CubeSats, still a fairly new phenomenon, are changing the way academics, businesses and amateur scientists are able to access space.
A type of miniaturised satellite for space research, CubeSats are made up of multiple cubic units. These modular and lightweight devices – they commonly have a mass of no more than 1.33kg per unit – often use commercial off-the-shelf components, meaning they are not only affordable but are ultimately democratising the arena of space research.
First developed by California Polytechnic State University and Stanford University in 1999, the aim was to develop an easier and more affordable way to use small satellites intended for low earth orbit in order to perform scientific research and explore new space technologies.
The age of the DIY satellite
CubeSats are typically put in orbit by deployers on the International Space Station or launched as secondary payloads on a launch vehicle. Up until 2013, academia has accounted for the majority of CubeSat launches. However, by 2014 more CubeSats launches were carried out by commercial or amateur projects, and there has even been CubeSats successfully funded from Kickstarter campaigns. Team SkyCube, crowdsourced more than $110,000 to launch their nano-satellite that let internet users take images of Earth, streamed back over the web, and and "tweet" messages from space. It appears that we are entering a new and exciting age of 'do it yourself' satellites.
Global collaboration
The technology also fosters global collaboration. Recently, AlSat Nano, a UK-Algeria CubeSat mission, has captured its first full colour image following its launch in September 2016.
The image was taken by the Open University C3D2 instrument’s wide field camera on 3 December 2016, over the Arkhangelsk Oblast region, on the North West coast of Russia.
The team behind the project said that the first image marks an important milestone for the mission as all core payloads have been commissioned successfully, paving the way for further scientific and commercial exploitation.
Dr Chris Castelli, UK Space Agency director of programmes, said: “Successfully delivering this joint UK-Algeria mission from payload selection to launch readiness in 18 months is a great achievement from all programme partners. As this latest image demonstrates, mission operations are going from strength to strength, validating cutting edge UK space technology and our open approach to working with international partners.”
A first step for Algeria
AlSat Nano is Algeria’s first CubeSat mission and is a testament to the collaborative approach of the project, which has stretched across the UK and Algeria, as well as with academia and industry.
With a spacecraft the size of a shoebox yet featuring all the core subsystems of much larger satellites, the programme also demonstrates how CubeSats can be assembled quickly and launched at a fraction of the cost. It is hoped the project will help Algeria strengthen its domestic space technology capability by giving their scientists and engineers first-hand experience of spacecraft operations.
Dr Abdewahab Chikouche, director of space programmes at the Algerian Space Agency, said: “The Alsat-1N project is a concrete example of the success of our cooperation with UKSA. This project, very enriching from the scientific and technological point of view, allowed ASAL engineers to progress in the integration and testing of nanosatellites and acquire autonomy in its operation. This project will enable Algerian researchers and academics to strengthen national capabilities in advanced space technology.”
UK CubeSat community
Approximately half of the spacecraft’s volume was made available as part of an open call to the UK CubeSat community as a free flight opportunity for self-funded payloads. AlSat Nano stuck to a tight development schedule, with less than 18 months between payload selection and flight readiness.
The three selected payloads on AlSat Nano are C3D2: a highly customisable CubeSat camera suite offering three fields of view and on-board software processing capabilities. The payload is also a remote experiment of the OpenSTEM Labs – a suite of remote experiments that supports distance learning students studying science and engineering. C3D2 will offer these students the chance to operate a real payload on an orbiting spacecraft.
The second is a thin film solar cell structure which is directly layered on cover glass just 1/10th of a millimetre thick. Effects from the space environment will be measured, with the aim of allowing the organisations involved a route to product development and commercial exploitation of this technology. This project is led by the Swansea University Centre for Solar Energy Research with contributions from the University of Surrey, Qioptiq and Surrey Satellite Technology.
Finally, a retractable CubeSat-compatible boom is on the device, capable of deploying up to 1.5m in length from a volume around the size of a business card holder. This technology would enable CubeSats to carry out a greater range of science experiments that require sensors to be held as far away from the spacecraft as possible to reduce interference, and could also form the basis of de-orbit systems for future missions.
The payload also carries a magnetometer, one of the most compact of its class, to carry out measurements of the Earth’s magnetic field, and RadFET radiation monitors. The payload is led by Oxford Space Systems Ltd, collaborating with partners including the Science and Technology Facilities Councils RAL Space and Bartington Instruments.
Prof Guglielmo Aglietti, director of Surrey Space Centre, said: “AlSat Nano has been an exciting project for the Surrey Space Centre to be leading. Educational and research elements, and the technology knowledge transfer with the Algerian Space Agency were key parts of this project. Additionally, the development of this nanosatellite platform has been a great opportunity to work with UK payload providers, who are demonstrating some exciting new technologies.”
This project is one of many CubeSat missions, opening up a promising and rich arena of collaborative and affordable space experiments that could push forward the next generation of technology. For academia and SME’s, the sky is no longer the limit.