PocketQube
A PocketQube is a type of miniaturized satellite for space research that usually has a size of 5 cm cubed (one eighth the volume of a CubeSat), has a mass of no more than 250 grams, and typically uses commercial off-the-shelf components for its electronics.
Alba Orbital Satellite | |
Spacecraft properties | |
---|---|
Launch mass | 250g |
Dimensions | 5 × 5 × 5 cm (1p) |
Beginning in 2009,[1] Morehead State University (MSU) and Kentucky Space developed the PocketQube specifications to help universities worldwide to perform space science and exploration. While the bulk of development comes from academia, several companies build PocketQubes, such as Fossa Systems and Alba Orbital.[2] PocketQube projects have even been the subject of Kickstarter campaigns.[3][4] The PocketQube format is also popular with amateur radio satellite builders.[5]
Design
The PocketQube specification accomplishes several high-level goals. Simplification makes it possible to design and produce a workable satellite at low cost. Encapsulation of the launcher-payload interface takes away the prohibitive amount of managerial work previously required for mating a piggyback satellite with its launcher. Unification among payloads and launchers enables quick exchanges of payloads and utilization of launch opportunities on short notice. PocketQube is similar to CubeSat in this regard.
The standard was first proposed by Professor Bob Twiggs of Morehead State University, and the intention was for a satellite which could fit in a pocket, hence the name PocketQube.
History
First proposed in 2009 as a solution to the increasing costs of CubeSat launches to low Earth orbit. There have been 11 PocketQubes launched as of end of 2019.
Workshops
The first US workshop was held at NASA Ames and at Cape Canaveral in April 2014. There was a three-year gap until the next PocketQube workshop was held at TU Delft in The Netherlands in March 2017. The third workshop took place also at TU Delft in March 2018, with 22 presentations and 70 attendees. This is now an annual event for the PocketQube development community.
Launched
Listed in ascending order by launch date.
Name | Type | Organisation | Mission | Launch Date (UTC) | Rocket | COSPAR ID | Status | Broker | Decay date | Launch
Number |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
T-LogoQube (Beakersat-1, MagPocketQube, Eagle-1) | 2.5P | Morehead State University, Sonoma State University | Teaching Tool | 2013-11-21, 07:11 | Dnepr | 2013-066X | Success
No longer in Orbit |
GAUSS | Decay: 2019-02-13[6] | 1 |
$50Sat (Eagle-2) | 1.5p | Amateur Group | Amateur Mission | 2013-11-21, 07:11 | Dnepr | 2013-066W | Success
Contact lost: 2015-07-19[7] |
GAUSS | Decay: 2018-05-18[8] | |
QubeScout-S1 | 2.5p | University of Maryland, Baltimore County | Sensor/dynamic attitude experiments | 2013-11-21, 07:11 | Dnepr | 2013-066AD | In orbit
Inactive[9] |
GAUSS | ||
WREN | 1p | Stadoko UG | Tech demo, Camera SSTV, 3 Axis Reaction Wheel and pp Thrusters | 2013-11-21, 07:11 | Dnepr | 2013-066V | In orbit
Inactive, N/C[10] |
GAUSS | ||
SMOG-P | 1p | Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Hungary | Measurement of the radio spectrum in the UHF TV band | 2019-12-6
08:18 |
Electron | 2019-084J | In orbit / Active | Alba Orbital | 2 | |
ATL-1 | 2p | Advanced Technology of Laser | Test a new thermal isolation material in space | 2019-12-6
08:18 |
Electron | 2019-084H | In orbit / Active | Alba Orbital | ||
FossaSat-1 | 1p | Fossa Systems | LoRa Demonstration & Deployable solar panels. | 2019-12-6
08:18 |
Electron | 2019-084F | In orbit / Active | Alba Orbital | ||
Noor 1a | 3p | Stara Space | Experimental | 2019-12-6
08:18 |
Electron | 2019-084D | In orbit
Unconfirmed |
Alba Orbital | ||
Noor 1b | 3p | Stara Space | Experimental | 2019-12-6
08:18 |
Electron | 2019-084E | Success
No longer in Orbit[11] |
Alba Orbital | Decay: 2020-04-07[12] | |
TRSI | 1p | ACME AtronOmatic, LLC (MyRadar) | Amateur, testing novel receiver | 2019-12-6
08:18 |
Electron | 2019-084G | In orbit
Unconfirmed |
Alba Orbital |
Name | Type | Organisation | Mission | Launch Date (UTC) | Rocket | Status/Outcome | Launch Number |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
TQube | 1p | Amateur Group | Insulation testing and recording of structural dynamics | 2019-10-11 18:37 | Neutron | Success | 1 |
In development
Name | Picture | Type | Organisation | Mission | Launch Date (UTC) | Rocket | Broker | Status | Remarks |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
OzQube-1 | 1p | Picosat Systems | Earth Observation | TBC | TBC | TBC | In development | Team Interview | |
ARDUIQUBE/DIY-1 | 1p | DIYSATELLITE
Argentina |
Technology Demonstrator | Q4 2020 | Soyuz | GAUSS | In development | Team Interview | |
SMOG-1 | 1p | Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Hungary | Measurement of the radio spectrum in the UHF TV band | Q4 2020 | Soyuz | GAUSS | In development | ||
Discovery 1a | 1p | Mini-Cubes, LLC | Camera / Photo Sat | TBC | TBC | TBC | In development | Windform XT based PocketQube testing of the shelf components for space use | |
Unicorn-1 | 2p | Alba Orbital UG | Tech Demonstrator | December 2020 | Falcon 9 | Alba Orbital Cluster 3 | In development | Satellite Webpage | |
UoMBSat1 | 1p | University of Malta + University of Birmingham | Technology Demonstrator + Ionospheric Sounder | TBC | TBC | TBC | In development | ASTREA Website @ UoM | |
Delfi-PQ | 3p | Delft University of Technology | Technology Demonstrator | December 2020 | Falcon 9 | Alba Orbital Cluster 3 | In development | Delfi Space; due to financial problems with Vector Launch, the launch of this satellite is uncertain. | |
Unicorn-2a | 3p | Alba Orbital UG | Technology Demonstrator | December 2020 | Falcon 9 | Alba Orbital Cluster 3 | In development | Alba Orbital; due to financial problems with Vector Launch, the launch of this satellite is uncertain. | |
EASAT-2 | 1.5p | Amsat EA | Amateur Mission | December 2020 | Falcon 9 | Alba Orbital Cluster 3 | In development | https://web.archive.org/web/20180515183712/https://www.amsat-ea.org/easat-2/ | |
SATLLA | 2p | Ariel University | Testing a laser communication link | December 2020 | Falcon 9 | Alba Orbital Cluster 3 | In development | ||
APRS PocketQube | 1p | National Chiao-Tung University | APRS PocketQube for Moving Objects Tracking | TBC | TBC | TBC | In development | ||
Sanosat-1 | 1p | AMSAT EA/NEPAL | Education | December 2020 | Falcon 9 | Alba Orbital Cluster 3 | In Development | http://www.myrepublica.com/news/21899/ | |
UBO | 1p | Satellite Applications Catapult | Outreach | TBC | TBC | TBC | In Development | http://buildubo.co.uk/build/ | |
Myansat-1 | 1p | Independent | Outreach | TBC | TBC | TBC | In Development | https://web.archive.org/web/20190115020853/http://myansat.com/ | |
TFTQube | 1p | The Flame Trench | Amateur | TBC | TBC | TBC | In Development | https://theflametrench.com/flagship/ | |
TBC | TBC | University of Zacatecas | STEM | TBC | TBC | TBC | In Development | https://www.researchgate.net/project/Design-and-Implementation-of-a-PocketQube-system-for-educative-purposes | |
grizuSAT (Project X) | 1p | Zonguldak Bülent Ecevit University | Education | December 2020 | Falcon 9 | Alba Orbital Cluster 3 | In Development | https://x.grizu-263.space/ | |
LibertyQube-1 | 1p | Liberty Life LLc | Experimental | TBC | TBC | TBC | In Development | https://www.libertylife-llc.com/ | |
SatDuino | 1p | Technical School N° 5 of Mar Del Plata | Education | TBC | TBC | TBC | In Development | https://satduinot5t1.wixsite.com/satduino | |
GENESIS N/L | 2p | AMSAT-EA | Amateur | Q4 2020 | Firefly Alpha | PicoBus 1 FOSSA / LIBRESPACE | In Development | ||
QUBIK 1/2 | 1p | Libre Space Foundation | Education | Q4 2020 | Firefly Alpha | PicoBus 1 FOSSA / LIBRESPACE | In Development | ||
FOSSASAT-1B | 1P | Fossa Systems | IoT Comms | Q4 2020 | Firefly Alpha | PicoBus 1 FOSSA / LIBRESPACE | In Development | https://fossa.systems | |
FOSSASAT-2 | 2p | Fossa Systems | IoT Comms / ADCS / EO | Q4 2020 | Firefly Alpha | PicoBus 1 FOSSA / LIBRESPACE | In Development | https://fossa.systems | |
BYqube-1 | 1p | Brigham Young University | Education | Feb 2021 | TBC | TBC | In Development | ||
Pycubed-1 | 1p | Stanford University | Education | December 2020 | Falcon 9 | Alba Orbital Cluster 3 | In Development | ||
Hades | 1.5p | Amsat-ea | December 2020 | Falcon 9 | Alba Orbital Cluster 3 | In Development | |||
Trsi-2 | 1p | Acme | December 2020 | Falcon 9 | Alba Orbital Cluster 3 | In Development | |||
CMU PocketQube | 1p | Carnegie Mellon University | December 2020 | Falcon 9 | Alba Orbital Cluster 3 | In Development | |||
DynOSSAT-EDU | 1p | BHDynamics | TBC | TBC | TBC | In Development | |||
BerretaSat-1 | 1p | Aerozono Space Technologies (Argentina) | Earth Observation/ Technology Demonstrator | TBC | TBC | TBC | In Development | https://instagram.com/aerozonospace |
Name | Type | Picture | Organisation | Mission | Launch Date (UTC) | Rocket | Status | Remarks |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Astria | 1p | British Columbia Institute of Technology | Test structural feasibility at
30,000 feet for new design |
TBC | University of British Columbia's
Second Rocket (under production) |
In
Development |
PocketQube vs PocketQub
The PocketQube standard originally started as PocketQub.[13] This was changed in 2012 by Professor Bob Twiggs of Morehead State University. The standard is now referred to as PocketQube.
Launch
As of December 2019, the only launch brokers capable of providing launch integration for PocketQube satellites are Fossa Systems, Libre Space Foundation, Alba Orbital and GAUSS Srl.
See also
References
- Twiggs, Bob. "Making it small" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 7 September 2013.
- Alba Orbital
- "Kickstarter". Retrieved 1 October 2013.
- "Kickstarter, Wired UK". Archived from the original on 25 September 2013. Retrieved 22 September 2013.
- "AMSAT UK". Retrieved 22 November 2013.
- "Technical details for satellite BEAKERSAT 1". N2YO.com - Real Time Satellite Tracking and Predictions. Retrieved 2019-12-19.
- "$50SAT - Eagle2 - $50SAT - Eagle2". Retrieved 23 May 2018.
- "SATVIEW - EAGLE 2 - Norad 39436U - Tracking satellites and Spacejunk in Real time". Retrieved 23 May 2018.
- "QubeScout Press Release". Archived from the original on 27 July 2014. Retrieved 26 November 2013.
- "Wren". AMSAT-UK. Retrieved 2019-12-26.
- http://www.albaorbital.com/new-blog/2020/4/10/unicorn-2c-noor-1b-success-on-orbit
- "NOOR 1B - NORAD 44828 - 3D Online Satellite Tracking". www.satflare.com. Retrieved 2020-04-11.
- "Standard". Archived from the original on 16 March 2014. Retrieved 7 September 2013.