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With the growing deployment of small satellites (such as CubeSats, Nanosats, Picosats, and Femtosats) in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) for targeted applications like imaging, communication, data storage, and rendezvous-docking mission, there is…
The Gravity Advanced Package is an instrument composed of an electrostatic accelerometer called MicroSTAR and a rotating platform called Bias Rejection System. It aims at measuring with no bias the non-gravitational acceleration of a…
Given the cost and critical functions of satellite constellations, ensuring mission longevity and safe decommissioning is essential for space sustainability. This article presents a Model Predictive Control for spacecraft trajectory and…
Surface Force Apparatus (SFA) allows to accurately resolve the interfacial properties of fluids confined between extended surfaces. The accuracy of the SFA makes it an ubiquitous tool for the nanoscale mechanical characterization of soft…
We have carried out a numerical investigation of the coupled gravitational and non-gravitational perturbations acting on Earth satellite orbits in an extensive grid, covering the whole circumterrestrial space, using an appropriately…
The main benefit of an interstellar mission is to carry out in-situ measurements within a target star system. To allow for extended in-situ measurements, the spacecraft needs to be decelerated. One of the currently most promising…
A high sensitivity force sensor based on dielectric microspheres in vacuum, optically trapped by a single, upward-propagating laser beam, is described. Off-axis parabolic mirrors are used both to focus the 1064~nm trapping beam and to…
A novel concept called Air-Breathing Electric Propulsion proposes to fly satellites at altitudes in the range 180-250 km, since this would have some advantages for the performance of radio communication and Earth observation equipment. The…
Microwave propelled sails are a new class of spacecraft using photon acceleration. It is the only method of interstellar flight that has no physics issues. Laboratory demonstrations of basic features of beam-driven propulsion, flight,…
Despite the significant attention that aerial base stations (ABSs) have received recently, their practical implementation is severely weakened by their limited endurance due to the battery constraints of drones. To overcome this fundamental…
Astrobee's existing one-degree-of-freedom (DOF) underactuated compliant claw gripper enables perching on the International Space Station (ISS), but provides limited capability for continuous dexterous manipulation. More complex microgravity…
An Attitude Determination and Control System is essential for orientation stability and performance of slew maneuvers on the satellite. This research focuses on comparing two different geomagnetic field models, Direct Dipole Model and…
In recent decades, one of the scientists' main concerns has been to improve the accuracy of satellite attitude, regardless of the expense. The obvious result is that a large number of control strategies have been used to address this…
We autonomously direct a small quadcopter package delivery Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle (UAV) or "drone" to take off, fly a specified route, and land for a total of 209 flights while varying a set of operational parameters. The vehicle was…
This paper presents a strategy for optimal manoeuvre design of multi-satellite formation flying in low Earth orbit environment, with the aim of providing a tool for mission operation design. The proposed methodology for formation flying…
Aerocapture is a maneuver which uses aerodynamic drag to slow down a spacecraft in a single pass through the atmosphere. All planetary orbiters to date have used propulsive orbit insertion. Aerocapture is a promising alternative, especially…
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…
Utilizing differential atmospheric forces in the Very Low Earth Orbits (VLEO) regime for the control of the relative motion within a satellite formation is a promising option as any thrusting device has tremendous effects on the mission…
Micro-vibration has been a dominant factor impairing the performance of scientific experiments which are expected to be deployed in a micro-gravity environment such as Spacelab. The micro-vibration has a serious impact on scientific…
Prompted by the recent successful predictions of the internal dynamics of Andromeda's satellite galaxies (McGaugh & Milgrom 2013a,b), we revisit the classical Milky Way dwarf spheroidal satellites Draco, Sculptor, Sextans, Carina, and…