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WhatIsACubeSat?

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What Is A CubeSat?

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ACubeSatisatypeofminiaturizedsatelliteforspaceresearchthatusuallyhasavolumeofexactlyoneliter(10cm
cube),hasamassofnomorethan1.33kilograms,[1]andtypicallyusescommercialofftheshelfcomponentsforits
electronics.

May2013

1Ucubesatstructurewithoutouterskin

Beginningin1999,CaliforniaPolytechnicStateUniversity(CalPoly)andStanfordUniversitydevelopedtheCubeSat
specificationstohelpuniversitiesworldwidetoperformspacescienceandexploration.
Themajorityofdevelopmentcomesfromacademia,butseveralcompanieshavebuiltCubeSats,includinglarge
satellitemakerBoeing.TheCubeSatformatisalsopopularwithamateurradiosatellitebuilders.
TheCubeSatspecificationaccomplishesseveralhighlevelgoals.Simplificationofthesatellitesinfrastructuremakesit
possibletodesignandproduceaworkablesatelliteatlowcost.Encapsulationofthelauncherpayloadinterfacetakes

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awaytheprohibitiveamountofmanagerialworkthatwouldpreviouslyberequiredformatingapiggybacksatellitewith
itslauncher.Unificationamongpayloadsandlaunchersenablesquickexchangesofpayloadsandutilizationoflaunch
opportunitiesonshortnotice.

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ThetermCubeSatwascoinedtodenotenanosatellitesthatadheretothestandardsdescribedintheCubeSatdesign

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specification.CalPolypublishedthestandardinaneffortledbyaerospaceengineeringprofessorJordiPuigSuari.[2]
BobTwiggs,fromtheDepartmentofAeronautics&AstronauticsatStanfordUniversity,andcurrentlyonthespace
sciencefacultyatMoreheadStateUniversityinKentucky,hascontributedtotheCubeSatcommunity.[3]Hisefforts
havefocusedonCubeSatsfromeducationalinstitutions.[4]Thespecificationdoesnotapplytoothercubelikenano
satellitessuchastheNASAMEPSInanosatellite,whichisslightlylargerthanaCubeSat.
In2004,withtheirrelativelysmallsize,CubeSatscouldeachbemadeandlaunchedforanestimated$65,000
$80,000.[2]Thispricetag,farlowerthanmostsatellitelaunches,hasmadeCubeSataviableoptionforschoolsand
universitiesacrosstheworld.Becauseofthis,alargenumberofuniversitiesandsomecompaniesandgovernment
organizationsaroundtheworldaredevelopingCubeSatsbetween40and50universitiesin2004,CalPolyreported.
[2]
Thestandard101010cmbasicCubeSatisoftencalleda1UCubeSatmeaningoneunit.CubeSatsarescalablealong
onlyoneaxis,by1Uincrements.CubeSatssuchasa2UCubeSat(201010cm)anda3UCubeSat(301010cm)
havebeenbothbuiltandlaunched.

ThisphotoshowstheNorwegianstudentsatelliteNCUBE2readyforshipmenttothe
NetherlandsforintegrationwiththeESAstudentsatelliteSSETIExpress.Permissiontouse
photohasbeengrantedbythephotographer,BjrnPedersen,NTNU.

SinceCubeSatsareall1010cm(regardlessoflength)theycanallbelaunchedanddeployedusingacommon
deploymentsystem.CubeSatsaretypicallylaunchedanddeployedfromamechanismcalledaPolyPicoSatelliteOrbital
Deployer(PPOD),alsodevelopedandbuiltbyCalPoly.[5]PPODsaremountedtoalaunchvehicleandcarry
CubeSatsintoorbitanddeploythemoncethepropersignalisreceivedfromthelaunchvehicle.PPODshavedeployed
over90%ofallCubeSatslaunchedtodate(includingunsuccessfullaunches),and100%ofallCubeSatslaunched
since2006.ThePPODMkIIIhascapacityforthree1UCubeSats.Sincethree1UCubeSatsareexactlythesamesizeas
one3UCubeSat,andtwo1UCubeSatsarethesamesizeasone2UCubeSat,thePPODcandeploy1U,2U,or3U
CubeSatsinanycombinationuptoamaximumvolumeof3U.[6]
CubeSatformsacosteffectiveindependentmeansofgettingapayloadintoorbit.[2]MostCubeSatscarryoneortwo
scientificinstrumentsastheirprimarymissionpayload.Severalcompaniesandresearchinstitutesofferregularlaunch
opportunitiesinclustersofseveralcubes.ISCKosmotrasandEurokotaretwocompaniesthatoffersuchservices.

1.^CubeSatDesignSpecificationRev.12.CaliforniaStatePolytechnicUniversity.Retrieved20101016.
2.^abcdLeonardDavid(2004).Cubesats:TinySpacecraft,HugePayoffs.Space.com.Retrieved20081207.
3.^RobGoldsmith(October6,2009).SatellitepioneerjoinsMoreheadStatesspacesciencefaculty.Space
Fellowship.Retrieved20100920.

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WhatIsACubeSat?

4.^abLeonardDavid(2006).CubeSatlossesspurnewdevelopment.Space.com.Retrieved20081211.
5.^EducationalPayloadontheVegaMaidenFlightCallForCubeSatProposals.EuropeanSpaceAgency.2008.
Retrieved20081207.
6.^MatthewRichardCrook(2009).NPSCubeSatLauncherDesign,ProcessAndRequirements.Naval
PostgraduateSchool.Retrieved20091230.
7.^JosHeyman(2009).FOCUS:CubeSatsACosting+PricingChallenge.SatMagazine.Retrieved20091230.
8.^CubistMovement.SpaceNews.20120813.p.30.WhenprofessorsJordiPuigSuariofCalifornia
PolytechnicStateUniversityandBobTwiggsofStanfordUniversityinventedthecubesatalittlemorethana
decadeago,theyneverimaginedthatthetinysatelliteswouldbeadoptedbyuniversities,companiesand
governmentagenciesaroundtheworld.Theysimplywantedtodesignaspacecraftwithcapabilitiessimilarto
Sputnikthatgraduatestudentcoulddesign,build,testandoperate.Forsize,theprofessorssettledona10
centimetercubebecauseitwaslargeenoughtoaccommodateabasiccommunicationspayload,solarpanelsanda
battery.
9.^EUROCKOTSuccessfullyLaunchesMOMRockothitsdifferentOrbits.EurockotLaunchServices.Retrieved
20100726.
10.^abTariqMalik(2005).EuropesStudentBuiltSatelliteRocketsintoSpace.Space.com.Retrieved20100730.
11.^StephenClark(2009).CommerciallaunchofSpaceXFalcon1rocketasuccess.SpaceflightNow.Retrieved
20100713.
12.^StephenClark(2006).Russianrocketfails18satellitesdestroyed.SpaceFlightNow.Retrieved20081203.
13.^TariqMalik(2006).Report:DneprRocketCrashesShortlyAfterLaunch.Space.com.Retrieved20060727.
14.^LeonardDavid(2006).RecentCubeSatLossesSpurRenewedDevelopment.Space.com.Retrieved20100713.
15.^DneprLVwith14satellitesonboardlaunched.SpaceFellowship.2007.Retrieved20081204.
16.^JonathanBrownRikiMunakata(2008).Dnepr2SatelliteIdentificationandtheMk.IIIPPOD.California
PolytechnicStateUniversity.Retrieved20100730.
17.^TheARRLLetter.AmericanRadioRelayLeague.2007.Retrieved20100730.
18.^DelfiC3deliveredtolaunchsite.SpaceFellowship.2008.Retrieved20081224.
19.^SpaceXSetsAugust2forFalcon1launch.Reuters.20080802.Retrieved20081224.
20.^ConceptofOperations.StanfordUniversity.2006.Retrieved20081203.
21.^NASA(October2011).ELaNA3:CubeSatELaNaIIILaunchonNPPMission.NationalAeronauticandSpace
Administration.RetrievedJune14,2012.
22.^Space.com(Sep2012).AirForceLaunchesSecretSpySatelliteNROL36.Space.com.RetrievedMarch21,
2013.
23.^NRO(June2012).NROL36FeaturesAuxiliaryPayloads.NationalReconnaissanceOffice.RetrievedMarch
21,2013.
24.^KuniakiShiraki(March2,2011).[OnTechnical
VerificationofReleasingSmallSatellitesfromKibo](inJapanese).JAXA.RetrievedMarch4,2011.
25.^MitsumasaTakahashi(June15,2011).
.JAXA.RetrievedJune18,2011.
26.^(inJapanese).JAXA.October5,2012.Retrieved
December1,2012.
27.^AntaresTestLaunchAONEMissionOverviewBriefing.OrbitalSciences.17April2013.Retrieved18April
2013.
28.^CosmogiaDove1OrbitalDebrisAssessmentReport.Cosmogia.1January2012.Retrieved18April2013.
29.^Cosmiac.orgTrailblazer
30.^BruceDorminey(November28,2012).FirstKickstarterFundedSatellitesToLaunchIn2013.Forbes.
Retrieved20131130.
31.^QB50.VonKarmanInstitute.Retrieved20091106.

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