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Astronomy, as a field, has long encouraged the development of free, open digital infrastructure (e.g., National Research Council 2010, 2011). Examples range from simple scripts that enable individual scientific research, through software…
As asteroid mining moves toward reality, the high bar to entering the business may limit participation and increase inequality, reducing or eliminating any benefit gained by marginalized people or developing nations. Consideration of…
In support of the National Acadamies' Exoplanet Science Strategy, this whitepaper outlines key technology challenges for studying the diversity of worlds in the Galaxy and in searching for habitable planets. Observations of habitable…
Satellite constellation systems are becoming more attractive to provide communication services worldwide, especially in areas without network connectivity. While optimizing satellite gateway placement is crucial for operators to minimize…
Non-terrestrial networks (NTNs) have gained significant attention for their scalability and wide coverage in next-generation communication systems. A large number of NTN nodes, such as satellites, are required to establish a global NTN, but…
Despite several scientific achievements in the last years, there are still a lot of IT projects that fail. Researchers found that one out of five IT-projects run out of time, budget or value. Major reasons for this failure are unexpected…
The design of mission scenarios for the flyby investigation of nearby star systems by probes launched using directed energy is addressed. Multiple probes are launched with a fixed launch infrastructure, and download of scientific data…
A significant opportunity for synergy between pure research and asteroid resource research exists. We provide an overview of the state of the art in asteroid resource utilization, and highlight where we can accelerate the closing of…
Radio pulsars have been responsible for many astonishing astrophysical and fundamental physics breakthroughs since their discovery 50 years ago. In this review I will discuss many of the highlights, most of which were only possible because…
Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite networks, characterized by their high data throughput and low latency, have gained significant interest from both industry and academia. Routing data efficiently within these networks is essential for…
As the use of satellites continues to grow, new networking paradigms are emerging to support the scale and long distance communication inherent to these networks. In particular, interplanetary communication relays connect distant network…
This paper considers galactic scale Beacons from the point of view of expense to a builder on Earth. For fixed power density in the far field, what is the cost-optimum interstellar Beacon system? Experience shows an optimum tradeoff,…
Due to their extremely small luminosity compared to the stars they orbit, planets outside our own Solar System are extraordinarily difficult to detect directly in optical light. Careful photometric monitoring of distant stars, however, can…
Satellite network is the first step of interstellar voyages. It can provide global Internet connectivity everywhere on earth, where most areas cannot access the Internet by the terrestrial infrastructure due to the geographic accessibility…
Two new interplanetary technologies have advanced in the past decade to the point where they may enable exciting, affordable missions that reach further and faster deep into the outer regions of our solar system: (i) small and capable…
Policy Brief on "Global Data in Astronomy: Challenges and Opportunities", distilled from the corresponding panel that was part of the discussions during S20 Policy Webinar on Astroinformatics for Sustainable Development held on 6-7 July…
The shell bound by the Karman line at a height of 80 to 100km above the Earth's surface, and Geosynchronous Orbit, at 36,000km, is defined as the orbital space surrounding the Earth. It is within this region, and especially in Low Earth…
This paper develops a framework that models and optimizes the operations of complex on-orbit servicing infrastructures involving one or more servicers and orbital depots to provide multiple types of services to a fleet of geostationary…
Many projects in current exoplanet science make use of catalogs of known exoplanets and their host stars. These may be used for demographic, population, and statistical studies, or for identifying targets for future observations. The…
Effective ground station selection is critical for low Earth orbiting (LEO) satellite constellations to minimize operational costs, maximize data downlink volume, and reduce communication gaps between access windows. Traditional ground…