CubeSat 101: Basic Concepts and Processes for First-Time ...

1 National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationCubeSat101 Basic Concepts and Processes for First-Time CubeSat DevelopersNASA CubeSat Launch InitiativeFor Public Release Revision Dated October 2017 CubeSat101 Basic Concepts and Processes for First-Time CubeSat DevelopersNASA CubeSat Launch InitiativeFor Public Release Revision Dated October 2017ii CubeSat 101: Basic Concepts and Processes for First-Time CubeSat Developers NASA CubeSat Launch InitiativeProduced under contract by the california Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly) CubeSat Systems Engineer LabAcknowledgementsThis guide was produced by the following to support NASA s CubeSat Launch Initiative:Writers and ContributorsCalifornia Polytechnic s PolySat Program, california Polytechnic State University San Luis ObispoJamie ChinRoland CoelhoJustin FoleyAlicia JohnstoneRyan NugentDave PignatelliSavannah PignatelliNikolaus PowellJordi Puig-SuariNASA Launch Services ProgramWilliam Atkinson, Kennedy Space CenterJennifer Dorsey, Kennedy Space CenterScott Higginbotham, Kennedy Space CenterMaile Krienke, Kennedy Space CenterKristina Nelson, Kennedy Space Center/ai SolutionsBradley Poffenberger, Kennedy Space CenterCreg Raffington, Kennedy Space CenterGarrett Skrobot, Kennedy Space CenterJustin Treptow, Kennedy Space CenterAnne Sweet, NASA HeadquartersNASA Advanced Exploration Systems DivisionJason Crusan.

2 NASA HeadquartersCarol Galica, NASA Headquarters/Stellar SolutionsNASA Space Communications and Navigation DivisionWilliam Horne, NASA Headquarters Space Communications and Navigation Spectrum ManagementNASA Jet Propulsion LaboratoryCharles Norton, Jet Propulsion Laboratory Formulation Lead for Small SatellitesNOAAAlan Robinson, NOAA Commercial Remote Sensing Regulatory Affairs OfficeEditors and Graphic DesignerCommunications Support Services CenterMaxine Aldred, NASA Headquarters/Media FusionAndrew Cooke, NASA Headquarters/Media FusionTun Hla, NASA Headquarters/Media FusionMichele Ostovar, NASA Headquarters/Media FusionJennifer Way, NASA Headquarters/Media FusionFor more information visit: 101 CubeSat 101: Basic Concepts and Processes for First-Time CubeSat Developers NASA CubeSat Launch InitiativeTable of ContentsPictured above:NASA mentors and the student launch team for StangSat and PolySat go through final checks in the CubeSat lab facility at Cal Poly.

3 [VAFB/Kathi Peoples]Acknowledgments ..ii1 Introduction cubesats .. CubeSat Dispenser Systems .. 3U Dispensers 6U Dispensers Launch Vehicles (LVs) aka: Rockets .. 62 Development Process Overview Concept Development (1 6 months) .. Securing Funding (1 12 months) .. Merit and Feasibility Reviews (1 2 months) .. CubeSat Design (1 6 months) .. Development and Submittal of Proposal in Response to CSLI Call (3 4 months) .. Selection and Manifesting (1 36 months) .. Mission Coordination (9 18 months) .. Regulatory Licensing (4 6 months) .. Flight-Specific Documentation Development and Submittal (10 12 months).

4 21ivTable of ContentsCubeSat 101 CubeSat 101: Basic Concepts and Processes for First-Time CubeSat Developers NASA CubeSat Launch Ground Station Design, Development, and Testing (2 12 months) .. CubeSat Hardware Fabrication and Testing (2 12 months) .. Mission Readiness Reviews (Half-Day) .. CubeSat -to-Dispenser Integration and Testing (2 days) Dispenser-to-Launch Vehicle Integration (1 day) .. Launch (1 day) .. Mission Operations (variable, up to 20 years) .. 29 ChargerSat-1 s mission was developed by students from the University of Alabama, Huntsville to conduct three technology demonstrations: a gravity gradient stabilization system will passively stabilize the spacecraft; deployable solar panels will nearly double the power input to the spacecraft; and the same deployable solar panels will shape the gain pattern of a nadir-facing monopole antenna, allowing improved horizon-to-horizon communications.

5 [University of Alabama, Huntsville]3 Mission Models NASA-Procured Launch Vehicle Mission Model .. Operationally Responsive Space (ORS) Rideshare Mission Model .. National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) Rideshare Mission Model .. Commercial Launch Service Through a Third-Party Broker Mission Model .. International Space Station (ISS) Deployment Mission Model .. 384 Requirement Sources for Launch Mission-Specific Interface Control Documents (ICDs) . Launch Services Program (LSP) Program-Level Requirements .. CubeSat Design Specifications (CDS) .. Dispenser Standards/Specifications .. Federal Statutes .. Range Safety Requirements .. 425 Licensing Procedures Radio Frequency (RF) Licensing.

6 Remote Sensing .. 51vTable of ContentsCubeSat 101 CubeSat 101: Basic Concepts and Processes for First-Time CubeSat Developers NASA CubeSat Launch InitiativeCubeSat 101: Basic Concepts and Processes for First-Time CubeSat Developers NASA CubeSat Launch Initiative6 Flight Certification Documentation Orbital Debris Mitigation Compliance .. Transmitter Surveys .. Materials List .. Mass Properties Report .. Battery Report .. Dimensional Verifications .. Electrical Report .. Venting Analysis .. Testing Procedures/Reports .. Day In The Life (DITL) Testing Dynamic Environment Testing (Vibration/Shock) Thermal Vacuum Bakeout Testing Compliance Letter .. Safety Package Inputs ( , Missile System Prelaunch Safety Package, Flight Safety Panel).

7 64 Appendices 65A List of Abbreviations .. 65B Glossary .. 66C Templates .. 691. ODAR Inputs 692. CubeSat Components ODAR Template 713. Transmitter Survey 724. Materials List 745. Compliance Letter 776. CubeSat Acceptance Checklists 79D Technical Reference Documents for CubeSat Requirements.. 84E Notional Timeline of Events/Deliverables .. 851 CubeSat 101: Basic Concepts and Processes for First-Time CubeSat Developers NASA CubeSat Launch Initiative1 IntroductionCubeSat 101IN THIS CHAPTER cubesats CubeSat Dispenser 3U 6U Dispensers Launch Vehicles (LV), aka: RocketsPictured above:Launch of NASA s National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) Preparatory Project (NPP) mission on Oct.

8 28, 2011, which deployed five cubesats as part of the Educational Launch of Nanosatellites (ELaNa)-III Mission. [ Air Force/Staff Sgt. Andrew Satran]How do you start a CubeSat project? As popular as cubesats have become, it s surprising how little information is out there to help someone just enter-ing the field. That s why this document was created to lay out everything you need to take a great CubeSat idea and make it into an actual spacecraft that is launched into orbit. If you ve been involved in the CubeSat world for a while, this guide will be a good reference for anything on which you might need a refresher. However, this guide is written for First-Time CubeSat developers, and especially for cubesats being developed at educational institutions.

9 So, if this is your first foray into cubesats , you ll want to read through carefully to get an idea of the scope and the amount of work this project will we get to the nitty-gritty, let s start with a little background. cubesats began as a collaborative effort in 1999 between Jordi Puig-Suari, a professor at california Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly), and Bob Twiggs, a professor at Stanford University s Space Systems Development Laboratory (SSDL). The original intent of the project was to provide affordable access to space for the university sci-ence community, and it has successfully done so. Thanks to cubesats , many major universities now have a space program.

10 But it s not just big universities; smaller universi-ties, high schools, middle schools, and elementary schools have also been able to start CubeSat programs of their own. FIGURE 1 shows university students in their clean room taking measurements of a CubeSat they helped to develop. In addi-tion to educational institutions, Government agencies and FIGURE 1: University student taking measurements of a 2U CubeSat (CP9). [Cal Poly]2 CHAPTER 1 IntroductionCubeSat 101 CubeSat 101: Basic Concepts and Processes for First-Time CubeSat Developers NASA CubeSat Launch Initiativecommercial groups around the world have developed cubesats . They recognized that the small, standardized platform of the CubeSat can help reduce the costs of technical developments and scientific investigations.