Comsat Architects is currently in the process of designing and developing a 3U CubeSat for observation of climate change in the Great Lakes region. The CubeSat platform was originally proposed in 1999 by two professors from California Polytechnic State University and Standford University who wanted to enable their students to design, build, test, and operate a spacecraft. The most important requirement was for the spacecraft to be small enough for students to build on a relatively small budget. They were able to achieve this based on the growing focus on electronic device miniaturization, leading to the standardization of the CubeSat base unit of 10cm x 10cm x 10cm, referred to as “1U” (for 1 Unit).
Today, these units can be combined into larger CubeSats of 3, 6, and 12U. The low cost of producing CubeSats based on this standard has led to the development of space science applications from low-Earth orbit to deep space, driven by NASA and other agencies.
The adoption and demonstration of CubeSats by academia and space agencies has now led to space commercial sector engagement to use the CubeSat for a variety of ever-expanding applications. The CubeSat industry now has a growth trend fueled by innovation and strategic investments. The CubeSat market is expected to grow to $860.6 million by 2028 from $297 million in 2022, exhibiting an impressive growth rate (CAGR) of 19.4%. The rising demand for commercial applications in communication, Internet of Things, geolocation and logistics, and signal monitoring (SIGINT) are key drivers of growth in this market. As with the original CubeSat standard, more advancements in the miniaturization of electronic components are propelling government agencies and private entities to invest in CubeSats.
Having identified the benefits of the CubeSat design, Comsat Architects has begun designing and developing a 3U CubeSat platform for Earth observation. We plan to develop the CubeSat in a three-step process:
- Develop a FlatSat to test the functionality and interfaces of the main subsystems for a CubeSat
- Launch an engineering model hardware with prototype flight software on a high-altitude balloon
- Finalize the CubeSat design and development based on the results of the FlatSat and balloon tests
The first step is the development of a FlatSat: a complete integration platform which streamlines development and testing of spacecraft subsystems. It is built with low-cost, non-flight qualified hardware which has similar characteristics to the space-qualified hardware that will go on the CubeSat. The FlatSat allows Comsat Architects to develop and verify our mission design and concept of operations. Our main focus in the development of the FlatSat is on mission design, interfaces, structure, communications, power, and avionics. A team of interns and Comsat Architects engineers developed the FlatSat integration board in 2023 and will continue to develop subsystems to test going forward.
Next in the development process is the High-Altitude Balloon, which allows us to test the platform at the system-level with the integrated subsystems in a near-space environment. This is also built with low-cost hardware which enables rapid development of the subsystems and testing. The main focus of our High-Altitude Balloon test is the autonomous flight software, onboard image processing, and communication system testing. Once completed, the payload on the High-Altitude Balloon will be a 3U structure with components for the major integrated subsystems.
The final step is the development of the 3U CubeSat with flight-qualified hardware. Comsat Architects is developing a 3U CubeSat with the following goals:
- Generating real-time data on the environmental impacts surrounding the Great Lakes region due to climate change
- Developing and demonstrating a low-latency data delivery communication system through commercial networks
- Advancing the core technologies’ Technology Readiness Level (TRL) and space qualification
With the FlatSat completing development in 2023, Comsat Architects is now designing and developing the 3U High-Altitude Balloon with an intern for a senior design project. The balloon is planned to launch in early summer 2024. With a successful test of the High-Altitude Balloon, we will move on to the development of the CubeSat. We are actively seeking partnerships with local universities and industry to help us in the design, building, integration, and testing of the CubeSat, as well as submitting proposals for funding and launch opportunities.
References:
NASA CubeSat State of Art https://www.nasa.gov/smallsat-institute/sst-soa/
