CubeSat Technology and end-to-end missions

This topic focuses on the development of small space platform missions, covering all life cycle phases from design, to development and verification, up to in-orbit operations. Small spacecraft are reckognised as one of the pillars of the so-called New Space Economy. They represent the disruptive technology that opened the access to orbit to a broad community at lower cost. The research activity is developed through theoretical and experimental paths in the Laboratory of Systems and Technologies for Aerospace Research (STARlab) of DIMEAS. The flight missions and the technology developments are carried out in collaboration with leading aerospace companies and space agencies.

People:

Sabrina Corpino  and Fabrizio Stesina

 

  • Design, development and operations of small spacecraft missions

The research activity aims at developing flight missions and prototypes of novel miniaturised concepts. Three flight missions have been developed so far in collaboration with the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. Main topics are:

  1. definition of Concepts of Operations and Mission Architectures,
  2. Design and analysis of system-level solutions,
  3. development of mission-specific technology (hardware and software),
  4. trade-off studies and assessment of solutions and technology,
  5. Mission Operations planning and execution.

The activity is mainly carried out at the STARlab, where many facilities are available to support the whole lifecycle:

  • Concurrent Engineering System (CES), fully compliant with ESA CDF
  • CubeSat Advanced Simulator & Test-bench (CAST)
  • CubeSat Control Centre (C3), including UHF and S-band antennas
  • Educational Satellite (ESAT)
  • Clean Room (CR1) and Laminar Flow Bench

 

  • Design, verification and validation of guidance navigation and control systems for aerospace vehicles

The research activity aims at developing innovative strategies and advanced technologies for novel guidance, navigation and control systems for future space missions, with focus (but not limited) to small satellites. Main topics are:

  1. relative navigation algorithms based on electro-optics and radiofrequency devices,
  2. strategies for the determination of (relative) position and attitude using well-established algorithms and innovative solutions based on Artificial Intelligence,
  3. advanced strategies of guidance and control for nominal and critical phases of space missions,
  4. development of low cost but effective technologies, system architectures and prototypes of GNC systems.

Case studies are rendez-vous and docking/berthing missions, high pointing accuracy and high attitude knowledge precision for remote sensing missions, formation flying/constellation control, localization of rovers on Moon/Mars/asteroid surfaces.

ERC sectors

  • PE6_7 Intelligenza artificiale, sistemi intelligenti, sistemi multi-agente
  • PE6_8 Grafica col computer, visione col computer (computer vision), multi media, computer games
  • PE7_1 Ingegneria dei sistemi di controllo
  • PE7_2 Ingegneria elettrica: componenti e/o sistemi di potenza
  • PE7_3 Ingegneria della simulazione e della modellazione
  • PE7_4 (Micro- e nano-) ingegneria dei sistemi
  • PE7_5 (Micro- e nano-) componenti elettronici, optoelettronici e fotonici
  • PE8_1 Ingegneria Aerospaziale

Keywords

  • CubeSat
  • Nanosatelliti
  • Micro rover per esplorazione planetaria
  • Progettazione di Missioni e Sistemi Spaziali
  • Tecnologia miniaturizzata
  • Assemblaggio, Integrazione e Verifica
  • Mission Operations
  • Segmento di Terra
  • Algoritmi e Sistemi per la Guida, la Navigazione e il Controllo
  • Visual navigation
  • Avionica per piccole piattaforme