Navy Space
Navy Space
Navy Space gives midshipmen hands-on experience designing, building, and operating spacecraft while exploring the role of space in naval operations. Members turn classroom knowledge into practical skills through satellite development, mission operations, and academic research. All majors are welcome, and no prior experience is required.
The Satellite Build Team develops and tests spacecraft and payloads, while the Ground Operations Team supports satellite tracking, communications, and operator training. Space Warfighting, Outreach, Research and Doctrine (SWORD) leads the program’s academic work, including research papers and the study of space warfighting, policy, and doctrine.
Our projects include:
- NASB / USNA 16 — Building a foundation for future missions. The Naval Academy Satellite Bus provides the core spacecraft systems needed to support different payloads. USNA 16 serves as its first test flight, helping establish a reusable platform for future missions.
- USNA 18 — Exploring very low Earth orbit. Osprey VAPORSAT combines a deployable drag chute with a methanol propulsion system to investigate spacecraft operations in very low Earth orbit.
- USNA 20 — Communicating with light. Sauron explores optical communications using onboard LEDs to transmit information to a ground-based telescope in Annapolis.
- StarNavy — Determining orientation by the stars. This team is developing a star tracker that compares camera images with a star catalog to determine a spacecraft’s orientation, bringing together electronics, optics, and software.
- PocketQube — Engineering on a smaller scale. This compact satellite platform challenges midshipmen to develop and integrate spacecraft systems within tight size, mass, and power constraints.
- Radiation Payload — Evaluating shielding in space. This experiment compares radiation measurements behind different shielding materials to study their effectiveness in protecting spacecraft systems.
- BearSat — Connecting service academies through space. A joint effort with the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, BearSat pairs a USNA-developed spacecraft platform with a radio-frequency research payload.
Beyond spacecraft development, members gain experience with ground-station operations and telescope tracking. Through SWORD, midshipmen also contribute to academic projects such as Maritime Doctrine in Space, examining how maritime concepts can inform space strategy and operations. Professional visits, speakers, and conferences connect members with the broader space community.
Whether your interests are engineering, operations, research, or strategy, Navy Space offers an opportunity to contribute and learn.
Questions or interested in joining?
Team email: usna_space_team-group@usna.edu
Instagram: @navyspace_usna