OCC4Sat at the IAC 2024!

We just presented our first paper on OCC4Sat at the International Astronautical Congress 2024! Thanks to Francesco Ferrari for presenting our project!

Wires in satellites are tricky. They're a significant part of the dry mass, due to shielding, and cause trouble during the Assembly, Integration, and Testing (AIT) phases. The smaller the satellite, the bigger the complications. OCC4SAT is aiming to fix this by replacing certain low-data-rate wires with LED lights and cameras. Due to their wide light spread, major satellite layout changes can be made without worrying about light placement or camera line-of-sight, and can be made faster due to the reduced cabling.

OCC4SAT aims to validate the technology and mature it to Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 5 via simulation and testing. Initial realistic simulations will model geometric and optical properties of typical microsatellite configurations, before moving to full-scale mockups to validate the simulations.

The OCC4SAT consortium - comprised of Argotec, E.RE.CA, Pi Lighting, and Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria - aims to mature the technology to TRL 9 and accelerate adoption in spacecraft.

You can read our abstract on the potential of OCC technology in reducing satellite mass, making assembly, integration and testing easier, and opening up new design opportunities here: https://iafastro.directory/iac/paper/id/88641/summary/