A Low-Lunar Orbit CubeSat Solution to Mission-Oriented Lunar Surface Imagery Requirements

dc.contributor.authorMcCleary, Meaghan Leighen
dc.contributor.committeechairKenyon, Samantha Parryen
dc.contributor.committeememberEngland, Scott Leslieen
dc.contributor.committeememberInman, Jennifer A.en
dc.contributor.departmentAerospace and Ocean Engineeringen
dc.date.accessioned2025-05-28T08:02:26Zen
dc.date.available2025-05-28T08:02:26Zen
dc.date.issued2025-05-27en
dc.description.abstractFor spaceflight activities in Earth orbit or in Earth's atmosphere, such as on-orbit operations, flight tests, launches, and landings, remote-sensing optical-infrared assets can be used to monitor and document mission performance. These observations can be made using assets in the diverse orbital, airborne, and ground-based infrastructure built up for operations on or near Earth. Public and private sector entities from various countries are formulating plans and developing architectures for missions on and near the lunar surface, which are forecast to proliferate in the coming years. The paradigm for lunar imaging assets has historically been limited to standalone, expensive projects such as the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) or its planned follow on, the Lunar Exploration and Science Orbiter (LExSO). Aside from the expense involved in developing, deploying, and operating such assets, they are inherently limited as singular platforms. This work proposes a low-lunar-orbit, CubeSat-based solution to mission-oriented remote sensing for activities on and near the lunar surface, on the basis that CubeSats can be developed and deployed in greater numbers and involve less expense than their larger counterparts. Analysis in this work includes an exploration of orbital stability and an assessment of suitability for imagery objectives. The data discussed herein include a summary of the results of 3,420 individual circular orbital initial configurations in the low-lunar-orbit regime. Each orbit's data set is the result of a high-fidelity simulation including high-resolution lunar gravitational models. Results explored include a discussion of orbital longevity and parametric stability, suitability for imagery objectives, and assessment of surface imagery coverage from spatial and temporal perspectives.en
dc.description.abstractgeneralFor spaceflight activities in Earth orbit or in Earth's atmosphere, remote-sensing instruments are frequently used to monitor and document mission performance. These instruments include ground-based, airborne, and on-orbit platforms. The Moon lacks this infrastructure, and this will become a key technology gap as the frequency of lunar missions increases. Lunar imaging has historically been limited to assets such as the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), which is nearing end of life with no funded follow-on. Such assets are valuable but expensive and limited as singular platforms. This work proposes a low-lunar-orbit, CubeSat-based solution to mission-oriented remote sensing, on the basis that CubeSat constellations are scalable and less expensive than their larger counterparts. The analysis includes explorations of orbital stability and imagery coverage capabilities for a large number of orbital geometries.en
dc.description.degreeMaster of Scienceen
dc.format.mediumETDen
dc.identifier.othervt_gsexam:43446en
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10919/134251en
dc.language.isoenen
dc.publisherVirginia Techen
dc.rightsIn Copyrighten
dc.rights.urihttp://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/en
dc.subjectLunar Explorationen
dc.subjectRemote Sensingen
dc.subjectCubeSatsen
dc.titleA Low-Lunar Orbit CubeSat Solution to Mission-Oriented Lunar Surface Imagery Requirementsen
dc.typeThesisen
thesis.degree.disciplineAerospace Engineeringen
thesis.degree.grantorVirginia Polytechnic Institute and State Universityen
thesis.degree.levelmastersen
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Scienceen

Files

Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Name:
McCleary_ML_T_2025.pdf
Size:
33.93 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format

Collections