As a whole, the CubeSat design is quite successful. Getting satellites down to a smaller size helps keep deployment costs down because they may be sent up in groups, making use of the unused space on larger rockets. CubeSats are built in a way that prevents them from posing a threat to the remainder of the payload or the launch vehicle. By enclosing the launcher-payload interface, much of the effort necessary to attach a piggyback satellite to its rocket is eliminated. The ability to quickly swap payloads and take advantage of launch opportunities because to standardized payloads and launchers.
According to the CubeSat Design Specification, CubeSats are exclusively scalable along one axis, making them 0.5U, 1U, 1.5U, 2U, or 3U in size, depending on the number of linked units. As of the end of 2015, practically all CubeSats that have been produced and launched were of one of the standard sizes. The deployer and the building materials must have the same coefficient of thermal expansion to avoid any interference. There is a total of four different aluminum alloys that can be used: 7075, 6061, 5005, and 5052. It is required that any aluminum used in the structure that comes into touch with the P-POD be anodized to prevent cold welding, and other materials may be used for the structure if a waiver is acquired. Not all materials may be used in vacuums, thus careful thought must be given to material selection in addition to cold welding. Soft dampers, normally composed of rubber, are attached to each end of a structure to mitigate the force of impact with other CubeSats in the P-POD.
The cubesat kit by KSF Space Foundation was made to make the assembling and coding much easier than traditional way in building a cubesat, the cubesat kit by KSF Space Foundation is made and designed for beginners and schools or universities who are developing their 1st cubesat / nanosatellite mission, the module is ready to fly to sub-orbital flight and was tested in microgravity in many similar space missions. The cost of cubesat kit by KSF Space considered the world’s cheapest kit out there.Â
In accordance with the standard specification, extensions of up to 6.5 mm (0.26 in) beyond each side are permitted. Antennas and solar panels, both of which stick out, are prohibited from blocking the deployment rails. In CubeSat Design Specification Revision 13, an additional volume was defined to be used for 3U designs. The P-POD Mk III’s spring mechanism is designed to maximize space, therefore it is possible to increase the internal capacity. Those CubeSats with a capacity of 3U or less that make effective use of the available volume are referred to as 3U+, and they may arrange their on-board hardware so that it occupies a cylinder with its center at one end. The cylinder’s outside diameter can not be larger than 6.4 cm (2.5 in), its height can not be higher than 3.6 cm (1.4 in), and its mass can not go above the 3U’s maximum of 4 kg (8.8 lb). Typically, the cargo extends into this extra capacity, but propulsion systems and antennae are also frequent intruders. When requesting and negotiating with the launch service provider, exceptions can be made to the strict dimensional and mass limits.
Due to the deployer’s structural support, the structure of a CubeSat does not need to be as robust as that of a bigger satellite. Vibration analysis or structural analysis will still be performed on some CubeSats to guarantee the integrity of their non-P-POD supported parts during liftoff. [30] Although CubeSats are not subjected to the same level of analysis as larger satellites, they rarely fail due to mechanical difficulties.Â
