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The Thermal Management Integrated System (TheMIS) is a key element of the Australia-Italy Space Industry Responsive Intelligent Thermal (SpIRIT) mission, launched in a 510km Polar Sun-Synchronous orbit in December 2023. SpIRIT is a 6U…

Context. There is currently a niche for providing high-cadence, high resolution, time-series optical spectroscopy from space, which can be filled by using a low-cost cubesat mission. The Belgian-led ESA CubeSpec mission is specifically…

The performance of the Planck instruments in space is enabled by their low operating temperatures, 20K for LFI and 0.1K for HFI, achieved through a combination of passive radiative cooling and three active mechanical coolers. The scientific…

The purpose of this work is the analysis of the consequences that desaturation maneuvers can have in the precise orbit determination corresponding to the Radio Science Experiment (MORE) of the BepiColombo mission to Mercury. This mission is…

This paper presents an integrated model-learning predictive control scheme for spacecraft orbit-attitude station-keeping in the vicinity of asteroids. The orbiting probe relies on optical and laser navigation while attitude measurements are…

Challenging space mission scenarios include those in low altitude orbits, where the atmosphere creates significant drag to the S/C and forces their orbit to an early decay. For drag compensation, propulsion systems are needed, requiring…

For near-Sun missions, the spacecraft approaches very close to the Sun and space environmental effects become relevant. Strong restrictions on how much close it can get derive from the maximum temperature that the used materials can stand,…

The testing of atmosphere-breathing electric propulsion intakes is an important step in the development of functional propulsion systems which provide sustained drag compensation in very low Earth orbits. To make satellite operations more…

Our Sun is the closest X-ray astrophysical source to Earth. As such, it makes a formidable case study to better understand astrophysical processes. Solar flares are in particular very interesting as they are linked to coronal mass ejections…

ASTERIA (Arcsecond Space Telescope Enabling Research In Astrophysics) is a 6U CubeSat space telescope (10 cm x 20 cm x 30 cm, 10 kg). ASTERIA's primary mission objective was demonstrating two key technologies for reducing systematic noise…

CubeSats and small satellites are emerging as low-cost tools for performing science and exploration in deep space. These new classes of satellite exploit the latest advancement in miniaturization of electronics, power systems, and…

The growing interest in space activities has led to the emergence of new space operators and innovative mission concepts. Small satellites such as CubeSats reduce mission costs and are typically deployed in constellations or formation…

Thanks to the advances in modern instrumentation we have learned about many exoplanets that span a wide range of masses and composition. Studying their atmospheres provides insight into planetary origin, evolution, dynamics, and…

SAGE (SagnAc interferometer for Gravitational wavE) is a fast track project for a space observatory based on multiple 12-U CubeSats in geostationary orbit. The objective of this project is to create a Sagnac interferometer with 73000 km…

Know thy star, know thy planet,... especially in the ultraviolet (UV). Over the past decade, that motto has grown from mere wish to necessity in the M dwarf regime, given that the intense and highly variable UV radiation from these stars is…

In this paper, a new measurement system based on integration method is presented,which can provide all-weather dependability and higher precision for the measurement of FAST's feed support system. The measurement system consists of three…

The current generation of Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes are allowing the sky to be probed with greater sensitivity than ever before in the energy range around and above 100 GeV. To minimise the systematic errors on derived fluxes…

Solar sails with the capability of generating a tangential radiation pressure at the sun-pointing attitude, such as refractive sails can provide more efficient methods for attitude and orbital control of sailcraft. This paper presents the…

The TBT project is being developed under ESA's General Studies and Technology Programme (GSTP), and shall implement a test-bed for the validation of an autonomous optical observing system in a realistic scenario within the Space Situational…

We present the activities carried out to calibrate and characterise the performance of the elements of attitude control and measurement on board the Herschel spacecraft. The main calibration parameters and the evolution of the indicators of…