Miniaturized Solutions for CubeSat Servicing and Safety Requirements

Willis, Jacob; Walton, Patrick; Wilde, Doran; Long, D.G.

doi:10.1109/tgrs.2019.2954807

Cited by 12 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…Despite their effectiveness, the small size of CubeSats has forced scientists to seek new ways to solve the existing problems. It is difficult to insert tools, appliances, or other equipment into a small apparatus Therefore, the development of new solutions for circuits and the miniaturization of onboard systems, modules, and their optimal locations, including antenna devices, make it possible to effectively use the limited space on the surface [12][13][14].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A High Gain Deployable L/S Band Conical Helix Antenna Integrated With Optical System for Earth Observation CubeSats

et al. 2023

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In this study, a new spiral dual-band antenna integrated with an optical system for a small CubeSat spacecraft was proposed. It is challenging to design an antenna with a limited space on a CubeSat platform. To improve the space utilization, an antenna was designed based on the concept of not occupying the sides of the CubeSat. A feature of the proposed antenna system is its compactness, dual-band operation in the L-and S-bands, and possibility of integration with spacecraft cameras. As a result of the study, reflection coefficients of -18 dB and -23 dB and gain of 6.8 dBi and 7.4 dBi, respectively, were achieved at resonant frequencies of 1.7 GHz and 2.45 GHz. The conical shape of the spiral antenna allows the optical system to increase the coverage area, and a simple deployment system with feedback ensures the mission safety. These properties make the proposed antenna suitable for CubeSat systems.INDEX TERMS CubeSat antenna, dual-band antenna, Earth observation, helix antenna

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A High Gain Deployable L/S Band Conical Helix Antenna Integrated With Optical System for Earth Observation CubeSats

et al. 2023

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“…In the first years of this century, universities around the world, sometimes supported by space agencies [1,2], started educational program based on the development of CubeSats, which represent an effective hands-on experience for a new generation of engineers [3]. CubeSats are becoming systems of interest for the scientific community, the industry and government agencies to support a broad set of mission goals for Earth observation [4], telecommunications [5], in-orbit technology demonstration [6], science [7], and space exploration [8,9]. Small satellites are pillars of the new space economy with some commercial initiatives in place and many likely to come in the near future [10].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Investigation of a CubeSat in Orbit Anomaly through Verification on Ground

Stesina

Corpino

2020

Aerospace

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Given the role of Cubesats in the new space economy, a statistically relevant number of CubeSats have flown, and considering the high percentage of failed missions, the investigation of in-orbit anomalies becomes of paramount importance. It is rare to find data about mission failures, probably because the partial or total absence of telemetry does not encourage any analysis. The lack of data from the spacecraft in orbit can be mitigated through ad-hoc verification campaigns on satellite models when in-orbit anomalies are experienced. This paper shows an effective testing activity conducted on models of the spacecraft to understand the root cause of a severe anomaly that occurred during mission operations. The tests are part of a comprehensive methodology for root causes analysis. The paper aims at sharing the experience built upon a practical case of interest. More importantly, this work has the ambition of fostering the research on key topics of reliability, mission operations and assembly, and integration and verification/test processes, which have shown to be critical. The activity presented in this paper demonstrates that investigating the anomalies can help recover the mission of interest but can also support building a heritage that is still missing for CubeSat missions today.

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