Cubesat

Cubesat‏‎

A Cubesat‏‎ is a type of miniaturized satellite for space research that is made up of multiples of 10×10×10 cm cubic units. Cubesats have a mass of no more than 1.33 kilograms per unit and often use commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components for their electronics and structure.

History

The Cubesat‏‎ concept was first proposed by California Polytechnic State University and Stanford University in 1999. The aim was to enable graduate students to be able to design, build, test and operate in space a spacecraft with capabilities similar to that of the first spacecraft, Sputnik. The standard has been adopted by hundreds of organizations worldwide.

Design and Structure

Cubesats are built to standard dimensions (Units or "U") of 10 cm x 10 cm x 10 cm. They can be 1U, 2U, 3U, or 6U in size, and can be single or multiple units put together. The cubesat structure must be made of a material that is conductive to prevent static build up and must have a means for dissipating excess heat generated by the onboard electronic components.

Applications

Cubesats have been used for a variety of applications. These include technology demonstration, scientific research, educational activities, and amateur radio. They have also been used for military applications.

Launch and Deployment

Cubesats are commonly deployed into space as secondary payloads on a launch vehicle. This can be done using a Poly-Picosatellite Orbital Deployer (P-POD), developed by California Polytechnic State University. The P-POD has become the de facto standard for cubesat deployment.

Future Developments

Future developments in cubesat technology are expected to enable even more sophisticated applications, including interplanetary and even interstellar missions.

See Also

• Nanosatellite
• Microsatellite
• List of CubeSats