Paper Category: Engineering
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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…
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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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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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Hardware Security Subsystem for On-board Cybersecurity
Fuelled by the New Space economy, there is a critical demand for enhanced cybersecurity in satellites, a necessity that is increasingly recognised yet remains challenging to meet due to resource constraints, system complexity, and maintenance costs. Robust security implementations across individual satellite subsystems traditionally require specialised cryptographic expertise, costly maintenance of the cryptographic software stack,…
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Systems Engineering approach for a next generation modular satellite platform ‘Astrocore’
The Astrocore project is a strategic initiative by ISISPACE to develop a next-generation satellite avionics suite. It aims to meet the evolving demands of the small satellite market, with a scalable form factor from 6U up to small satellites under 250kg. The development effort is requirement based: User needs from 4 reference missions were identified…
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Space Debris Pulverization Systems for Low Earth Orbits
European policy on space debris mitigation is fast evolving to contain the increasing demand for launch of small satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), whose specifications fail to meet ESA latest and more stringent requirements. Referring to the decrease of the maximum permanence in operational orbit from 25 years to 5 years after End of…
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Broadband vibration isolation in a deployable telescopic baffle exploiting post-buckling thrust tube dynamics
Stray light suppression is a primary consideration for high-performance optical instruments, yet the necessary baffle dimensions often conflict with launch volume restrictions. Existing solutions necessitate a trade-off: motorised telescopic mechanisms provide structural rigidity but incur significant mass, complexity and cost penalties. Flexible deployable shrouds, whilst volumetrically efficient, lack the deterministic geometry required for high-precision optical…