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CubeSat platforms and buses on the market
Introduction to CubeSat platforms
CubeSat buses and CubeSat platforms are becoming increasingly viable options in the space industry. A CubeSat platform includes various components, connections, resources and subsystems needed to provide basic operations, and available volume and power budget for the primary and supporting payloads.
There are many aspects to selecting the right CubeSat platform to form the backbone of a new satellite, for example;
Size – in general, the larger the satellite, the greater the performance that can be achieved, and the simpler the engineering and testing will be. But bigger systems will typically cost more than smaller ones, so this is a trade-off for each mission.
Included technologies – the pre-integrated subsystems, interfaces, and other components in the bus can help you determine the best fit for your mission. Consider your entire mission plan and target service level, as well as the hardware you have already developed or planned, when deciding which platform setup and contents best meet your needs.
Technology heritage – in most cases, a commercially-available CubeSat bus has a high Technology Readiness Level (TRL) and the heritage data will be available, in some form, for your review. But there might be opportunities to negotiate favorable terms for unproven systems, if you’re happy to take on the risk of course!
Qualification and compliance – ensure that you understand what aspects of compliance and licensing are your responsibility and what will be handled by the CubeSat platform manufacturer. The regulatory burden each stakeholder takes on might affect your supplier decision.
Vendor fit – as far as possible, you need to ensure that you’ll have a good working relationship with the bus supplier. Factor this in to your decision and try to determine how well you might collaborate during the initial sales process.
More information on the factors that need to weighed up in a satellite platform decision can be found in this article, along with details of microsatellite platforms available on the global space marketplace. In the following section you can find details of various commercially-available CubeSat platforms, organized by form factor.
0.5U-3U CubeSat platforms
The Dhruva Space CUBESAT P-DoT is a CubeSat platform designed for space applications. It is a scalable 0.5U Platform designed to enable small satellite technology demonstrations as well as low-power M2M and IoT missions. The platform is optimized for Low Earth Orbit (LEO) missions and consists of a UHF transceiver.
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The EnduroSat 1U Platform is a CubeSat platform with ability to support 450g of commercial and scientific payloads. The fully integrated nanosatellite is available with EnduroSat Attitude Determination and Control System (ADCS) and complete payload integration support.
The Serenum Space V-Bus 1U is a flight proven 1U platform designed for space applications. It is a subsystems compatible with CubeSat standards. V-Bus is mainly suitable for earth observation, IoT and communication services, and educational and science experiment missions. The platform is available for CubeSat class between 1U and 3U.
The EnduroSat 1.5U Platform is a CubeSat platform with ability to support 1U form factor of commercial and scientific payloads. The fully integrated nanosatellite is available with EnduroSat Attitude Determination and Control System (ADCS) and complete payload integration support.
The Serenum Space V-Bus 2U is a flight proven 2U platform designed for space applications. It is a subsystems compatible with CubeSat standards. V-Bus is mainly suitable for earth observation, IoT and communication services, and educational and science experiment missions. The platform is available for CubeSat class between 1U and 3U.
The EnduroSat 3U platform is a CubeSat Bus suitable of supporting up to 1.5U (1.5 kg) payloads of nanosatellite with integrated Attitude Determination and Control System (ADCS) and payload integration support.
The Serenum Space V-Bus 3U is a flight proven 3U platform designed for space applications. It is a subsystems compatible with CubeSat standards. V-Bus is mainly suitable for earth observation, IoT and communication services, and educational and science experiment missions. The platform is available for CubeSat class between 1U and 3U.
The IMT SRL CubeSat 3U platform is a CubeSat platform suitable for a range of Lower Earth Orbit (LEO) altitudes and inclinations. The platform features three attitude modes, attitude stabilization in 3 axis, solar panels, battery pack and SEU mitigation by design increasing the lifetime up to 5 years.
The OrbAstro 3U satellite platform includes engineering support with payload integration, flight-acceptance testing of the fully integrated satellite, and storage before shipment to the launch provider. Launch can be managed by OrbAstro and provided through a 3rd-party partner.
C3S’s main strength in the small satellite industry is that our engineering team devoted great attention on thermal design during the development of our platform. Therefore, the structure is optimized for high dissipation density and thermo-elasticity, both payload and platform wise.
6U CubeSat platforms
The EnduroSat 6U CubeSat Platform is a fully integrated microsatellite capable of supporting up-to 4U (7.5 kg) payloads. The system is available with an Attitude Determination and Control System (ADCS) with pointing accuracy as high as 0.01 degrees and complete payload integration.
The NanoAvionics Multi-Purpose 6U Satellite Bus is a 6U satellite bus with modular design, and standardized architecture optimized for constellation. The standard configuration of the M6P bus is for IoT, M2M, ADS-B, AIS, other commercial and emergency communication applications, and scientific missions. M6P configuration for Earth Observation (EO) missions are available as an option.
The Space Inventor 6U satellite is a platform configured from modular subsystems suitable for IOD, scientific, educational, BIU and IoT missions. The basic subsystems include power plant for power generation, conditioning and distribution, on-board data handling, communication to ground segment, and attitude determination and control system.
The IMT SRL CubeSat 6U platform is a CubeSat platform suitable for Lower Earth Orbit (LEO) applications such as Earth Observation and remote sensing. EOSS CubeSat 6U and HORTA CubeSat 6U are R&D projects involved by IMT in the development of the CubeSat platform.
The OrbAstro 6U satellite platform includes engineering support with payload integration, flight-acceptance testing of the fully integrated satellite, and storage before shipment to the launch provider. Launch can be managed by OrbAstro and provided through a 3rd-party partner.
C3S’s main strength in the small satellite industry is that our engineering team devoted great attention on thermal design during the development of our platform. Therefore, the structure is optimized for high dissipation density and thermo-elasticity, both payload and platform wise.
8U-12U CubeSat platforms
The NanoAvionics Multi-Purpose 8U Bus (M8P) is a pre-configured nanosatellite bus designed for NewSpace missions. The bus is optimized for IoT, M2M, AIS, ADS-B, and Earth Observation applications. M8P is equipped with a space-proven Inter-satellite Data Relay System (IDRS) enabling data link service via GEO satellites. The bus requires minimal software and hardware customization, further enabling fast lead times and low satellite cost.
The Space Inventor 12U satellite is a platform configured from modular subsystems suitable for IOD, scientific, educational, BIU and IoT missions. The basic subsystems include power plant for power generation, conditioning and distribution, on-board data handling, communication to ground segment, and attitude determination and control system.
The NanoAvionics Multi-purpose Redundant 12U Bus (MP12-R) is designed for space applications. It consists of a flight computer, payload controller, electric power system, communication, and propulsion systems. The propulsion unit also provides satellites with decommissioning capability at the end of the mission. It also has an option to be configured for earth observation missions.
The NanoAvionics Multi-Purpose 12U Satellite Bus is a 12U satellite bus with modular design, and standardized architecture optimized for constellation. The standard configuration of the M12P bus is for IoT, M2M, ADS-B, AIS, other commercial and emergency communication applications, and scientific missions. M6P configuration for Earth Observation (EO) missions are available as an option.
The Hemeria Nanosatellite hp-dem 12U is a nanosatellite platform in 12U CubeSat size designed for science, commercial and defense purposes. The operational space systems are designed for science, commercial and defense applications.
C3S’s main strength in the small satellite industry is that our engineering team devoted great attention on thermal design during the development of our platform. Therefore, the structure is optimized for high dissipation density and thermo-elasticity, both payload and platform wise.
16U CubeSat platforms
The Space Inventor 16U is a platform configured from modular subsystems and is available for geostationary orbit missions. The basic subsystems include power plant for power generation, conditioning and distribution, on-board data handling, communication to ground segment, and attitude determination and control system.
The NanoAvionics Multi-purpose Redundant 16U Bus (MP16-R) is designed for space applications. It consists of a flight computer, payload controller, electric power system, communication, and propulsion systems. Its propulsion unit also provides satellites with decommissioning capability at the end of the mission. The MP16-R satellite bus is optimized for IoT, M2M, ADS-B, AIS, commercial and emergency communication applications as well as scientific missions.
The NanoAvionics Multi-Purpose 16U Satellite Bus is a 16U satellite bus with modular design, and standardized architecture optimized for constellation. The standard configuration of the M16P bus is for IoT, M2M, ADS-B, AIS, other commercial and emergency communication applications, and scientific missions. M6P configuration for Earth Observation (EO) missions are available as an option.
Various/other size CubeSat platforms
The Dhruva Space Nanosat P30 is a satellite bus with a platform mass of 10-30 kg suitable for commercial, defence and scientific mission in Low Earth Orbit (LEO).
The Exobotics XO-BUS is 3U nanosatellite platform designed for NewSpace missions. It consists of flight-proven ADCS, avionics, radios, and navigation systems. XO-BUS includes various support packages such as engineering support, environmental testing, flat sat/payload integration, as well as others like launch and ground segment.
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