CubeSats are nanosatellites that are built to standard dimensions (Units or U’s) that range from 1U to 6U. The standard dimension for a Unit is 10cm x 10cm x 10 cm (4 in) and has a mass less than 1.33 kg (3 lbs) per U. The standardization of the dimensions were facilitated by California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo and Stanford University's Space Systems Development Lab in 1999.
 |
| A pair of NanoRacks CubeSats deployed by the NanoRacks Launcher attached to the end of the Japanese robotic arm. Credits: NASA |
CubeSats were created with the original goal of providing educational institutions and organizations an affordable way to conduct research in engineering, science, exploration, and provide hands-on educational spacecraft opportunities. With NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative (CSLI) selected CubeSats can be/were launched in rideshare launches to the International Space Station with government payloads, or launched in dedicated CubeSat launches. However CubeSats have become popular among companies as they are cheap to construct. According to Nanosats.eu over 500 companies have launched a CubeSat or Nanosat into orbit.
CubeSats have many benefits. They are cheap to construct and launch because they are small in size and don’t weigh a lot. CubeSats can be simple in design and mission, enabling people of all ages to construct and conduct research. A great example is the STMSat-1, which was the first CubeSat built by an elementary school.
Just like everything, CubeSats have downfalls. They are small in size and therefore don’t provide much protection to the electronics housed inside, making the smaller electronics susceptible to radiation. CubeSats also can’t conduct more advanced experiments/research because the size limits the amount of materials that can be placed inside. The lifespan of a CubeSat is also short, lasting from a few weeks to a few years before deactivation or burning up in the atmosphere.
 |
| Artist's concept of the Lunar Flashlight 6U CubeSat searching for ice on the Moon's surface Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech |
Most CubeSats reside in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) where they remain before they burn up in the atmosphere. There have been CubeSats that have gone on interplanetary missions such as the Mars Cube One (MARCO). NASA is also planning on utilizing CubeSats in the near future with the Near Earth Asteroid Scout (NEAScout) and the Lunar Flashlight to test CubeSats capabilities and effectiveness.
Other Resources:
No comments:
Post a Comment