LEDSAT: a LED-Based CubeSat for Optical Orbit Determination Methodologies Improvement

Abstract

LEDSAT (LED-based small SATellite) is a 1-Unit CubeSat that will mount Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) on its six faces, in order to validate, verify and improve the current methodologies for optical orbit determination. The LEDs will also support the CubeSat identification after deployment from the ISS. The satellite is being produced by the S5Lab research group at Sapienza - University of Rome, and it has been accepted for the European Space Agency Fly Your Satellite! Programme. Currently, the on-board LEDs have been tested for the UV and gamma-ray radiations, proving their survivability in the space environment. This paper describes the aims, the design, the LED-based payload and the expected results of LEDSAT.