Synopsis
The report provides a comprehensive examination of the challenges and factors influencing the success rates of CubeSat missions. CubeSats, a class of nanosatellites, have been around for over 15 years, with an exponential increase in launches since 2003. Despite their growing popularity, the overall mission success rate has been relatively low. The report aims to address these challenges by providing actionable recommendations.
Methodology
The overall CubeSat missions success rate, defined as the extent to which mission goals are achieved, has been low. To understand the reasons behind this, the mission assurance topic team interviewed CubeSat developers from academia, industry, and government-funded research centers. These interviews focused on their processes, results, lessons learned, and philosophies on design, testing, and mission assurance. Although root causes for most on-orbit anomalies were undetermined, the insights gained were valuable for improving future CubeSat development projects.
Report Structure
The report is structured to provide a clear understanding of the current state of CubeSat missions, the methodologies used in the study, and the derived conclusions:
- Introduction and Problem Statement: It highlights the significant increase in CubeSat launches since 2003 and the variation in success rates between academia (45%) and industry (77%). The report seeks to identify aspects of mission assurance that can significantly enhance mission success rates.
- Intended Audience: The primary audience includes CubeSat designers, developers, suppliers, and customers across academia, industry, and government. The report is geared towards improving design and manufacturing processes, as well as enhancing requirements and documentation for CubeSat projects.
- Charter and Product Overview: The study involved reviewing CubeSat design and manufacturing processes across different sectors to identify best practices and approaches that enhance the probability of mission success. The report includes detailed methodologies, interview statistics, thematic observations, and a set of recommendations.
Recommendations
The report provides eight detailed recommendations that are actionable and applicable throughout a CubeSat program’s lifecycle, from authorization to launch. These recommendations are scalable and adaptable to different program risk profiles and are not dependent on the size of the CubeSat.
Future Research Directions
The report also outlines future research areas related to CubeSat mission success:
- Assessing the Value of Recommendations: Evaluating the impact of implementing the study’s recommendations on CubeSat programs and missions.
- Evolving Manufacturing Processes: Understanding the shift towards larger CubeSat constellations and how organizations are adapting their processes for mission success.
- Supply Chain Evaluation: Examining the processes used in the CubeSat supply chain for qualifying parts and subsystems.
- Utility of Shared-Use Facilities: Investigating the feasibility and benefits of shared-use facilities for integration, verification, and testing (IV&T) of CubeSats.
In summary, the report presents a thorough analysis of the factors affecting CubeSat mission success and offers targeted recommendations to enhance the likelihood of successful missions in the future.
