This paper presents a standardized 3U CubeSat common bus architecture intended to interface directly with a mission-specific 3U payload to form a complete 6U spacecraft without recurring redesign of bus-level avionics, structure, or harnessing. The a...
Robotics plays a pivotal role in contemporary space missions, particularly in the development of robotic manipulators for operations in environments that are inaccessible to humans. In accordance with the trend of integrating multiple functionalities...
This project focuses on the development of a 2U CubeSat intended for potential integration into an LEO constellation. The CubeSat is designed to deliver space-based CNS services, supporting the evolving needs of next-generation airspace and global co...
1U CubeSats often use the 430-MHz band for communication due to their size and power limitations, and half-wavelength dipole antennas are employed. A 430-MHz-band dipole antenna requires a deployable structure for a 1U CubeSat. However, a 1U CubeSat...
The purpose of this work is to present a novel CubeSat architecture, aimed to explore Near Earth Asteroids. The fast growth in small satellite commercial-off-the-shelf technologies, which characterized the last decade of space industry, is exploited...
AstroBio CubeSat is a mission funded by the Italian Space Agency aimed at validating novel lab-on-chip technology, that would enable the use of micro- and nanosatellites as autonomous orbiting laboratories for research in astrobiology. This 3U CubeSa...
The paper presents the development of the power, propulsion, and thermal systems for a 3U CubeSat orbiting Earth at a radius of 600 km measuring the radiation imbalance using the RAVAN (Radiometer Assessment using Vertically Aligned NanoTubes) payloa...
Climate change and global warming are attributed to the increased levels of greenhouse Gases in the atmosphere. Miniature low-cost, lightweight instruments on-board low-cost nanosatellite platforms such as CubeSats could be used to provide precise me...
Space technology for small satellites has made significant progress in the academic and industrial fields, and an alternative focused on educational institutions is the CubeSat standard, created to promote various scientific projects of space explora...
Terrestrial gamma ray flashes (TGF) are intense and prompt bursts of X- and gamma-rays of up to 100 MeV of energy. Typically associated with thunderstorm activity, TGFs are produced by bremsstrahlung effects of electrons accelerated in strong electri...
This paper presents findings from a spaceborne Earth observation experiment utilizing a novel, ultra-compact hyperspectral imaging camera aboard a 3U CubeSat. Leveraging the Offner optical scheme, the camera’s hyperspectrometer captures hypersp...
Microstrip patch antennas (MPAs) are widely used in satellite communication due to their low profile, compact size, and ease of fabrication. This paper presents a design of an X-band microstrip patch antenna using an electromagnetic band gap (EBG) st...
Despite the wealth of data produced by previous and current Earth Observation platforms feeding climate models, weather forecasts, disaster monitoring services and countless other applications, the public still lacks the ability to access a live, tru...
The extensive application of CubeSats in fields such as communication, remote sensing, and scientific exploration highlights their significant engineering value. With the growth of CubeSat dimensions towards 12U and beyond, their potential for engine...
This paper presents the design of a digital twin for a 6U CubeSat electrical power system, including the solar arrays, solar array regulators, battery, power distribution unit, and load subsystems. The digital twin is validated by comparing its real-...
Greenhouse gases absorb the Earth’s thermal radiation and partially return it to the Earth’s surface. When accumulated in the atmosphere, greenhouse gases lead to an increase in the average global air temperature and, as a result, climate...
CubeSat missions increasingly rely on microwave-band communication systems, whose antennas often exhibit directional radiation patterns. As a result, multiple antennas are commonly used to improve coverage; however, a quantitative method to evaluate...
The goal of this paper is to demonstrate the capability of the 1U CubeSat to study the radiation spectra on LEO. The research was realized by the Lucky-7 mission with the primary goal of testing electronics such as a power supply, piNAV L1 GPS receiv...
The structural safety of solar cells mounted on deployable solar panels in the launch vibration environment is a significant aspect of a successful CubeSat mission. This paper presents a novel highly damped deployable solar panel module that is effec...
Life cycle stages are very important for the aerospace industry. Many models have emerged for handling the processes within and across the development of new products. Developing CubeSat-based missions has shortened the required time and has reduced...
Accurate attitude control of small spacecraft becomes challenging when inertia variations, imperfect state estimates, environmental disturbances, and limited actuator authority simultaneously affect the closed-loop response. This study presents an es...
Among other CubeSat subsystems, Antenna is one of the most important CubeSat components as its design determines all the telecommunication subsystems’ performances. This paper presents a coplanar wave-guide (CPW)-fed equilateral triangular slot...
A flight-proven electrical bus system for the 1U CubeSat platform was designed in the BIRDS satellite program at the Kyushu Institute of Technology. The bus utilizes a backplane board as the mechanical and electrical interface between the subsystems...
This research assesses the feasibility of a collision avoidance methodology for CubeSats lacking propulsion. The approach involves altering the satellite’s orientation to modify its cross-sectional area and, subsequently, the drag force. Examin...
The CANYVAL-C (CubeSat Astronomy by NASA and Yonsei using a virtual telescope alignment for coronagraph) is a space science demonstration mission that involves taking several images of the solar corona with two CubeSats—1U CubeSat (Timon) and 2U Cube...
The current success rate of CubeSat missions, particularly for first-time developers, may discourage non-profit organizations to start new projects. CubeSat development teams may not be able to dedicate the resources that are necessary to maintain Qu...
Deployment of CubeSat swarms is proposed for various missions necessitating cooperative interactions among satellites. Commonly, the cube swarm requires formation flight and even rendezvous and docking, which are very challenging tasks since they req...
Miniaturized electric propulsion systems are one of the main technologies that could increase interest in CubeSats for future space missions. However, the integration of miniaturized propulsion systems in modern CubeSat platforms presents some issues...
Current CubeSats usually exhibit a low structural mass efficiency and a low internal volume for their payloads. The present work aims to propose an advanced structural architecture for CubeSats that addresses the issues of low structural mass efficie...
Nowadays, nanosatellites are widely used in space technology due to their small size, ease of deployment, and relatively short development period. CubeSat specifications have been suggested as an effort to standardize nanosatellite mission design. St...
Following a global trend towards miniaturization, the population of nano- and micro-satellite continues to increase. CubeSats are standardized small size satellites based on 10 × 10 × 10 cm cube modules (1U) and are becoming sophisticated...
With the recent increase in CubeSats’ ability to undertake complex and advanced missions, they are being considered for missions such as constellations, which demand high development efficiency. From a satellite interface perspective, productiv...
We propose a system and a technique to measure misalignments of individual optical elements in a deployable telescope for a small satellite, and we demonstrate its application for a 2230 mm F10.3 Ritchey–Chretien type telescope. The system uses...
In this paper, a folded slot-based multiple-input–multiple-output (MIMO) antenna design for Cube Satellite (CubeSat) applications is presented for the ultra-high frequency (UHF) band. A unique combination of a reactively loaded meandered slot w...
The electric propulsion system NanoFEEP was integrated and tested in orbit on the UWE-4 satellite, which marks the first successful demonstration of an electric propulsion system on board a 1U CubeSat. In-orbit characterization measurements of the he...
Launched in March 2021, the 3U CubeSat nanosatellite was the first ever to use an ultra-lightweight harmonic diffractive lens for Earth remote sensing. We describe the CubeSat platform we used; our 10 mm diameter and 70 mm focal length lens synthesis...
This work reports the results of an on-ground experimental test campaign performed in the relevant environment (i.e., inside a vacuum chamber) of a blowdown H2O2 monopropellant propulsion system designed for CubeSat applications for the assessment of...
CubeSats are designed to optimize applications within the strict constraints of space and power. This paper presents an On-Board Image Enhancement technique for remote sensing payloads, focusing on achieving Auto White Balance (AWB) with limited reso...
The preliminary design for the Open Prototype for Educational NanoSats (OPEN) demonstration spacecraft, OpenOrbiter, is presented. OPEN is designed to facilitate the formation of CubeSat development programs nationally and worldwide via providing a p...
This article presents a multi-band right-hand circularly polarized antenna designed for the Cube Satellite (CubeSat). Based on a quadrifilar structure, the antenna provides circular polarization radiation suitable for satellite communication. Moreove...
CubeSat requirements in terms of size, weight, and power restrict the possibility of having redundant systems. Consequently, telemetry data are the primary way to verify the status of the satellites in operation. The monitoring and interpretation of...
This paper addresses the possibility of reconstructing motion relative to the center of mass of a low Earth orbit (LEO) nanosatellite of the CubeSat 3U standard using satellite position measurements (Two-Line Element Set (TLE)). This kind of task nee...
The Educational Irish Research Satellite (EIRSAT-1) is a 2U CubeSat developed at University College Dublin. The project aims to build, test, launch, and operate Ireland’s first satellite and to perform in-orbit demonstrations of three novel payloads...
Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are intense and short-lived cosmic explosions. Miniaturised CubeSat-compatible instruments for the study of GRBs are being developed to help bridge the gap in large missions and assist in achieving full sky coverage. CubeSats...
The 3Cat-3/MOTS (3: Cube, Cat: Catalunya, 3: 3rd CubeSat mission/Missió Observació Terra Satèl·lit) mission is a joint initiative between the Institut Cartogràfic i Geològic de Catalunya (ICGC) and the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya-BarcelonaTe...
The recent technology advancements in miniaturizing the primary components of spacecraft allow the classic CubeSats to be considered as a valid option in the design of a deep space scientific mission, not just to support a main typical interplanetary...
Asteroid mining offers vital sources for improving human lives and provides opportunities for interplanetary missions and space travel. There are many professional commercial space companies that are only investing billions of dollars on asteroids mi...
Quantum key distribution (QKD) offers future proof security based on fundamental laws of physics. Long-distance QKD spanning regions such as the United Kingdom (UK) may employ a constellation of satellites. Small satellites, CubeSats in particular, i...
CubeSats are increasingly adopted for space missions due to their low cost and short development cycles. However, their attitude determination and control systems (ADCS) often suffer from limited verification environments and constrained hardware con...
University CubeSat programs are often conducted under severe constraints in budget, personnel, schedule, and knowledge continuity, while still requiring sufficient verification to support mission success. This paper presents the verification, testing...
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