Related papers: Optical Navigation for Interplanetary CubeSats
We present a new space mission concept that is capable of finding, detecting, and tracking 90% of near-Earth objects (NEO) with H magnitude of $\rm H\leq22$ (i.e., $\sim$140 m in size) that are potentially hazardous to the Earth. The new…
Due to advances in observation and imaging technologies, modern astronomical satellites generate large volumes of data. This necessitates efficient onboard data processing and high-speed data downlink. Reflecting this trend is the VERTECS…
CubeSats have revolutionized access to space by providing affordable and accessible platforms for research and education. However, their reliance on Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) components and open-source software has introduced…
The miniaturization of electronics, sensors and actuators has enabled the growing use of CubeSats and sub-20 kg spacecraft. Their reduced mass and volume has the potential to translate into significant reductions in required propellant and…
The gas pixel detector (GPD) is designed and developed for high-sensitivity astronomical X-ray polarimetry, which is a new window about to open in a few years. Due to the small mass, low power, and compact geometry of the GPD, we propose a…
The Near Ultraviolet Transient Explorer (NUTEx) is a CubeSat-based near-ultraviolet (NUV) imaging payload designed for transient sky surveys and is currently under development. CubeSats are compact and cost-effective satellite platforms…
The second Miniature X-ray Solar Spectrometer (MinXSS-2) CubeSat, which begins its flight in late 2018, builds on the success of MinXSS-1, which flew from 2016-05-16 to 2017-05-06. The science instrument is more advanced -- now capable of…
The CuPID CubeSat Observatory was a 6U cubesat launched into low-Earth orbit with a ride-share opportunity in Fall 2021. The mission was supported by NASA's Heliophysics division and motivated scientifically with the objective to image…
The interest in returning to the Moon for research and exploration has increased as new tipping point technologies are providing the possibility to do so. One of these initiatives is the Artemis program by NASA, which plans to return humans…
The Star-Planet Activity Research CubeSat (SPARCS) is a NASA-funded astrophysics mission, devoted to the study of the ultraviolet (UV) time-domain behavior in low-mass stars. Given their abundance and size, low-mass stars are important…
Cubesats and similarly scaled nano-satellites present significant opportunities for hosting both scientific and commercial payloads for Earth sensing and astronomical observations, in particular in the area of rapid-response observations to…
The space sector is experiencing a flourishing growth and evidence is mounting that the near future will be characterized by a large amount of deep-space missions. In the last decade, CubeSats have granted affordable access to space due to…
Recent miniaturization of electronics in very small, low-cost and low-power configurations suitable for use in spacecraft have inspired innovative small-scale satellite concepts, such as ChipSats, centimeter-scale satellites with a mass of…
Satellite nodes are an enabler of global quantum networks by overcoming the distance limitations of fiber and free-space links on ground. The design of quantum sources and receivers for satellites, however, is challenging in terms of size,…
This paper presents a mission concept that enables Earth-Mars communications resistant to periods of solar conjunction by using CubeSat satellites equipped with a solar sail. The dynamics of the satellite is modeled separately in the…
Astronomical observations in the X-ray band are subject to atmospheric attenuation and have to be performed in the space. CubeSats offer a cost effective means for space-based X-ray astrophysics but allow only limited mass and volume. In…
PicSat is a nanosatellite developed to observe the transit of the giant planet beta Pictoris b, expected in late 2017. Its science objectives are: the observation of the transit of the giant planet's Hill sphere, the detection of exocomets…
Power consumption is a critical constraint for CubeSat based quantum communication, where tracking systems often dominate the onboard power budget. We demonstrate an energy-efficient approach that enables reliable satellite tracking at…
Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) brought navigation to the masses. Coupled with smartphones, the blue dot in the palm of our hands has forever changed the way we interact with the world. Looking forward, cyber-physical systems…
The 3UCubed project is a 3U CubeSat being jointly developed by the University of New Hampshire, Sonoma State University, and Howard University as a part of the NASA Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe, IMAP, student collaboration.…