Introduction to CubeSat
Introduction to CubeSat is a 2-day course that covers a wide range of topics related to CubeSats such as use cases, licensing procedures, launch vehicles and CubeSat components.
Nowhere are CubeSats more appreciated for their potential than at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California.
According to JPL, the miniature CubeSat satellites are redefining the way scientist explore space due to the CubeSat’s ability to carry space-based instruments.
Small, modular, and inexpensive to build and launch, CubeSats are opening up space exploration like never before. They offer a new world of possibilities in research and technology development to everyone: students, universities of all sizes, technology pioneers, and crowd-sourced initiatives.
NASA is quick to point out that for more complex missions, swarms of CubeSats could be anchored by a single “hub” in the form of a powerful central spacecraft that can handle complex computational tasks and data transmission back to Earth.
CubeSat constellations orbiting together hold particular interest for scientists who are counting on CubeSats to provide powerful observations from space.
This could include almost anything such as taking an intensive look at the nature of Europa’s icy shell to the extremely low-frequency energy of far-away galactic nuclei and black holes.
Space analysts contend that by keeping each CubeSat simple and focused, this allows for more inexpensive deployment, greater reliability, and the incremental ability to add new CubeSats or replace malfunctioning units.
Companies can also use CubeSats to provide communication services, send images and videos, and utilize remote sensing applications.
Again, CubeSats offer a range of advantages over traditional satellites, especially their faster launch times and lower launch costs.
The size and weight of these satellites make them much cheaper to launch than traditional satellites, and their flexibility and scalability allow for custom-built solutions tailored to specific needs. This makes CubeSats an attractive choice for commercial applications, such as remote sensing, location tracking, and communications.
CubeSats also offer significant advantages in terms of deployment speed. The small size of CubeSats allows them to be deployed from a variety of launch platforms, including low-cost rockets and the International Space Station.
This enables deployment times that are much shorter than those of traditional satellites, allowing customers to quickly access the services they need.
Introduction to CubeSat Course by Tonex
Introductions to CubeSat is a 2-day covering the basic concepts and processes for
CubeSat analysis, design and developments. Participants will learn about the CubeSats or miniature satellites that have been used exclusively in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), and can be used for exploring and interplanetary missions. In the beginning, however, they were commonly used in low Earth orbit for applications such as remote sensing or communications.
Nanosatellites are loosely defined as any satellite weighing less than 10 kilograms. The basic design of a CubeSat is a 10-centimeter (4-inch) cube with a mass of less than 1.33 kilograms (2.93 lbs.). CubeSats can also be designed to encompass two, three or six 10-centimeter units for more complicated missions. CubeSats shall also comply with a series of specific criteria that control factors such as their shape, size and weight.
The standard CubeSat unit, a cube-shaped structure measuring 10x10x10 centimetres, has with a mass of somewhere between 1 and 1.33 kg (AKA as 1U). This modular unit is now multiplied and larger nanosatellites such (1.5U, 2U, 3U or 6U).
Course Topics
Fundamentals of CubeSats
- CubeSats Use Cases
- Satellite Types
- Satellite Types and the Mass
- Large satellites: More than 1,000 kg
- Medium-sized satellites: 500-1,000 kg
- Small satellites
- Minisatellite: 100-500 kg
- Microsatellite: 10-100 kg
- Nanosatellite: 1-10 kg
- Picosatellite: Less than 1 kg
- CubeSat Launch Initiatives
- CubeSats System Survey
- Mission Models
- Operationally Responsive Space (ORS) Rideshare
- National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) Rideshare
- International Space Station (ISS) Deployment Mission Model
- Commercial Launch Services
- Structure
- Computing
- Attitude control
- Propulsion
- Power
- Telecommunications
- RF
- Antennas
- Antennas
- Thermal management
CubeSat Architecture and Design
- CubeSat Reference Architecture CubeSats Systems Engineering Design Process
- Model Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) applied to CubeSats
- System Inputs
- Desired System Outputs
- System Level Architecture
- CubeSat RF Engineering
- Antennas
- Communication Protocols
- Launch Vehicles
- CubeSat Dispenser Systems
- 3U Dispensers
- 6U Dispensers
- Launch Vehicles Rockets
- Development Process Overview
- Ground Station Design, Development, and Testing
- CubeSat Software Design and Implementation
- CubeSat Testing
- CubeSat Hardware Fabrication and Testing
- CubeSat Software Testing
- Mission Readiness Reviews
- CubeSat-to-Dispenser Integration and Testing
- Mission Operations
CubeSat Design Specifications (CDS)
- Range Safety Requirements
- Licensing Procedures
- Radio Frequency (RF) Licensing
- Remote Sensing
- Flight Certification
- Orbital Debris Mitigation Compliance
- Transmitter Surveys
- CubeSat Components
- Materials List
- Environment Testing (Vibration/Shock)
- 693 Thermal Vacuum Bakeout Testing
- Compliance
- Safety and Reliability
- CubeSat Verification and Validation (V&V)
- Acceptance Checklists
- Technical Reference Documents for CubeSat
- Requirements Verification
- CubeSat Cybersecurity Attacks and Mitigation
CubeSat Cybersecurity
- Space Cybersecurity
- CubeSat Networking, Systems, Technologies, Databases
- CubeSat Defensive and Offensive Cybersecurity
- CubeSats Vulnerabilities and Hackers
- Securing Satellites and CubeSats
- CubeSat Threat Models and Mitigation
CubeSat Case Study
- Business Case for a CubeSat-based Earth Imaging Constellation
- Tools to to Build a CubeSat
- CubeSat cost and Components
Introduction to CubeSat