Header image for the 2nd International Symposium on Very Low Earth Orbit Missions and Technologies

2nd International Symposium on Very Low Earth Orbit Missions and Technologies

13 to 14 January 2025

Stuttgart, Germany

The 2nd International Symposium on Very Low Earth Orbit Missions and Technologies 2025 in Stuttgart has concluded.

Our gratitude goes to all presenters, participants and to the organising team for making this a memorable symposium!

The 2nd International Symposium on Very Low Earth Orbit Missions and Technologies 2025 in Stuttgart, Germany
The 2nd International Symposium on Very Low Earth Orbit Missions and Technologies 2025 in Stuttgart, Germany

The 2nd International Symposium on Very Low Earth Orbit Missions and Technologies was held on the premises of the University of Stuttgart in Germany on the 13th and 14th of January 2025.

As a follow-up to the first VLEO symposium hosted by the EU H2020 DISCOVERER team in June 2021, this symposium brought together representatives from academia, industry and agencies interested in and/or working towards making sustainable VLEO operations a reality. The host for the 2nd Symposium was the then newly established Collaborative Research Center 1667 ATLAS, which is dedicated to this vision. The CRC 1667 is funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) – Project-ID 516238647 – SFB 1667/1.

Publications

A selection of conference papers was peer-reviewed and published in the Special Collection of the CEAS Space Journal titled VLEO Very Low Earth Orbit Satellites. Further papers were reviewed and published through different journals. Additional conference papers will be indexed and made available via the Online Publication System of the University of Stuttgart shortly.

An overview of papers presented in the 2nd International Symposium on Very Low Earth Orbit Missions and Technologies and subsequently published is provided in the following.

  1. Agez, B., Wuilbercq, R. Maximisation of lift-to-drag ratio for VLEO platforms using free-form deformation techniques. CEAS Space J (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12567-025-00645-4
  2. Bortotto, A., Ben-Larbi, M.K. Propellant-less steering law for small satellites orbital decay mitigation using drag and solar radiation pressure. CEAS Space J (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12567-025-00673-0
  3. Chintalapati, B., Jafari, A., Laufer, R. et al. Advancing multi-class object detection from LEO/VLEO: model evaluation and onboard deployment tailored for a 16U CubeSat. CEAS Space J (2026). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12567-025-00697-6
  4. Endo, A., Ashida, Y., Ohata, T. et al. A gas–surface interaction model for atmospheric drag evaluation of very-low earth orbit satellite. CEAS Space J (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12567-025-00658-z
  5. Fasoulas, S., Pagan, A.S., Traub, C. et al. Motivation, structure and goals of the Collaborative Research Centre 1667: Advancing Technologies of very Low-Altitude Satellites—ATLAS. CEAS Space J (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12567-025-00687-8
  6. Gaglio, E., Traub, C., Sannino, A., et al. Quasi-Optimal Guidance and Control in Very Low Earth Orbit via Deep Learning for Drag-Based Collision Avoidance. Acta Astronaut 235, pp. 362-374 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actaastro.2025.05.029
  7. Geyer, F., Tuttas, F., Haufe, P.J. et al. Aerodynamic attitude control of very-low-earth-orbit satellites: simulative analysis and insights into nonlinear system properties. CEAS Space J (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12567-025-00684-x
  8. Goto, A., Yukumatsu, K. & Kimoto, Y. Atomic oxygen resistance of silsesquioxane-coated polyimide films studied by LEO, VLEO, and lab exposures. CEAS Space J (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12567-025-00668-x
  9. Hocker, S., Lipp, H., Segreto, N. et al. Impact of hyperthermal oxygen on alumina surfaces investigated by molecular dynamics simulations. CEAS Space J (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12567-025-00656-1
  10. Ingrillini, L., Traub, C., Ben-Larbi, M.K. et al. Operationalizing differential drag control: a planning routine for the S-NET satellite formation. CEAS Space J (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12567-025-00630-x
  11. Jorge, P.D.C., Parodi, P., Spillemaekers, M. et al. Performance characterization of intake-collectors for atmosphere-breathing electric propulsion systems. Plasma Sources Sci. Technol. 34 105009 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6595/ae08e3
  12. Jorge, P.D.C., Spillemaekers, M., le Quang, D. et al. Relevance of an RF plasma source to satellite material testing in VLEO conditions. CEAS Space J (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12567-025-00664-1
  13. La Marca, T.A., Graziano, M.D., Grassi, M. et al. Mission and system design for the EarthNext Cubesat VLEO mission. CEAS Space J (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12567-025-00663-2
  14. Papavramidis, K., Blank, S., Souhair, N. et al. Simulation analysis and implementation of a permanent magnet configuration on an RF helicon-based plasma thruster. CEAS Space J (2026). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12567-025-00696-7
  15. Pessina, V., Sannino, A., Mungiguerra, S. et al. Numerical investigation of critical aspects for the intake of atmosphere-breathing electric propulsions for VLEO applications. CEAS Space J (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12567-025-00665-0
  16. Ramesh, S.S., Di Fede, S., Shivakumar, R. et al. ELITE: A VLEO mission in Singapore developed with simulations and sensing. CEAS Space J (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12567-025-00661-4
  17. Roberts, P.C.E. VLEO and space sustainability: how does Very Low Earth Orbit contribute to the shift towards more sustainable space activities?. CEAS Space J (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12567-025-00677-w
  18. Schütte, M., Fasoulas, S. & Pfeiffer, M. Enhanced gas-surface scattering modeling for VLEO satellites in DSMC simulations. CEAS Space J (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12567-025-00629-4
  19. Šťastný, M., Mrózek, K., Juřík, K. et al. Current progress in the development of an ECR plasma source for atmosphere-breathing electric propulsion system. CEAS Space J (2026). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12567-026-00700-8
  20. van der Zwaard, R., Speretta, S., Siemes, C. et al. Using differential satellite drag as an experiment to characterise gas–surface interactions. CEAS Space J (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12567-025-00657-0
  21. Walther, M., Papavramidis, K., Skalden, J. et al. Operational aspects of an ABEP system for drag compensation in VLEO. CEAS Space J (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12567-025-00648-1
  22. Xia, C., Wang, Y., Hu, P. et al. Analysis and prospect of key factors to improve the performance of air-breathing electric propulsion systems in China. CEAS Space J (2026). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12567-025-00678-9
  23. Xu, C., Caracciolo, A., Jorge, P.D.C. et al. Inelastic scattering dynamics of hyperthermal O atoms on engineering surfaces relevant to satellites in low Earth orbit. CEAS Space J (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12567-025-00628-5

Further Information

Schedule
  • Begin of the symposium proper: 13 January 2025 at 09:00 CET
  • Conference Dinner: 13 January 2025 at 19:00 CET at Leonhardt's Event Location (Fernsehturm Stuttgart)
  • End of the symposium: 14 January at approximately 18:00 CET.
Booklet

The symposium booklet (contains the full up-to-date technical program, directions and contact info) is now available for download.

Download the symposium booklet (pdf, version 2025-01-11)

Technical Programme

The full technical programme is now available for download.

Download the full technical programme (pdf, version 2025-01-11).

Book of Abstracts

The book of abstracts is now available for download.

Download the book of abstracts (pdf, version 2025-01-11)

Session Topics

There were one poster session and nine technical sessions for presentations, respectively covering the following topics:

  1. Science Mission Designs and Concepts
  2. System Design
  3. VLEO Application Scenarios
  4. Very Low Earth Orbit Control
  5. Atmosphere-Breathing Electric Propulsion
  6. ABEP Plasma Physics
  7. Gas-Surface Interactions and Materials
  8. Particle Simulation Methods
  9. Aerodynamic Control
Chairs
  • Stefanos Fasoulas, University of Stuttgart, Germany
  • Peter C. E. Roberts, The University of Manchester, United Kingdom
Editorial Committee
  • Stefanos Fasoulas, University of Stuttgart, Germany
  • Tim Flohrer, ESOC Space Debris Office, Germany
  • Georg Herdrich, University of Stuttgart, Germany
  • Vaios Lappas, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece
  • René Laufer, Luleå University of Technology, Sweden
  • Anke Pagels-Kerp, German Aerospace Center DLR, Germany
  • Peter C. E. Roberts, The University of Manchester, United Kingdom
  • Christian Siemes, TU Delft, The Netherlands
  • Claudia Stolle, Leibniz-Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Germany
Organising Committee
  • Adam S. Pagan, University of Stuttgart, Germany
  • Markus Graß, University of Stuttgart, Germany
  • Constantin Traub, University of Stuttgart, Germany
An outside view of the Space Center Baden-Württemberg on a sunny day

As Germany's sixth largest city and capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg, Stuttgart is renowned as a global centre of automotive industry. Nestled between vineyards and forests, Stuttgart offers a unique blend of urban sophistication and natural beauty. In addition, the city boasts a rich cultural scene with numerous museums, theaters, and parks. Situated in the heart of the continent, Stuttgart is well-accessible through its excellent connection to the air, rail and road networks of Europe.

The symposium was held at the premises of the Space Center Baden-Württemberg (in German: Raumfahrtzentrum Baden-Württemberg or RZBW). The RZBW houses the Institute of Space Systems (IRS) of the University of Stuttgart as well as the main offices of the Collaborative Research Center 1667 ATLAS - Advancing Technologies for Low-Altitude Satellites.

Address

Raumfahrtzentrum Baden-Württemberg
Universität Stuttgart
Pfaffenwaldring 29
70569 Stuttgart
Germany

How to get there

Directions

For any further inquiries, please contact the symposium organising committee at info(at)atlas.uni-stuttgart.de.

Contact us

 

The CRC 1667 ATLAS Management Office

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