The CubeSat Approach to Space Access

As advances in technology make payloads and instruments for space missions smaller, lighter, and more power efficient, a niche market is emerging from the university community to perform rapidly developed, low-cost missions on very small spacecraft - micro, nano, and picosatellites. Among this class of spacecraft, are CubeSats, with a basic form of 10 times 10 times 10 cm, weighing a maximum of 1kg. In order to serve as viable alternative to larger spacecraft, small satellite platforms must provide the end user with access to space and similar functionality to mainstream missions. However, despite recent advances, small satellites have not been able to reach their full potential. Without launch vehicles dedicated to launching small satellites as primary payloads, launch opportunities only exist in the form of co-manifest or secondary payload missions, with launches often subsidized by the government. In addition, power, size, and mass constraints create additional hurdles for small satellites. To date, the primary method of increasing a small satellite's capability has been focused on miniaturization of technology. The CubeSat Program embraces this approach, but has also focused on developing an infrastructure to offset unavoidable limitations caused by the constraints of small satellite missions. The main components of this infrastructure are: an extensive developer community, standards for spacecraft and launch vehicle interfaces, and a network of ground stations. This paper will focus on the CubeSat Program, its history, and the philosophy behind the various elements that make it a practical an enabling alternative for access to space.