Now for the annual Smallsat Conference (smallsat.org), hosted as always by Utah State University, August 11-13. See the overview:
https://smallsat.org/conference/schedule/
https://smallsat.org/conference/keynote/
https://smallsat.org/conference/flash-talks/
https://smallsat.org/conference/posters/
In case you don’t see the connection: Hera is currently flying with the Milani and Juventas 6U CubeSats, to Didymos/Dimorphos (just as DART carried LICIACube). RAMSES is still TBC, but odds are high that, as a straightforward and rapid modification of Hera, it too will carry subprobes. The MASCOT minilander and Idefix minirover are not literally CubeSat-compliant, but they’re CubeSat-class vehicles, not ‘Battlestar Galactica’ projects. And I have previously mentioned PUNCH– a mission to continuously view the Sun, and therefore sungrazers. PUNCH is a multi-spacecraft (constellation of four) mission, each the size of a suitcase. NEA Scout was (RIP) a standalone CubeSat probe, not a subprobe. And let’s not forget JANUS, even if NASA appears to have.
The meeting content is mostly engineering, and thus not tied to any specific mission profile or goal. Still, it’s a pretty broad program, with representation by a lot. Some particular highlights of the conference I’d like to point out:
TERP RAPTOR: A University-Led SmallSat Flyby Mission to Investigate Asteroid Apophis- Adrienne Rudolph et al.
Apophis Cratering Experiment Mission Concept- Ethan Kayser et al.
Flash Talk
An Innovative Interplanetary Travel Concept for SmallSats- Kevin DiMarzio
Bipropellant Attitude Control Thrusters for Space Situational Awareness and Deep Space Missions- James McKinnon et al.
Posters
NEOSeeker to Investigate Earth’s Neighbors- Ryan Holton et al.
Sailing to the Stars: Free-Flying Light Sails in Microgravity- Verena Padres et al.
Development of the Optical Deep-Space Instrument for Navigation (ODIN)- Ava Thrasher et al.
Reaching Higher Orbit – A Quick Guide for Exploration Beyond LEO- John Carrico et al.