Stephan Busch

• Dr. rer. nat., Dipl. Inform., MSc, MSc,
• Fraunhofer Institute for High-Speed Dynamics, Ernst-Mach-Institut

The measurement of space debris in orbit has been a subject of study since the beginning of the space age. The high speeds in orbit give even small debris enough energy to pose a risk to spacecraft. The smaller end of the space debris population can only be assessed with either returned objects or in-situ measurements. Ground-based detection system...

Quantum magnetometry advances rapidly, leading to compact sensors with high sensitivity and absolute accuracy without the need for cryogenic cooling which makes them a promising technology for the NewSpace domain. Small satellite technology provides economic access to space, and when launched in large constellations, they open new possibilities for...

The accuracy and quality of measurements captured by an earth observation satellite can be affected by many factors. To get the highest-quality observation, all environmental and satellite component operation uncertainties must be considered. With payload-in-the-loop, the performance of the spacecraft can be influenced using data collected from the...

Automation becomes a dominant factor in fostering agile engineering techniques in the NewSpace domain, facilitating continuous testing in rapid development, integration, and test cycles. To promote automation of heterogeneous test infrastructure and ground support equipment for complex test and operation scenarios, a flexible middleware software fr...

Redundancy concepts in combination with advanced Fault Detection, Identification and Recovery (FDIR) software is a promising approach for improving reliability in spacecraft hardware. In the CubeSat mission UWE-3 this concept provided seamless operations for 6.5 years, despite only commercial of the shelf components were employed. UWE-3 on its pola...

The acquisition and processing of earth observation data from satellites is in transition. New Earth observation constellations of small satellites generate large amounts of data that cannot easily be transmitted to the ground. In the near future, the amount of data is expected to significantly grow, as sensor resolution and realizable constellatio...

Fraunhofer EMI developed the ERNST (Experimental Spacecraft based on Nanosatellite Technology) mission which is a mid-wavelength infrared imaging satellite. The 12U nanosatellite is based on commercial off-the-shelf CubeSat components where appropriate parts were available. In particular, it is carrying a capable commercial infrared telescope for E...

The ERNST mission will demonstrate complex infrared detection capabilities using a 12U CubeSat platform. ERNST's main payload is an advanced cryogenically-cooled infrared imager that implicates demanding requirements in terms of power demand, heat dissipation and vibration response for a nanosatellite. The optical bench that integrates optics, a fi...

Testing of complex systems is usually elaborate and time-consuming. Nevertheless, extensive funtional end-to-end testing is one of the key factors for success of small satellite projects. Automation can play a dominant role to foster agile engineering techniques in the Newspace domain such as continuous testing in rapid development, integration and...

This paper describes the autonomy system developed for the NetSat nanosatellite formation flying mission. The implementation is grounded on goal-based onboard planning and executive engines, an automated mission control system tailored to monitor and control multiple satellites simultaneously, and a service-oriented operations middleware used on al...

Recent innovations in space technologies and new applications led to a paradigm shift in spacecraft design - from multi-functional big single spacecraft towards small, distributed, networked satellites which promise a higher time resolution at significantly reduced cost and development time. Especially global Earth observation and communication ser...

Acquiring big data from space for global Earth observation and communication services requires a large number of small satellites. Recent innovations in space technologies and new applications led to a paradigm shift in spacecraft design - from multi-functional big single spacecraft towards small, distributed, networked satellites. Especially real-...

Redundancy concepts in combination with advanced Fault Detection, Identification and Recovery (FDIR) software is a promising approach for improving reliability in spacecraft hardware. In the CubeSat mission UWE-3 this concept provided seamless operations for 6.5 years, despite only commercial of the shelf components were employed. UWE-3 on its pola...

The usage of pico- and nano-satellites has seen a significant shift away from technology demonstration missions towards scientific and commercial projects in the field of Earth observation and communication networks. This contribution elaborates on the implications concerning the relevant Guidance, Navigation, and Control systems to meet the advanc...

Explosive volcanic eruptions threaten people's lives, destroy infrastructure and crops in fields and threaten the safety of air traffic even at large distances from the volcano. Existing approaches lack the required spatial and temporal resolution to properly monitor transport and dispersion of volcanic ash clouds. This contribution introduces a ph...

The success of CubeSats was based on standardization of geometric dimensions, allowing joint use of launcher adaptors. An important next step in order to be able to exchange boards at subsystem level would be a specification and standardization of the electrical interfaces. There have been attempts in this direction, nevertheless the sometimes used...

Mit dem Ziel der Entwicklung einer soliden Basisplattform für zukünftige For- mationen von Kleinstsatelliten wurden am Beispiel des UWE Pico-Satelliten Bus verschiedene Aspekte für robuste, flexible und effiziente Kleinstsatelliten adressiert, die im Rahmen des UWE-3 Projektes in einem integralen Design- ansatz konsistent umgesetzt wurden. Neben de...

Small satellites contribute significantly in the rapidly evolving innovation in space engineering, in particular in distributed space systems for global Earth observation and communication services. Significant mass reduction by miniaturization, increased utilization of commercial high-tech components, and in particular standardization are the key...

Since the University of Wuerzburg Experimental satellite UWE-3 was deployed into orbit in Nov. 2013 valuable experience could be gained concerning on-board redundancy, its UHF communication system, and the attitude determination and control system. Software updates of all of the satellite's subsystems enabled new experiments, recently especially re...

Formations of small satellites offer promising perspectives due to improved temporal and spatial coverage and resolution at reasonable costs. The UWE-program addresses in-orbit demonstrations of key technologies to enable formations of cooperating distributed spacecraft at pico-satellite level. In this context, the CubeSat UWE-3 addresses experimen...

The pico-satellite UWE-3 has now completed almost one and a half years in orbit and valuable experience has been gained over time. Its overall performance has been excellent with all subsystems operating as expected. The satellite bus demonstrated its dependable architecture and has served as a reliable platform for the attitude determination and c...

Modern miniaturization techniques enable the realization of 3-axis attitude de-termination and control systems (ADCS), appropriate for the 1 kg pico-satellite class. One of the most challenging aspects concerns the support for continuous ADCS operations at reasonable accuracies despite extremely limited resources available on small satellite platfo...

Over several decades spacecraft that have reached end of life have been adding space debris. There are spacecraft with precious functional payloads on-board but have lost the ability to actively control their attitude and orbit. Proposals have been made to either mitigate them or when possible extend their life by docking them with a service spacec...

Pursuing the ambitious goal to establish formations of cooperating small satellites, the University of Wuerzburg established a road map for technology implementations leading towards the realization of coordinated formations of picosatellites. Within the recent developments of the third generation of UWE satellites, special focus was put on the des...

With the introduction of the cubesat standard hands-on satellite engineering received a significant boost at educational university programs. However, not all missions could demonstrate successful operation in orbit. Besides technical challenges due to the extremely limited mass and volume imposed by the standard, cubesat projects at university lev...

The picosatellite UWE-3 is the third generation of CubeSats at the University Würzburg. It is equipped with all necessary satellite systems, among them an advanced attitude determination and control system (ADCS), which will enable the satellite to determine its orientation in space in real-time and, within its actuator capabilities, to control and...

Zusammenfassung Das Picosatelliten-Programm der Universität Würzburg legt besonderes Augenmerk auf die Durchführung von Tests schon während der Entwicklungsphase des Satelliten, um das Gesamtsystem robuster und zuver-lässiger zu machen. Im Bereich der Lageerkennung und Lageregelung ermöglichen speziell entwickelte Verfahren fortwährende Tests direk...

Today's typical Space applications depend on large and expensive satellites which require years to develop due to complicated specialized designs and manufacturing processes. Emerging concepts related to Responsive Space demand more flexible and more affordable space applications which can adapt well to changes due to simple reconstruction and enab...

Modern miniaturization technologies enable the realization of very small satellites at masses below 1 kg, nevertheless limited attitude determination and actuator performances raise challenging control problems. Specific attitude determination aspects discussed at the example of UWE (University of Wuerzburg Experimental satellite), a standardized p...

In contrast to conventional mobile robots submarines allow for the exploration of numerous new and interesting problems due to their three dimensional field of operation. This paper describes the development of a miniature submarine as an educational test bed for students. Its special modular architecture was developed with a focus on autonomous be...

In contrast to conventional mobile robots submarines allow for the exploration of numerous new and interesting problems due to their three dimensional field of operation. This paper describes the development of a miniature submarine as an educational test bed for students. Its special modular architecture was developed with a focus on autonomous be...