constellations 2026 - Survey, Trends And Economic Viability, Erik Kulu

Small Satellite Conference

This paper presents the commercial satellite constellation landscape as of Jan 1, 2026. It is based on data from the public NewSpace Index (www.newspace.im), which has tracked commercial constellations since 2016 and contained 456 entries by the end of 2025. 

Many constellation operators have launched initial satellites or small batches, but only a few have reached regular launch rates. Deployment has generally been slower than announced, with many projects scaling back plans or delaying timelines. SpaceX has a significant lead, having launched more than 11,000 Starlink satellites. The next largest commercial operators, Planet and OneWeb, remain well below 1000 satellites. …

47: Ii Corinthians Manuscript, Jack J. Blanco

The Clear Word Manuscript

This handwritten manuscript of II Corinthians is part of the original biblical paraphrase manuscript that later became The Clear Word, authored by Dr. Jack J. Blanco.

46: I Corinthians Manuscript, Jack J. Blanco

The Clear Word Manuscript

This handwritten manuscript of I Corinthians is part of the original biblical paraphrase manuscript that later became The Clear Word, authored by Dr. Jack J. Blanco.

45: Romans Manuscript, Jack J. Blanco

The Clear Word Manuscript

This handwritten manuscript of Romans is part of the original biblical paraphrase manuscript that later became The Clear Word, authored by Dr. Jack J. Blanco.

44: Acts Manuscript, Jack J. Blanco

The Clear Word Manuscript

This handwritten manuscript of Acts is part of the original biblical paraphrase manuscript that later became The Clear Word, authored by Dr. Jack J. Blanco.

43: John Manuscript, Jack J. Blanco

The Clear Word Manuscript

This handwritten manuscript of John is part of the original biblical paraphrase manuscript that later became The Clear Word, authored by Dr. Jack J. Blanco.

42: Luke Manuscript, Jack J. Blanco

The Clear Word Manuscript

This handwritten manuscript of Luke is part of the original biblical paraphrase manuscript that later became The Clear Word, authored by Dr. Jack J. Blanco.

41: Mark Manuscript, Jack J. Blanco

The Clear Word Manuscript

This handwritten manuscript of Mark is part of the original biblical paraphrase manuscript that later became The Clear Word, authored by Dr. Jack J. Blanco.

40: Matthew Manuscript, Jack J. Blanco

The Clear Word Manuscript

This handwritten manuscript of Matthew is part of the original biblical paraphrase manuscript that later became The Clear Word, authored by Dr. Jack J. Blanco.

39: Malachi Manuscript, Jack J. Blanco

The Clear Word Manuscript

This handwritten manuscript of Malachi is part of the original biblical paraphrase manuscript that later became The Clear Word, authored by Dr. Jack J. Blanco.

38: Zechariah Manuscript, Jack J. Blanco

The Clear Word Manuscript

This handwritten manuscript of Zechariah is part of the original biblical paraphrase manuscript that later became The Clear Word, authored by Dr. Jack J. Blanco.

37: Haggai Manuscript, Jack J. Blanco

The Clear Word Manuscript

This handwritten manuscript of Haggai is part of the original biblical paraphrase manuscript that later became The Clear Word, authored by Dr. Jack J. Blanco.

36: Zephaniah Manuscript, Jack J. Blanco

The Clear Word Manuscript

This handwritten manuscript of Zephaniah is part of the original biblical paraphrase manuscript that later became The Clear Word, authored by Dr. Jack J. Blanco.

35: Habakkuk Manuscript, Jack J. Blanco

The Clear Word Manuscript

This handwritten manuscript of Habakkuk is part of the original biblical paraphrase manuscript that later became The Clear Word, authored by Dr. Jack J. Blanco.

34: Nahum Manuscript, Jack J. Blanco

The Clear Word Manuscript

This handwritten manuscript of Nahum is part of the original biblical paraphrase manuscript that later became The Clear Word, authored by Dr. Jack J. Blanco.

33: Micah Manuscript, Jack J. Blanco

The Clear Word Manuscript

This handwritten manuscript of Micah is part of the original biblical paraphrase manuscript that later became The Clear Word, authored by Dr. Jack J. Blanco.

32: Jonah Manuscript, Jack J. Blanco

The Clear Word Manuscript

This handwritten manuscript of Jonah is part of the original biblical paraphrase manuscript that later became The Clear Word, authored by Dr. Jack J. Blanco.

31: Obadiah Manuscript, Jack J. Blanco

The Clear Word Manuscript

This handwritten manuscript of Obadiah is part of the original biblical paraphrase manuscript that later became The Clear Word, authored by Dr. Jack J. Blanco.

30: Amos Manuscript, Jack J. Blanco

The Clear Word Manuscript

This handwritten manuscript of Amos is part of the original biblical paraphrase manuscript that later became The Clear Word, authored by Dr. Jack J. Blanco.