You can’t afford millions of dollars to launch a satellite, but still want to carry out scientific investigations about the rigors of space? KSF Space Foundation has made this easy for you by inventing a CubeSat kit.
KSF Space Foundation is World’s 1st NGO non-profit Space Foundationwhich aims to support small satellite missions. KSFespecially focuses on producingaffordable equipment for institutes to accomplish their projects.
Space missions are generallyexpensive, and it’s hard for an educational institute to carry them out. Thus, KSF has launched anew version of the CubeSat kit. This CubeSat kit is launched keeping in view the goal of the organization. This initiative is to improve its education outreach as KSF is leading the limited satellite industry and recommending the universities in accomplishing their space missions.
Properties of the CubeSat Kits
- Less Power and Weight
The mainobjectivesviewed while planning these CubeSats kits were lightweight because smaller-sized CubeSat boards require less power to operate. Hence, these CubeSats are viewedas the cheapest CubeSats in the world. Further, these abilities make it a perfect option for education and research outreach in the small-scale satellite industry.
- Easy Consolidation
The CubeSat kit can be integrated easily. Thus, universities can integrate and set up these kits into their CubeSatsatellites without anexpert.
- Inexpensive
Many universities and research institutes in developing countries can afford it within their budget. Thus, they don’t require collecting donations or raising funds to purchase these CubeSat kits.
- IFGICT Verification
CubeSats kits have been developed and designed to correspond to any CubeSat. They have been checked and qualified by IFGICT, which is a global federation. In space, these kits can be deployed in CubeSats for about 250km altitude.
What’s a CubeSat satellite?
This miniature satellite has a volume of a little more than five Rubik’s Cubes. That may not seem like a lot at first glance, but with miniaturization technology, on your side, you can fit a lot inside a cube measuring 10 x 10 x 11.4 cm on each side and weighing about 1 kg. Beyond their size CubeSats are popular because they are simple. They’re not too expensive and can be built quickly. CubeSats are seen as a game-changer since they make space more accessible.
What are its main benefits?
CubeSat can be used on its own or can be stacked with others to form a more powerful unit. It’s also very versatile. A CubeSat can be used for four different types of missions:
- Instrument testing.
- Scientific research through experiments.
- Commercial usage.
- Educational projects.
Origins
The CubeSat project was born in 1999 at California Polytechnic State University and Stanford University as a platform for students to learn about developing, building, launching, and performing an actual space mission.
The first mission was launched four years later in 2003, and well over 1,200 CubeSats have followed since. So far, only ~80 have been lost in launch failures and fifty countries have participated in the project. This had an advanced research and saved governments millions or billions.
Size Matters
Just look at all the technology packed into your average cell phone. There are usually five radios with four two-way transmitters and a GPS receiver. They have a position, acceleration, movement, light, temperature, pressure, sound, speed, and rotation sensors, among others. They are sturdy solid-state devices, rugged enough to tolerate a space launch. Some have already been employed in this fashion.
Without a screen, they can run for days on a single charge, but a couple of solar cells generate enough power to keep them running constantly. They can record data, take pictures, create videos, and make a good base for designing a CubeSat.
How is a CubeSat launched into space?
CubeSats can be launched from a rocket or they can be deployed from the international space station. Like any other satellite it can be flown alone or as part of a constellation.
Dr Mohamed Kayyali, Chairman of KSF Space mentioned “Constellations of satellites are very useful. They can share data and expand their reach and capabilities when working together.”
How Many Can We Launch?
A Standard launcher rack, called a P-POD for Poly-Pico-satellite Orbital Deployer, is a rectangular box that can hold up to 3 Cubestat units. This can be added to any rocket that has extra capacity, or delivered to the International Space Station (ISS) and launched from the Japanese module’s airlock.
These devices are spring launched, without rocket motors, so there is no chemical residue, escaping gases, or anything that would interfere with the ISS operations.
Decomposition
According to the calculations using the FORTRAN code program, the orbital decay period is given in years. For a satellite with a volume of 5 kg, the altitude that respects the European Code of mitigation is 500 km and 550 km for orbits and has 7.4 and 15.8 years to decay.
For a satellite with a volume of 10 kg, the only altitude that respects the European Code of mitigation is 500 km, where the decomposition period is 14.9 years.
The cubesat kit from the KSF Space Foundation is designed to be both easy to use and highly capable. It includes everything you need to build a fully functional cubesat, including a flight computer, power systems, and communication systems.
What’s more, the kit is highly customizable, allowing you to add your own sensors and other components to your cubesat to meet your specific needs.
Chairman of KSF Space Foundation, Dr. Kayyali, said while talking about the newly launched CubeSat kit, “This new model will help schools and universities to develop their space projects easily at a lower cost without the requirement of secure funding.”
Conclusion:
CubeSats are proving so useful that they are being used for more than technology validation or academic work. Now they are being re-sized to suit much larger scientific goals and even national defense projects. Fast, cheap, and temporary these satellites use off-the-shelf technology.
KSF Space Foundation has launched a CubSat kit which is affordable and can easily integrate with CubeSat satellite. This version has been particularly designed for institutes to cut downtheir cost.
The CubeSat kit has a lightweight and requires less power for its operation. Thus, allinstitutes can easily buywithin their standard space project budgets, and they won’t need separate funds.
