Paper Category: Scientific
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Satellite-as-a-Service: A Cybersecurity Perspective
Satellite-as-a-Service (SataaS) provides users with access to satellite capabilities without requiring ownership or direct operation of space assets. This paradigm enables the deployment and execution of applications in orbit without the need for custom hardware or dedicated missions, significantly lowering the entry barrier to space. In addition, SataaS supports rapid in-orbit experimentation, even for applications…
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Low SWaP Flight Board for High-Speed On-Board Data Handling, Processing and AI Inference
The continuous increase in payload data volume and mission autonomy requirements is driving the need for increasingly advanced on-board data handling and processing technologies in satellite systems. In particular, next-generation Earth observation, telecommunications, and distributed space architectures require high-performance processing capabilities to enable real-time data reduction, intelligent decision-making, and efficient use of downlink resources. Within…
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System-Level CubeSat Propulsion Development for Next-Generation Deep-Space Missions
CubeSats have evolved from educational platforms into capable spacecraft for scientific, commercial, and exploration missions. Extending this capability to deep space and demanding Earth-orbit operations requires propulsion beyond current CubeSat state of practice. Deep-space transfers, precision manoeuvring, drag compensation, and long operational lifetimes demand high specific impulse, high total impulse, and efficient use of limited…
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SENSORIS: NewSpace Constellation for Daily Gravity Field Solutions
Satellite gravimetry missions allow to track mass transport on global scales. The main satellite constellations for the gravity recovery are the GRACE and GRACE Follow-On missions. Typically, they provide monthly gravity field solutions which at times is suffering from data gaps. The future MAGIC constellation shall continue the time series and improve especially the spatial…
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Towards an open source, systems-level mission planning and analysis tool
The traditional systems engineering workflow requires synthesis of subsystem design information into technical budgets, performance simulations, and other metrics of mission credibility and value. Projects often use a diverse mixture of spreadsheet calculators and custom and commercial simulation software to draw mission-level conclusions from subsystem-level design information and requirements. This approach suffers from two inefficiencies.…
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High-Speed Optical Communications for CubeSats: End-to-End Terminal Demonstration and BER Performance Characterisation
Free-space optical communication (FSOC) is increasingly considered for small satellites because it can provide significantly higher data rates than RF while remaining compatible with strict size, weight, and power (SWaP) constraints. This capability is attractive for Earth-observation and science missions where downlink volume is a limiting factor. Despite this potential, CubeSat-class optical terminals are challenging…
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Foresail-1 Prime: Early In-Orbit Results and Platform Performance
This presentation reports first in-orbit results from the FORESAIL-1 Prime mission [1], launched in November 2025 aboard the Transporter-15 mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base. FORESAIL-1 Prime is a 3U CubeSat built on a fully redeveloped, mission-specific satellite platform, designed and implemented at Aalto University following a comprehensive re-engineering of the original FORESAIL-1 spacecraft. All…
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CubeSat ISR Constellation Mission Tailoring
This paper presents a modelling framework for Intelligence, Surveillance & Reconnaissance (ISR) CubeSat constellation combining optical payload and Software Defined Radio (SDR). The concept satellite is 8-16U depending on the payload resolution and presence of warm-gas propulsion allowing for orbital changes and station keeping extending the operational time. Deployed in 500-km Sun-Synchronous Orbit (SSO), the…
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KLARA: A Miniaturized, Low-Cost Re-Entry Capsule
KLARA is a miniaturized, low-cost re-entry capsule designed to capture critical aerothermodynamic and attitude data from satellites during atmospheric re-entry. By leveraging an iterative test-driven approach and Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) components, KLARA aims to optimize performance while minimizing costs, paving the way for more accessible space debris monitoring and re-entry studies. Iterative Development Approach Inspired…
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Resolving the Origin of Deimos: Combining Global and Local Composi-tional Analysis with the small-sat TASTE Mission
Understanding the formation of Phobos and Deimos is critical for decoding the history of Mars and the evolution of the outer Solar System. The scientific debate centers on two models: for-mation via a Martian giant impact or the capture of D-type asteroids. The TASTE – Terrain Analyzer and Sample Tester Explorer mission seeks to resolve…