Paper Category: Engineering
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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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A Camera Payload and Processing Unit for Onboard Solar Panel Deployment Verification Using Segmentation and Contour-Based Compression
The CPPU is a compact Camera Payload and Processing Unit (CPPU) for autonomous in-orbit verification of deployable mechanisms, with a focus on solar panel deployment status and subsequent anomaly monitoring. The goal is to demonstrate that decision-relevant onboard vision can replace “image-as-telemetry” by converting camera frames into reliable descriptors that support autonomous assessment while reducing…
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Beyond Wired Backplanes: A Framework for Modular and Reconfigurable Wireless Intra-Satellite Communication
Goal: This research addresses the inherent limitations of traditional wired backplane architectures in small satellites, which restrict subsystem density, complicate assembly, and prevent post-deployment reconfiguration. The objective is to validate a wireless bus architecture as a viable, flight-ready replacement for rigid wired interconnects, fundamentally changing the systems engineering workflow for SmallSat missions. Methodologies: The study…
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Air-Bearing-Based Evaluation of Reaction Wheel Micro-Vibrations and Their Impact on Small Satellite Pointing Stability
High-performance imaging satellite missions require exceptional pointing stability to ensure image quality and geometric fidelity. This stability is often degraded by micro-vibrations originating from reaction wheels, which propagate through the spacecraft structure and induce line-of-sight (LoS) jitter. Although force-torque measurements are commonly used to characterise these disturbances at component level, relating them to spacecraft-level pointing…
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Autonomous Space Domain Awareness for Small Satellites Using Integrated Optical Imaging and Hardware-in-the-Loop Simulation
This work presents an integrated approach to autonomous Space Domain Awareness (SDA) for Smallsat missions by combining advanced Resident Space Object detection and SSA/SDA software with space-qualified optical imaging hardware and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) simulation. The research focuses on the integration of LMO’s software stack for detection and tracking with Redwire’s SpectraTRAC and SpectraCam sensors, with…
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Dynamic Response of CubeSat Structures to Launch Loads
CubeSats and other small satellites experience harsh dynamic conditions during launch, where broadband random vibration and high-frequency shock events can pose a significant risk to structural integrity and onboard components. This paper investigates the dynamic response of a CubeSat primary structure when subjected to representative launch vibration and shock environments. A finite element model of…
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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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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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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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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…