CubeSats (Cube Satellites): Mainstream of Microsatellite Development

In the 60 years since the Soviet Union launched the first artificial Earth satellite, the global space industry has achieved remarkable accomplishments in the fields of launch vehicles, artificial Earth satellites, manned spaceflight, and deep space exploration. In the development of satellites, driven by the strong demand to reduce costs and increase efficiency in space engineering and the iteration of information technology, small satellites have rapidly risen.

What are Small Satellites? What are CubeSats (Cube Satellites)?

We collectively refer to artificial satellites weighing less than 1000 kilograms as "small satellites". They can be further subdivided into:

• Small satellites, weighing 100–1000 kilograms;

  
  

• Microsatellites, weighing 10–100 kilograms;

  
  

• Nanosatellites, weighing 1–10 kilograms;

  
  

• Picosatellites, weighing 0.1–1 kilogram;

  
  

• Femtosatellites, weighing <0.1 kilogram.

Compared to traditional satellites that used to weigh several tons, small satellites have various advantages such as smaller size, lighter weight, shorter development cycles, lower R&D costs, and flexible launch methods.

Against this background of satellite miniaturization, Stanford University developed the "Orbital Picosatellite Launch Vehicle" (OPAL) and successfully launched two picosatellites in early 2000. Known as "Tiny Elves", the two picosatellites each had a mass of less than 230 grams and dimensions of only 10.2cm×7.6cm×2.5cm.

Inspired by this successful practice, in 1999, California State Polytechnic University's Professor Jordi Puig-Suari and Stanford University's Professor Bob Twiggs proposed the concept of "CubeSat" and began to practically explore slightly larger satellites with greater experimental capabilities using a cubic configuration. Twiggs once recalled that he got the design inspiration from a "4-inch bean baby doll packaging box" he found in a retail store, leading to the birth of a basic unit CubeSat with a 10-centimeter edge length and a weight of only 1 kilogram.

Since the first batch of CubeSats (cube satellites) was launched in 2003, over 1000 CubeSats have been launched worldwide to date. As a premium low-cost option for accessing space, CubeSats (cube satellites) have become the mainstream of small satellite development, opening a new satellite era.

CubeSats (Cube Satellites): From Education to Commerce

When Professors Jordi Puig-Suari and Bob Twiggs proposed the CubeSat concept in 1999, they initially intended it as a carrier for university students to conduct scientific experiments and technology verifications. The development of CubeSats (cube satellites) in China also originated in education.

• In 2011, the European Union initiated the QB50 program, a major international collaborative program on CubeSats (cube satellites), aimed at conducting multi-point detection of the Earth's lower thermosphere at altitudes of 200-380km, verifying new space technologies, and achieving extensive space engineering education. Over 40 universities, research institutions, and companies from 23 countries and regions participated in the QB50 program, and successfully designed, developed, and launched more than 30 CubeSats. Chinese universities such as Northwestern Polytechnical University, Harbin Institute of Technology, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, and National University of Defense Technology also joined the program and successfully launched their own CubeSats (cube satellites).

  
  

• More than a decade later, the application of CubeSats (cube satellites) has far surpassed the educational and academic fields and is now widely used in oceanographic and atmospheric monitoring, ship tracking, space and aviation monitoring, as well as space imaging, communication, atmospheric research, biological research, and new technology experiments. The development cost of large satellites often exceeds 100 million yuan (RMB), whereas a CubeSat generally costs a few million yuan. CubeSats (cube satellites), which are inexpensive, have short development cycles, and quickly reach orbit, can operate individually or networked to form a constellation, achieving high spatial and temporal resolution, thereby partially replacing the function of large satellites in some fields.

  
  

• Even more remarkably, the application scope of CubeSats (cube satellites) has extended beyond Earth's orbit. On May 5, 2018, NASA's InSight Mars lander was successfully launched and landed on Mars six months later. Throughout the mission, two 6U CubeSats named MarCO traveled with InSight and successfully provided relay communication support during the most critical phase of the Mars mission: entry, descent, and landing (EDL). Designed and built by JPL, the CubeSats' power systems consisted of solar panels and lithium-ion batteries, generating 35W near Earth and 17W near Mars. The satellites carried high-gain X-band flat plane antennas, enabling low-power data transmission between the Earth and Mars.

Today, from low Earth orbit to deep space, CubeSats (cube satellites) have become indispensable. As a premium low-cost option for accessing space, CubeSats (cube satellites) are becoming an undeniable trend and have already become the mainstream in the development of small satellites in fields such as remote sensing and communication. 

CGSTL is a leading unicorn company in China's commercial space industry, integrating satellite development, operation, management, and remote sensing information processing. In recent years, CGSTL has made significant contributions to China's aerospace sector, including the independently developed and successfully launched "Jilin-1" satellites. In the field of CubeSats (cube satellites), CGSTL actively develops high-performance CubeSat platform hardware. Looking forward to collaborating with you!