Rendezvous and proximity operations (RPOs) are a standard class of space operation, increasingly characterised by dual-use and adversarial potential. When conducted non-cooperatively, the intent behind an RPO is unknown, complicating threat assessment for operators. This thesis presents a methodology for inferring RPO intent from observable trajectory data. Five intent classes are defined from representative mission objectives, and synthetic trajectories are generated for each via multi-objective optimisation, spanning both low Earth orbit and geosynchronous orbit regimes. An XGBoost classifier is trained on manoeuvre features extracted from this synthetic dataset to distinguish between intent classes, and is benchmarked against Random Forest and SVM alternatives. On synthetic data, the classifier reliably discriminates between intent classes, with accuracy improving as more manoeuvres, and thus more trajectory context, become available. Validation against real-world tracking data shows the same trend but at lower absolute accuracy, revealing a sim-to-real gap that is traceable to training data. This gap indicates that the synthetic training data does not fully capture the manoeuvre behaviour of real-world, potentially adversarial chasers, and that closing it will require closer alignment between simulated and observed RPO dynamics. ... Read more

This summary is about the highlights of the final design of the LAMP (Low Altitude Modular Platform). This report follows the project plan, baseline report and midterm report. This report presents the market analysis for the platform followed by the detailed design of the platform. The design of each subsystem is treated on its own after which the integration, manufacturing and operations of all subsystems are discussed. The low-altitude modular platform is a versatile satellite platform with a wide range of capabilities. It bridges the gap between small CubeSats and high-end Earth observational satellites, while also flying at 300 Km, enabling higher resolutions in a small form factor. While the market share of CubeSats has grown a lot in recent years, their capabilities are still limited. Due to practical constraints of miniaturisation, the spacecraft bus platform typically occupies approximately 50% to 80% of the total satellite internal volume. This problem is however remedied with the use of larger satellites, which is the market gap LAMP tries to occupy. It has both the advantages of standardisation, ease of production, and low cost of CubeSats, while also possessing a large payload fraction and the bus capabilities to accommodate a high-end earth observation payload. LAMP is also innovative in its communication capabilities: It is planned to be the first satellite platform to use the SpaceX Starlink constellation. This gives LAMP unparalleled communication capabilities for an earth observational satellite in its class. LAMP is capable of sending all the information of its design payload (the DST) in livelink. In certain orbits, it is even capable of streaming 1080p 60fps video live to Earth. This opens it for a great number of new applications related to civil, law enforcement, and military surveillance... ... Read more