Paper Category: Systems Engineering & Integration
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LEONSEGS: Ground Segment as a Service and Cross Mission Planning for SmallSat Operations
This presentation provides a concise technical briefing with a short demo of the Large Earth Observation New Space Ecosystem Ground Segment (LEONSEGS) project to solicit constructive peer feedback and engage potential adopters. LEONSEGS is a federated ground segment platform that combines Ground Segment as a Service with multi mission planning and semantic archive retrieval to…
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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…
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SPOCK: Enabling Cognitive Cloud Computing in Space for Low Latency Earth Observation
The SPOCK (Smart Processing Orbital Cloud Konstellation) initiative introduces novel constellation architecture concepts designed to enable Cognitive Cloud Computing in Space (3CS) capabilities addressing the growing demand for low-latency and high-performance data processing in Earth Observation (EO) missions. The project is currently being carried out by Indra and Aresys under ESA funding and follows up…
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Scaling Heat Rejection for High-Capability SmallSats: From Conduction to Deployable Two-Phase Radiators
The rapid growth of the SmallSat market has been driven by increased launch access and miniaturization and commercialization of spacecraft grade electronics, leading to steadily increasing onboard power and thus heat dissipation. As SmallSats evolve toward higher capability payloads, thermal control systems must reject greater heat loads while meeting aggressive Size, Weight, Power, and Cost…
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Optimisation of star tracker orientation and attitude trajectories for space-to-ground optical communication on CubeSats
Optical communication systems promise a step-change in data return capability for CubeSats but introduce exceptionally demanding pointing requirements. In some cases, sub-milliradian level pointing of the satellite is required to successfully acquire a laser signal from the ground. This is further complicated by the relatively high angular velocities and angular accelerations of the satellite-to-ground target…
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MediSat: A Secure Delay-Tolerant CubeSat Constellation for Medical Data Relay in Infrastructure-Degraded Environments
Reliable transmission of medical data during disasters and in remote regions remains a critical challenge due to damaged, congested, or nonexistent terrestrial communication infrastructure. This paper presents MediSat, a SmallSat-based system concept for secure, delay-tolerant relay of medical data using a constellation of CubeSats operating in low Earth orbit. The proposed architecture employs a store-and-forward…
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Dynamic Response of CubeSat Structures Under Launch Loads: Effects of Internal Mass Distribution
During launch, CubeSats are subjected to severe loads, and the internal mass distribution within their structures can significantly affect their dynamic response and overall structural behavior. An investigation of the structural and dynamic behavior of a CubeSat in representative launch environments, with particular emphasis on internal mass distribution, is crucial to the design and development…
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Semi-Autonomous Reconnaissance Satellite: A Laboratory Demonstration of End-to-End On-Board Mission Autonomy
Real-time satellite responsiveness to user requests from the field remains largely unavailable in current space systems. Such capabilities are typically restricted to low-altitude airborne platforms, primarily due to limited satellite communication bandwidth, intermittent ground contact, and the reliance on ground-based mission planning. Enabling true responsiveness requires a paradigm shift toward highly autonomous satellites, in which…
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Component-Level Polymer Composite Spot Shielding for Radiation and Thermal Management in SmallSats
The increasing use of commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) electronics in SmallSat platforms offers significant advantages in cost, performance, and development speed; however, radiation tolerance and thermal constraints often force conservative spacecraft-level shielding strategies. Bulk aluminum enclosures introduce substantial size, weight, and power (SWaP) penalties and frequently require entire subsystems to be over-shielded based on the most radiation-sensitive…
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Securing Small Satellites: Integrating Cybersecurity into CubeSat Architecture through MBSE
The growing use of CubeSats across industry and student-led university projects has expanded the cyber threat surface of space systems, making cybersecurity a critical design consideration. Historically, satellites were expensive, state-owned assets, limiting access to space and reducing the number of potential threat actors. Today, CubeSats offer a low-cost, widely deployable alternative, enabling broader participation…