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CEAS EuroGNC 2026

Orbital Dynamics and Drag Area Estimation of PocketQubes with Passive Magnetic Attitude Control using TLE Data
Manuel Salema Project Manager & Systems Engineer @ Hydra Space Systems
Abstract:
PocketQubes are ultra-small satellites whose orbital lifetimes are strongly influenced by atmospheric drag and attitude dynamics, particularly when using passive magnetic attitude control (PMAC). Conventional prediction tools often assume fixed drag areas, overlooking the variability introduced by orientation and deployable structures. This work develops a methodology that couples attitude propagation with SNAP, geometric area modelling, and GMAT-based orbit simulations, initialised from TLEs and enriched with space weather data. Results show that deployed configurations nearly double the effective drag area compared to folded states, significantly reducing orbital lifetime. Validation against historical TLEs indicates systematic biases of only 7 to 14 km, confirming the accuracy of the approach. The proposed pipeline offers a reproducible framework for reliable lifetime prediction of passively stabilised PocketQubes, supporting mission planning, deorbit compliance, and constellation management.
Keywords: PocketQube; nanosatellite; passive magnetic attitude control; orbital dynamics; drag area estimation; orbital lifetime prediction; TLE data; GMAT; SNAP; space weather modelling; atmospheric drag; constellation management
 View PDF CEAS-GNC-2026-004 doi: 10.82124/CEAS-GNC-2026-004


Manuel Salema: Orbital Dynamics and Drag Area Estimation of PocketQubes with Passive Magnetic Attitude Control using TLE Data. Proceedings of the 2026 CEAS EuroGNC conference. Madrid, Spain. May 2026. doi: 10.82124/CEAS-GNC-2026-004.
BibTeX entry (UTF-8):

@Incollection{CEAS-GNC-2026-004,
    author = {Salema, Manuel},
    title = {Orbital Dynamics and Drag Area Estimation of PocketQubes with Passive Magnetic Attitude Control using TLE Data},
    booktitle = {Proceedings of the 2026 {CEAS EuroGNC} conference},
    address = {Madrid, Spain},
    month = may,
    year = {2026},
    doi = {10.82124/CEAS-GNC-2026-004}
}