The Tufts CubeSat team is currently working on the "SPACE RACCOON" mission, a 14-month initiative focused on improving orbital safety through the development of a 2U satellite. This project is Tufts's first ever CubeSat mission. Our project's primary objective is to detect, classify, and assess the risk of space debris in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) using onboard computer vision and machine learning.

Key pillars of our 2025–2026 development cycle include:

• Off-the-Shelf Payload Engineering: Using modified GoPro camera hardware integrated with custom ML software to identify and analyze debris streaks.
• Open-Source Contribution: A commitment to keeping our code open-source to benefit the broader aerospace community and future mission planning.
• Technical Goals: Our team is simultaneously managing various subsystems, including Raspberry Pi-based processing, radio frequency (RF) program uploading, power distribution, and radiation-proof battery systems.
• Milestones: For 2026, we are moving toward a full integration of Onshape mechanical designs and custom PCB payload boards for our payload.