Can smaller satellites help us better understand our changing planet?

Earth’s gravity is constantly changing. As glaciers melt, groundwater moves, and oceans shift, these tiny variations reveal relevant information about our planet and its changing climate. Tracking them, however, requires highly specialised satellites that are expensive to build and launch.

Researchers from Hanay group at INL are exploring whether miniature accelerometers, built using Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) technology, could be used in a new generation of small satellites designed to monitor Earth’s gravity.

These miniature sensors measure the small non-gravitational forces acting on a satellite, such as atmospheric drag or the pressure of sunlight. By accounting for these forces, it is possible to isolate the gravitational signal needed to map subtle changes in Earth’s gravity.

The study, published in the Journal Advances in Space Research and carried out by INL researchers Rosana Dias, Inês Garcia and Filipe Alves, in collaboration with researchers from University of Texas at Austin, Delft University of Technology, and Spin.Works S.A., evaluated different ways of arranging these miniature sensors inside a CubeSat (a miniature satellite designed to be smaller and more cost-effective than traditional spacecraft).

After comparing several configurations, the team identified a six-sensor design that offered the best balance between measurement capability and engineering simplicity. They also developed models to understand how small positioning or alignment errors could affect performance, providing valuable guidance for future satellite design.

Computer simulations showed that, despite their small size, these sensors could provide measurements accurate enough to recover important information about changes in Earth’s gravity. Although further improvements are still needed, the results demonstrate the potential of MEMS technology to support a new generation of smaller, more affordable gravity-monitoring satellites.

This research work was supported by the UT Austin Portugal Program, COMPETE 2030 and FEDER.

Spotlight by Catarina Moura, Clara Miranda, and Rui Andrade

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