A Reference Architecture for Rapid CubeSat Development

Abstract

The CubeSat class of nanosatellites has lowered the barrier of entry to space and has rapidly gained popularity in recent years. To successfullydesign a CubeSat system in a rapid cycle conducive to academic timelines, a Reference Architecture geared towards University CubeSatdevelopment would be helpful. A Reference Architecture would speed up the development process by providing a template, capturing previouswork and lessons learned from subject matter experts, providing a framework to focus on the CubeSats design rather than the fine details ofmodeling software. A Reference Architecture can also add functionality that student teams could use and improve over time, such as pre-builtanalysis functions and a library of components to choose from. This thesis presents a CubeSat Reference Architecture designed to meet these needsand explores its unique features, diagrams, and custom libraries. The CubeSat Reference Architecture was validated by relevant course instructorsand is being used by a cohort of students in the Spacecraft Design Sequence at AFIT.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 01, 2021
Accession Number
AD1136815

Entities

People

  • Sean R Kelly

Organizations

  • Air Force Institute of Technology

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Autonomy
  • Cyber
  • Engineered Resilient Systems
  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Artificial Satellites
  • Department Of Defense
  • Digital Engineering
  • Engineering
  • Engineers
  • Instructors
  • Lessons Learned
  • Model Based Systems Engineering
  • Organizational Structure
  • Small Satellites
  • Software Prototyping
  • Spacecraft
  • Students
  • Systems Engineering
  • Systems Modeling Language
  • Unmanned Aerial Systems

Fields of Study

  • Computer science

Readers

  • Missile Defense Systems.
  • Parallel and Distributed Computing.
  • Systems Analysis and Design

Technology Areas

  • Space
  • Space - Satellites