Related papers: The Benefits of Very Low Earth Orbit for Earth Obs…
Solar sails enable missions to observe the solar environment from unique vantage points, such as sustained observations away from the Sun-Earth line; sub-L1 station keeping; high inclination solar orbits; Earth polar-sitting and…
The emerging demand for Earth observation (EO) to address environmental challenges has driven unprecedented growth in its primary carrier, Low Earth Orbit satellites, in recent years. Ground stations (GSs), the egress points of these…
This paper presents a novel tightly coupled Filter-based monocular visual-inertial-wheel odometry (VIWO) system for ground robots, designed to deliver accurate and robust localization in long-term complex outdoor navigation scenarios. As an…
The rapid expansion of advanced low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites in large constellations is positioning space assets as key to the future, enabling global internet access and relay systems for deep space missions. A solution to the…
Aims: We compare the apparent difference in timing of transiting planets (or eclipsing binaries) that are observed from widely separated locations (parallactic delay). Methods: A simple geometrical argument allow us to show that the…
This work outlines and assesses several methods for the detection of manoeuvres in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) from surveillance radar data. To be able to detect manoeuvres, the main starting assumption is that the object under analysis has an…
We explore the potential of conducting an experiment in a low Earth orbit spacecraft and using the Earth as a spin and mass source to constrain beyond-the-standard-model (BSM) long-range spin- and velocity-dependent interactions, which are…
We propose a new Kepler mission, called NEOKepler, that would survey near Earth's orbit to identify potentially hazardous objects (PHOs). To understand its surveying power, Kepler's large field of view produces an 'etendue' (A*Omega) that…
(Abridged) Out-of-the-ecliptic trajectories that are beneficial to space observatories such as the Terrestrial Planet Finder and other potential mid-IR missions are introduced. These novel trajectories result in significantly reduced…
We tackle the problem of accurate optical tracking of distant man-made probes, on Halo orbit around the Earth-Sun libration point L2 and beyond, along interplanetary transfers. The improved performance of on-target tracking, especially when…
The interaction of a space system with its orbital environment is a major consideration in the design of any space system, since a variety of hazards are associated with the operation of spacecraft in the harsh space environment. In this…
Detecting orbital anomalies, such as maneuvers, atmospheric decay, and attitude upsets, across the rapidly growing population of low-Earth-orbit (LEO) satellites is a prerequisite for collision avoidance, decay forecasting, and conjunction…
As part of NASA's mission to explore habitable planets orbiting nearby stars, this paper explores the detection and characterization capabilities of a 4-m space telescope plus 50-m starshade located at the Earth-Sun L2 point, a.k.a. the New…
Venus is known for its extreme surface temperature and its sulfuric acid clouds. But the cloud layers on Venus have similar temperature and pressure conditions to those on the surface of Earth and are conjectured to be a possible habitat…
The increasing number of objects orbiting the Earth justifies the great attention and interest in the observation, spacecraft protection and collision avoidance. These studies involve different disturbances and resonances in the orbital…
The continuously growing number of objects orbiting around the Earth is expected to be accompanied by an increasing frequency of objects re-entering the Earth's atmosphere. Many of these re-entries will be uncontrolled, making their…
An effective method for detailed observation of the Solar System planets is the use of vehicles that can perform flight in their atmospheres, with the most promising of them being Flyers (aircraft for other planets atmospheres). Besides the…
The very low frequency (VLF) regime below 30 MHz in the electromagnetic spectrum has presently drawing global attentions in radio astronomical research due to its potentially significant science outcomes exploring many unknown extragalactic…
The aim of this work is to highlight the crucial role that orbital resonances associated with solar radiation pressure can have in Low Earth Orbit. We review the corresponding literature, and provide an analytical tool to estimate the…
We present a study of an impacting descent probe that increases the science return of spacecraft orbiting or passing an atmosphere-less planetary body of the solar system, such as the Galilean moons of Jupiter. The descent probe is a…