Paper Category: Missions
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Resolving Sgr A* at 86 GHz using T-REX: Time-Resolving Explorer Satellite
We present T-REX: The Time-Resolving Explorer Satellite, a mission concept for a low-Earth-orbit (LEO) small satellite (M~85kg, P~1kW, >$50M) designed to explore the feasibility of millimeter-wave very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) from space. T-REX will operate at 86 GHz and seeks to achieve a temporal resolution of 22.5 minutes, enabling minute-scale sampling of the light…
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SEEING a family of high performance imagers for Earth Observation applications
Safran Reosc has developed a family of high performance, ultra-compact, space-based payloads for Earth observations applications and space-based surveillance awareness. The SEEING 230 Wide is compact imager designed to achieve a medium ground sampling distance of 8 meters at an altitude of 500km and a field of view of 60km. This instrument provides imaging mode…
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Enabling Software-Defined Satellites with Edge AI
Software-Defined Satellites (SDSs) enable spacecraft to evolve on orbit through software, moving beyond fixed-function architectures toward adaptable, multi-mission platforms. Software-defined radios and reconfigurable sensors and onboard compute systems provide foundational flexibility, while the integration of artificial intelligence at the edge is critical to achieving true operational autonomy. This presentation examines how AI-enabled onboard processing allows…
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ESA Scout HydroGNSS Early Mission Results
The ESA Scout HydroGNSS mission, launched in December 2025 will provide measurements of key hydrological climate variables, including soil moisture, freeze–thaw state over permafrost, inundation and wetlands, and above-ground biomass, using a novel technique called Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) reflectometry. According to GCOS there is a shortage of high-quality soil moisture data, a key…
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Ensuring Orbital Safety from T-0: The Critical Imperative for Immediate Post-Launch Collision Avoidance
As the density of the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) environment increases, driven by frequent rideshare missions and the deployment of mega-constellations, the initial phase of satellite operations has emerged as a period of heightened orbital risk. Historically, collision avoidance (COLA) processes have relied on established tracking by Space Situational Awareness (SSA) providers. However, this study…
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In-Orbit Experimental Validation of Autonomous Operations within the AIX Satellite-as-a-Service Framework
As Low Earth Orbit (LEO) constellations continue to scale, traditional ground-centric operational paradigms struggle to meet increasing demands in latency, flexibility, and operational cost. The AIX (AI-eXpress) mission series addresses these limitations by introducing a service-oriented satellite architecture that enables dynamic in-orbit resource usage and application deployment. This paper presents the in-orbit experimental activities of…
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IRIDE EAGLET-II LEOP: A New Operational Paradigm for Constellation Operations
The increasing adoption of satellite constellations in LEO orbit is driving new operational challenges during the Launch and Early Orbit Phase (LEOP) that becomes increasingly critical. Thousands of satellites are sharing the Low Earth Orbit, elevating the importance of phasing strategies and collision mitigation, which are now central topics in mission design discussions. This paper…
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Moonraker: De-Risking Lunar Landing Sites with High Resolution LiDAR
With renewed international interest in returning mankind to the Moon, safely landing both robotic and manned landers on the rough surface has become a critical challenge. Hazards such as small boulders, craters, and slopes can easily tip a lander and are often not visible in current elevation maps of the Moon. Today’s best topographic data…
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L-FIRE: A Distributed Aperture CubeSat Radio Telescope
The Low-Frequency Interferometric Radio Explorer (L-FIRE) is a proposed space-based mission concept designed to unlock the low-frequency radio spectrum (1–40 MHz). Regimes below 10 MHz are of particular interest, as they are largely inaccessible from the ground due to ionospheric opacity. L-FIRE will deploy a distributed interferometric observatory composed of 10 or more CubeSats, each…
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Enabling Secure Maritime Connectivity: MAIV of the MICE-1 CubeSat Mission
The increasing reliance of Maritime IoT and Internet of Vessels (IoV) applications on satellite connectivity places stringent requirements not only on system architecture and communications performance, but also on the robustness, manufacturability, and verification of spaceborne platforms operating in demanding environments. In this context, nanosatellite missions targeting maritime services must balance tight mass, volume, and…