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The Delft University of Technology has been working on Delfi–PQ, a 3P PocketQube developed by Aerospace Engineering students during their education. The satellite, while being only 50x50x178 mm and having a mass of 545 g, shares the same problems and requirements as larger satell ...
The accurate measurement of inter-satellite distances is fundamental to the successful operation of distributed spacecraft missions, facilitating diverse applications ranging from scientific exploration to navigation and communication. This study comprehensively overviews applica ...
In recent years, the trend towards satellite miniaturization has led to a considerable rise in picosatellite missions in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). Due to their size, identifying and tracking small objects poses significant challenges. While the detectability of individual picosatell ...
The need for higher data rates has transitioned the satellites towards laser communication, opening up new opportunities for inter-satellite distance measurements. The stringent requirements for space missions like gravimetry, formation flying, collision avoidance, and precise or ...
Current monitoring systems to detect sporadic E use ground-based setups, ionosondes, and the network of GNSS satellites in order to assess the phenomenon of sporadic E. This paper aims to monitor sporadic E using a miniature space-based platform in an atypical way. The setup cons ...
The Da Vinci Satellite is a 2U CubeSatellite that is being developed with the goal to inspire and enthuse the youth to learn more about technology and space travel. The team at Delft University of Technology consists of over 80 Bachelor and Master students from disciplines such a ...
The 16U4SBSP mission concept is based on using a swarm of CubeSats to perform a scaled demonstration of Space-Based Solar Power (SBSP) from Earth orbit. In this demonstration mission, seven identical spacecraft of 16U format are used to provide wireless energy in the kW-scale usi ...
The 16U4SBSP mission aims to demonstrate Space-Based Solar Power (SBSP) using a CubeSat (CS) swarm from Earth orbit. This mission employs seven 16U CSs to deliver 1 kW-scale wireless energy via Radio-Frequency (RF) beaming, adaptable for space-to-ground and space-to-space applica ...
The 16U4SBSP mission concept is based on using a swarm of CubeSats to perform a scaled demonstration of SpaceBased Solar Power (SBSP) from Earth orbit. In this demonstration mission, seven identical spacecraft of 16U format are used to provide wireless energy in the kW-scale usin ...
The Da Vinci Satellite project is a non-profit initiative started at the Delft University of Technology to inspire and enthuse the youth to learn more about technology and space travel. The team does this by focussing on demystifying space and making it a fun and engaging subject ...
In recent years, there has been a growing interest in lunar missions, particularly with the growing role of small satellites facilitated by piggyback launch opportunities. Typically, ground-based radiometric tracking is the workhorse to establish the necessary navigation solution ...
This chapter provides an overview of the command and data handling system (CDHS) in small satellites and CubeSats. The chapter presents first analysis of radiation effects, specifically targeted at this subsystem, to justify components and architecture choices. Improvements in ra ...
The Delft University of Technology has been working on Delfi-PQ, a 3 P P ocketQube d eveloped b y Aerospace Engineering students during their education. The satellite, while being only 50x50x178 mm and having a mass of 545 g, shares the same problems and requirements of bigger sa ...
The last years saw the diffusion of nano, pico and femto satellite missions launched by multiple entities thanks to the launch cost reduction and the electronics miniaturization. Such missions usually present limited capabilities in terms of precise orbit determination and extrem ...
Spaceborne Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) receivers have become ubiquitous sensors for spacecraft navigation, especially in Low Earth Orbits (LEOs), often also supporting science endeavors or as acting dedicated science payloads. Due to the large number of space-capab ...

LUMIO

A CubeSat for observing and characterizing micro-meteoroid impacts on the Lunar far side

The Earth-Moon system is constantly bombarded by meteoroids of different size and impact speed. Observation of the impacts on the Moon can enable thorough characterization of the Lunar meteoroid flux, which is similar to that of the Earth. While Earth-based Lunar observations are ...
The Lunar Meteoroid Impact Observer (LUMIO) is a CubeSat mission at the Earth-Moon Lagrangian point 2 (L2) designed to observe, quantify, and characterize the meteoroid impacts by detecting their flashes on the Lunar farside. LUMIO can be deployed as one of the payloads in the NA ...
The Lunar Meteoroid Impacts Observer (LUMIO) is a CubeSat mission to observe, quantify, and characterize the meteoroid impacts on the lunar farside by detecting their flashes. This complements the knowledge gathered by Earth-based observations of the lunar nearside, thus synthesi ...

Autonomous navigation for deep space small satellites

Scientific and technological advances

In recent years, there is a growing interest in small satellites for deep space exploration. The current approach for planetary navigation is based on ground-based radiometric tracking. A new era of low-cost small satellites for space exploration will require autonomous deep spac ...
This study investigates the application of the Linked Autonomous Interplanetary Satellite Orbit Navigation (LiAI-SON) technique for multiple small spacecraft in cislunar orbits considering high inter-satellite range measurement errors. The LiAISON method provides an autonomous or ...