Related papers: Optical Navigation for Interplanetary CubeSats
The High Energy Modular Ensemble of Satellites (HERMES) project is aimed to realize a modular X/gamma-ray monitor for transient events, to be placed on-board of a CubeSat bus. This expandable platform will achieve a significant impact on…
This paper proposes a Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC) architecture for planetary rovers targeting the conditions of upcoming Mars exploration missions such as Mars 2020 and the Sample Fetching Rover (SFR). The navigation…
CubeSats and small satellites are emerging as low-cost tools to perform astronomy, exoplanet searches and earth observation. These satellites can be dedicated to pointing at targets for weeks or months at a time. This is typically not…
Interest in the exploration of, and the establishment of a human settlement, on Mars is rapidly growing. To achieve this, rapid transit will be required to bring crucial cargo. Current missions to Mars take 150 days, which would be too long…
The StarLight program conceptualizes fast interstellar travel via small wafer satellites (wafersats) that are propelled by directed energy. This process is wildly different from traditional space travel and trades large and slow spacecraft…
The use of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) to increase spacecraft autonomy for orbit determination has gained renewed momentum following the Lunar GNSS Receiver Experiment (LuGRE), which demonstrated feasible onboard GPS and…
The ability to traverse an unknown environment is crucial for autonomous robot operations. However, due to the limited sensing capabilities and system constraints, approaching this problem with a single robot agent can be slow, costly, and…
This work investigates the use of stellar occultation measurements to enhance the orbit determination performance of the Lunar Meteoroid Impact Observer (LUMIO) mission, operating from a quasi-Halo orbit around the Earth-Moon L2 point.…
Small satellites, especially picosatellites, appear poised to play an important role in the future of space systems. Due to their size, however, integrating them with high-throughput laser-based communication systems remains a challenge. In…
TeamIndus' lunar logistics vision includes multiple lunar missions to meet requirements of science, commercial and efforts towards global exploration. The first mission is slated for launch in 2020. The prime objective is to demonstrate…
The rapid growth of cislunar activities, including lunar landings, the Lunar Gateway, and in-space refueling stations, requires advances in cost-efficient trajectory design and reliable integration of navigation and remote sensing.…
This study presents a background estimation for the Cubesats Applied for MEasuring and LOcalising Transients (CAMELOT), which is a proposed fleet of nanosatellites for the all-sky monitoring and timing based localization of gamma-ray…
The emergence of small satellites and CubeSats for interplanetary exploration will mean hundreds if not thousands of spacecraft exploring every corner of the solar-system. Current methods for communication and tracking of deep space probes…
This paper presents a low-thrust trajectory optimization strategy to achieve a near-circular lunar orbit for a CubeSat injected into a lunar flyby trajectory. The 12U CubeSat HORYU-VI is equipped with four Hall-effect thrusters and designed…
A novel control & software architecture using ROS C++ is introduced for object interception by a UAV with a mounted depth camera and no external aid. Existing work in trajectory prediction focused on the use of off-board tools like motion…
Disagreement in estimations of the observed acceleration of Phobos yields several theories empirically modifying classical description of motion of the satellite, but its orbital positions detected by Mars-aimed spacecraft differ from…
The mission concept, Cosmic Origins Through UV Surveys (CETUS) is an all-UV space mission concept that was selected and funded by NASA for study in 2017. The main capabilities of CETUS that even Hubble doesn't have are: (1) wide-field…
Drones provide a versatile platform for remote sensing and atmospheric studies. However, strict payload mass limits and intense vibrations have proven obstacles to adoption for astronomy. We present a concept for system-level testing of a…
With the large number of deep space (DS) missions anticipated by the end of this decade, reliable-high capacity DS communication systems are needed more than ever. Nevertheless, existing DS communication technologies are far from meeting…
Preliminary spacecraft trajectories for 45 Kuiper Belt Objects (KBOs) and Pluto suitable for launch between 2025 and 2040 are presented. These 46 objects comprise all objects with H magnitude < 4.0 or which have received a name from the…