CubeSat

A CubeSat is a type of space research picosatellite with dimensions usually of 10×10×10 centimetres (i.e., a volume of exactly one litre), weighing no more than one kilogram, and typically using commercial off-the-shelf electronics components.

Developed through joint efforts, California Polytechnic State University and Stanford University introduced the CubeSat to academia as a way for universities throughout the world to enter the realm of space science and exploration.

Currently, a large number of universities and some companies and other organizations around the world are actively developing CubeSats. One of these companies Clyde-Space, has just developed an 'off-the-shelf' website with information and resources for various sized cubesats and their subsystems. Other suppliers such as ISIS and GomSpace are also offering products and services through their websites. ,

With their relatively small size, CubeSats can be made and launched for an estimated US$65,000–80,000 each (2004 US dollars). This low price tag, as compared to most satellite launches, has made Cubesat a viable option for schools and universities across the world.

Although launch prices have risen quite substantially across the board of launch providers, a CubeSat still forms the most cost-effective independent means of getting your payload into orbit. Several companies and research institutes offer regular launch opportunities in clusters of several cubes. ISIS , Calpoly and UTIAS-SFL currently offer such services.

Most CubeSats carry one or two scientific instruments as their primary missions payload. A few CubeSat projects have limited propulsion systems; for example, the CubeSat project of the University of Illinois uses an array of small ion thrusters.

Launch history

2003

On 30 June 2003, five university CubeSats and one commercial CubeSat were launched on a Rockot rocket from Russia’s Plesetsk launch site. The launch was executed by Eurockot Launch Services GmbH of Bremen, Germany. The CubeSats on board were:

• Aalborg University's AAU CubeSat
• Quakefinder's Quakesat
• Technical University of Denmark's DTUsat
• Tokyo Institute of Technology's CUTE-I
• University of Tokyo's XI-IV
• University of Toronto's CanX-1

2005

On 27 October 2005, a Kosmos-3M launch vehicle launched from Plesetsk carried three CubeSats into orbit on the SSETI Express mission. The CubeSats on board were:

• Norwegian University of Science and Technology's NCUBE2
• University of Tokyo's XI-V
• University of Würzburg's UWE-1

2006

On 21 February, a M-V launch vehicle launched from Uchinoura, Japan carried a single CubeSat into orbit, namely:

• Tokyo Institute of Technology's CUTE-1.7

On July 26, 14 Cubesats from 11 universities, as well as a private company, were to be launched aboard a DNEPR Rocket, which failed and was destroyed during launch. California Polytechnic State University handled the details. This launch was postponed numerous times due to the primary payload, EgyptSat 1, not being ready. Due to ITAR concerns, the cubesats were moved to a different launch opportunity, with the primary payload from Belka. The launch was lost after the first stage engine shut down prematurely.. It is currently believed that all satellite parts were destroyed. The launch carried:

• ION by University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, U.S.
• KUTESAT-1 by University of Kansas, U.S.
• NCUBE-1 by Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway
• Rincon 1 by University of Arizona, U.S.
• SACRED by University of Arizona, U.S.
• MEROPE by Montana State University, U.S.
• CP-1 by California Polytechnic State University
• CP-2 by California Polytechnic State University
• ICE CUBESat by Cornell University

(the list is not complete)

2007

Seven Cubesats were launched April 17, 2007 as secondary payloads on a Dnepr rocket. They included:

• CSTB1 CubeSat TestBed 1 by Boeing -- Boeing Frontiers article Successful Mission Completion news release
• Libertad 1 by Universidad Sergio Arboleda, Colombia
• CAPE1 Cajun Advanced Picosatellite Experiment by University of Louisiana at Lafayette
• CP-3 by California Polytechnic State University
• CP-4 by California Polytechnic State University
• AeroCube 2 by The Aerospace Corporation
• Multi-Application Survivable Tether by Tethers Unlimited, Inc.

2008

In a launch coordinated by the Nanosatellite Launch System, Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle launched following CubeSats on April 28, 2008:

• AAUSAT-II
• CanX-2
• Compass-1
• CUTE-1.7+APD II
• Delfi C3
• 2nd SEEDS

Future Launches

End of 2008/early 2009, a launch campaign coordinated by ISIS is planned onboard a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle. More details are available on the ISIS launch campaign status page The current launch manifest contains:

• BEESat, University of Berlin, Germany
• UWE-2, University of Wuerzburg, Germany
• ITU-pSat, Instanbul Technical University, Turkey
• SwissCube, Ecole Polytechnique Federale De Lausanne, Switzerland

Later in 2008, a launch is planned that will include Auburn University's AubieSat-1. The launch date is undetermined.

A fourth-quarter, 2008, launch is planned for KySat-1, which was developed by multiple Kentucky universities.

By mid-2009 the University of Leicester, UK, plans to launch a CubeSat named PLUME that will detect space dust. It will be the first British CubeSat to be launched.

Current running projects

A number of CubeSat projects are running in different universities currently. Some of them are:

• OUFTI-1 by University of Liège, Belgium : 1-unit CubeSat using D-STAR protocol.
• Vorsat by University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
• M-Cubed by the University of Michigan
• University of Texas at Austin Cubesat Program
• BEESAT by Technical University Berlin, Germany
• Pakistan Student Satellite Program CUBESAT
• PolySat by California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, U.S.
• TJ³Sat by Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, Alexandria VA: Its completion will mark the first CubeSat to be successfully launched by high school students into space.
• SEDSAT-2 by the international branch of Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (SEDS)
• BillikenSat-II by Parks College, Saint Louis University, U.S.
• Delfi-C3 by Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands : It is a 3-unit CubeSat 10x10x30 centimeters
• AAUSAT-II by Aalborg University, Denmark
• AubieSat-1 by Auburn University, U.S.
• RyeSat by Ryerson University, Canada
• CanX-2 by the University of Toronto, Canada
• Compass One by Fachhochschule Aachen, Germany
• TIsat-1 by the University of Applied Sciences of Southern Switzerland (SUPSI), Switzerland
• DTUsat-2 by Technical University of Denmark, Denmark
• CAPE-1 by University of Louisiana at Lafayette, U.S.
• CASsat jointly by University of Sydney and University of Technology, Sydney, Australia
• HeidelSat by Heidelberg University of Applied Sciences, [Germany]
• Hermes by University of Colorado at Boulder, U.S.
• ION1 and ION2 by University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, U.S.
• MAST by Tethers Unlimited, Inc., Seattle, WA
• SwissCube by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Switzerland
• Explorer-1 [Prime] by Montana State University, Space Science and Engineering Laboratory
• KySat by a consortium of 6 Kentucky universities, U.S.
• Libertad 1 by Sergio Arboleda University, Colombia
• İTÜ pSAT I by Istanbul Technical University, Turkey
• STARD Cubesat project / SOMP by University of Technology Dresden, Germany
• INSAT-1 & INSAT-2 by Israel Aerospace Industries, Israeli Nano Satellite Assocoiation
• Project Albert by Imperial College London, Space Magnetometer Laboratory
• PEGASUS by University of Central Florida, Florida Space Institute Orlando
• UCISAT-1 by University of California, Irvine, Irvine, U.S.
• UMsat by University of Massachusetts Amherst
• VITSAT-1 Vellore Institute of Technology University, Vellore, TamilNadu, INDIA
• FITSAT IV -Florida Institute of Technology
• czCube by Association czCube o.s., Czech Republic
• Xatcobeo by University of Vigo and INTA (National Institute for Aerospace Technology)
• TEMPO³ by The Mars Society
• ESTCube by University of Tartu, Estonia

See also

• AMSAT
• List of CubeSats

References

1. Cubesat Community Website. Retrieved on 2006-03-18..
2. Clyde-Space. .

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External links

• Sadaf Satellite ProgramDedicated site for Pakistani student satellite program contains information about satellites and subsytems.
• CubeSat Program official website Contains information about the upcoming launch.
• Edusat Project
• Extensive list of Cubesat missions
• Delfi-C3: Delft University of Technology CubeSat project
• Aalborg University second CubeSat project
• Amsat's list of CubeSats Generally kept well up to date
• Ralph Wallio's CubeSat Information Page Up to date with current Keplerian elements and frequency information.
• ISIS - Innovative Solutions In Space CubeSat Subsystems, Launch Services and Engineering support for the CubeSat community.
• Pumpkin Inc: CubeSat Kits & design Commercially available CubeSat Kits and extensive information source.
• Systems Engineering at TJHSST The website for the CubeSat at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology.
• Clyde-Space Information and resources for various sized cubesats and their subsystems