EUROPE’S LARGEST SMALLSAT CONFERENCE

May 26-28, 2026 | RAI, Amsterdam

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Paper Category: Technology

  • Design and Analysis of a Composite Satellite Bus for VLEO Applications

    The increasing interest in Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO) missions has highlighted the need for lightweight satellite structures capable of withstanding demanding launch and operational environments. The main objective of this research focused on the development and structural validation, by finite element method (FEM) analysis, of a composite dominated microsatellite bus architecture suitable for VLEO…

  • DESIGN AND VALIDATION OF A RENDEZVOUS & PROXIMITY OPERATIONS CONCEPT

    Loop’s Phase-1 demonstration defines a focused rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO) CONOPS between the Space Utility Vehicle (SUV) and the Orbital Propellant Depot (OPD). Both spacecrafts will be injected into Low Earth Orbit in a polar plane, selected for frequent ground-track revisit, consistent lighting for optical sensors, and regulatory advantages that simplify deorbit planning and…

  • FROM PRINTER TO ORBIT: THE 0.8U CUBEDRIVE BIPROPELLANT PROPULSION SYSTEM

    This paper presents the current state of the art of Dawn Aerospace’s 0.8U CubeDrive, a fully integrated green bipropellant propulsion system developed for CubeSat and microsatellite applications. Building on earlier work, the paper highlights recent design improvements and accumulated flight heritage. The 0.8U CubeDrive represents a significant advancement in miniaturised propulsion by integrating all major…

  • SCALING UP SPACE PROPULSION PRODUCTION

    This paper presents Dawn Aerospace’s transition from prototype-based development to low-volume serial production of advanced green propulsion systems. Over the past years, Dawn has evolved from delivering one to two flight systems per year to at least four complete propulsion systems per month, while maintaining high quality, traceability, and customer responsiveness. This transformation coincides with…

  • The Roadmap to in Orbit Refuelling

    Orbit Fab is developing an orbital infrastructure designed to provide a ubiquitous supply of propellant for all in-orbit assets, both governmental and commercial, extending their lifespan and providing the possibility of less frequent deorbiting and replacement. This vision will end the single-use paradigm for spacecraft and enable the next generation of missions based on extended…

  • New updates on the EU Space Act: licensing, propulsion and In-orbit servicing

    The first draft of the EU Space Act was published in June 2025, introducing numerous new regulatory concepts and standards. Among these were requirements for specific satellite hardware, including onboard propulsion systems and, in certain cases, in-orbit interfaces. This presentation will provide an overview of the upcoming EU space law as an example of the…

  • Catalysing Next Generation Solutions with Scalable Model-Based Software

    Small satellite missions increasingly rely on software-defined payloads, onboard data processing, and automated mission operations, to meet performance, responsiveness, and cost constraints. In practice, payload software development, integration and test (I&T) and operations are often supported by fragmented toolchains spanning flight, ground, and payload domains, leading to duplicated effort, reduced reusability and increased operational risk.…

  • Streamlining Verification & Validation of GNC Subsystems using NeXosim: an Open-Source, Rust-Based Discrete Event Simulator.

    Over the past decades, the complexity of both commercial and scientific space missions has steadily increased. As new classes of space missions are undertaken, and their technical and programmatic objectives become increasingly ambitious, more advanced spacecraft architectures are developed to support them. In-Orbit Servicing (IOS) missions constitute a particularly relevant example of space endeavors that…

  • A Distributed Data Center in Space (DCiS) Architecture for Small Satellites

    The rapid proliferation of SmallSat constellations is fundamentally reshaping space missions across Earth observation, communications, navigation augmentation, and defense. However, current architectures remain largely constrained by ground-centric data processing models that impose severe penalties in latency, bandwidth consumption, operational resilience, and autonomy. As onboard sensors generate increasingly large and complex data streams, these limitations have…

  • AI-Based Navigation for Lunar Satellites in VLLO

    This paper presents the design and preliminary validation of the Lunar Intelligent Navigation via Neural Architecture (LINNA) payload, a technology demonstration integrated into the SelenITA mission—Brazil’s first lunar CubeSat. The experiment is motivated by the future needs for autonomous state estimation in the Very Low Lunar Orbit (VLLO) regime, where Mascon-induced gravitational anomalies challenge traditional…