Paper Category: Research
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Perovskite Solar Cells: In-Orbit Assessment
The increasing demand for long-duration and cost-efficient small satellite missions is driving the need for power technologies beyond conventional silicon photovoltaics. Perovskite Solar Cells (PSCs) offer high specific power and mechanical flexibility. Notably, recent terrestrial studies on PSCs have demonstrated promising self-healing properties under controlled bias. However, their behaviour under space conditions remains largely unverified.…
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Comparative Analysis of ST-100 and ST-100M Hall Thruster Prototypes for Mission-Specific Applications
This study provides a comparative assessment of the ST-100 Hall-effect thruster and its magnetically shielded counterpart, the ST-100M, designed to enhance longevity by minimizing channel wall erosion. Erosion of dielectric channel walls remains a critical limitation for thruster operational life. The ST-100M incorporates an optimized magnetic topology, developed using ANSYS Maxwell simulations, to deflect ion…
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Modular, Serviceable and Demisable Small Satellites: Engineering a Resilient European Space Defence Architecture
Europe’s defence, security, and critical-infrastructure missions are becoming increasingly dependent on small satellite constellations for communications, ISR, navigation resilience and environmental awareness. Yet most small satellites are still engineered as disposable assets, creating strategic fragility, rising replacement costs, and growing orbital sustainability risks. This paper presents a new engineering doctrine for small satellites based on…
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From Structure to System: Multifunctional 3D-Printed Satellite Architectures
Additive manufacturing offers significant potential for the development of highly integrated and cost-effective satellite structures. This research aims to evaluate the viability of monolithic 3D-printed satellite structures for space applications, with a focus on integrating mechanical supports, electrical routing, and electronic functionalities directly into the primary structure. By leveraging the monolithic nature of additive manufacturing,…
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Space weather forecasting using SARIMA
Solar fluxes and geomagnetic activity influence the temperature of the air, and consequently the density. These phenomena are hard to predict because of their highly nonlinear and stochastic nature. However, they have significant effects on LEO space missions and orbital decay time estimations, since air drag is one of the major perturbations in this region.…
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The Final Barrier to High-Performance Computing in Space: Architectures for Mitigating Catastrophic Radiation Effects
The increasing ambition of commercial and institutional space missions is driving demand for onboard computing capabilities far beyond traditional spacecraft avionics. Applications such as orbital data centers, large satellite constellations, autonomous mission operations, and real time data processing increasingly depend on high performance GPUs, advanced processors, high density solid state storage, and complex commercial electronic…
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Integrated Earth Observation Data Processing and Climate Analysis Using SmallSat Remote Sensing: Enhancing Urban Resilience and Emission Accountability in Egypt (2020–2024)
Earth Observation (EO) platforms, particularly those utilizing SmallSats, are rapidly becoming vital assets for monitoring global climate and environmental trends due to their adaptability, lower cost, and rapid deployment capabilities. This research addresses the persistent technical challenge of integrating disparate, multi-resolution satellite data into unified, actionable geospatial products suitable for urban-scale climate analysis. Specifically, the…