Nanosatellites, CubeSats of the NewSpace Era for Space Observation 2 (eBook)

Designing and Operating CubeSats

Pierre Richard Dahoo, Mustapha Meftah, Abdelkhalak El Hami (Autoren)

eBook Download: EPUB

2026
363 Seiten
Wiley-Iste (Verlag)
978-1-394-43501-2 (ISBN)

Infos

Nanosatellites, CubeSats of the NewSpace Era for Space Observation 2 presents the entire life cycle of a CubeSat, from the design phase to orbital operations.

The CubeSat nanosatellite carries instruments designed for space observation and study, integrated into a mechanical architecture that supports the control and communication electronics. This mechatronic system is optimized to ensure maximum robustness and reliability under operational conditions. Internal couplings within the satellite's architecture, as well as external interactions with the space environment - whether thermal, vibrational, electromechanical, thermomechanical, electro-thermomechanical, or related to electromagnetic compatibility - are modeled using the finite element method. Environmental testing such as HALT/HASS, based on experience from previous missions and simulation results, allows for the integration of a reliability-based design optimization (RBDO) approach.

This book also traces the evolution of our knowledge and methods regarding light, an essential payload component and luminous phenomena from Antiquity to the end of the Middle Ages, and discusses current advances in quantum optics, including wave-particle duality, quantum entanglement of photons, and vacuum fluctuations, sources of technological innovations.

Pierre Richard Dahoo is Professor at Versailles Saint-Quentinen-Yvelines/ Université Paris-Saclay, France and Researcher at LATMOS. He is the author of several books on nanotechnologies and infrared spectroscopies applied to space. He also chairs the Physics and Optics without Borders Commission of the French Physical Society.

Mustapha Meftah holds a doctorate in geosciences and is an astrophysicist specializing in atmosphere-climate relations. He is a graduate engineer in aeronautics and space, with several CubeSats in orbit to his credit. He teaches at Université Paris-Saclay, France, on the challenges of space and the new applications linked to NewSpace.

Abdelkhalak El Hami is Professor at INSA Rouen Normandie, France. He is responsible for several European educational projects and is a specialist in fluidstructure interaction problems and the reliability of multiphysics systems. He is also the author of numerous books in the field.

Textauszug

Introduction

This three-volume series on nanosatellites aims to provide the knowledge needed to manufacture and use nanosatellites to observe the Earth’s atmosphere and study global warming, using a systems engineering approach. The studies are carried out using spectroscopic tools and data analysis to understand global warming. This volume takes a systemic approach, focusing on CubeSats and providing an appendix containing the main theories used in the design of nanosatellites.

In the introduction to Volume 1, the advent of the NewSpace era in the space sector was highlighted as one of the key developments of the 21st century, characterized by profound societal and technological changes. NewSpace refers to our technological and societal advances in the field of space exploration. This era is characterized by innovations such as reusable launch vehicles and nanosatellites, which facilitate Earth observation and space exploration by reducing costs. It is part of the dynamic of the post-industrial revolution 4.0 and its integration of digital technologies into various economic fields, strongly influencing space development. Advances in artificial intelligence, biotechnology and genetic computing, particularly in paleogenomics, bear witness to this transition.

For a quick recap, Volume 1 looked at the history of space travel from the first satellites to the NewSpace era. Chapter 1 talked about the tech innovations and how space activities have helped society, like with weather forecasting, telecommunications and global positioning systems. Chapters 2 and 3 focused on the orbital parameters of CubeSats. They traced the evolution of astronomical theories and the different approaches used to calculate orbital trajectories, as well as public and private space launchers, in the context of a new economic model that allows for combined launches of large and small satellites, thereby reducing costs. Finally, Chapter 4 focused on small satellites, particularly CubeSats, covering their manufacture, structure, functions and mechanical optimizations through simulation. UVSQ-SAT and INSPIRE-SAT 7 were used as concrete examples of CubeSats that have already been launched and are in operation. Each chapter included appendices on mathematical, physical and mechanical concepts, as well as a bibliography for further reading that may be of interest to readers depending on their field of study.

The content of the book is inspired by the courses and seminars given by Mr. Meftah, P.R. Dahoo and A. El Hami as part of their teaching and research activities. It draws on feedback from research activities conducted at the national level at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Observations (LATMOS) and INSA Rouen, research work in the field of instrumentation and spectroscopy for astronomy and astrophysics, and optimization in mechanics. The research teams are involved in space observation, both through the implementation of observation instruments and through the analysis of observation data. They worked in partnership with other national and international institutes and organizations, as well as industrial partners.

Feedback from both the CubeSat manufacturing process and observations performed using instruments on board UVSQ-SAT and INSPIRE-SAT 7 (INSPIRE – International Satellite Program in Research and Education), launched in 2021 and 2023 respectively, are brought forward to researchers, engineers, teachers, engineering school students, master’s and bachelor’s degree students, and business leaders. The aim is to provide them with the knowledge from both the know-how and the know-what perspectives to engage in NewSpace socio-economic activities.

The information contained in the series on nanosatellites for observing and studying space is accessible to any group interested in their low cost and short implementation times. These groups may wish to use them to collect data useful for studying global warming, monitor changes in the Earth’s atmosphere for research purposes, or invest in the fields of meteorology, communication or data collection (Big Data) through an industrial satellite network.

Five chapters are covered in Volume 2. The first three focus on the instruments carried on board, depending on the CubeSat’s mission, from the design phase to the in-flight operation phase after launch, as well as the optimization of the optical, electrical and thermal architectures once the metallic structure has been validated. Environmental testing is discussed in the context of simulations and experiments designed to highlight defects, ensure reliability, bring the CubeSat into compliance with legislation governing its mode of operation and meet the specifications of the launch carrier chosen to send it into space on its orbital trajectory. The fourth chapter presents an example of the implementation of a payload to observe the Sun and its effects as part of the third UVSQ-SAT NG CubeSat, scheduled for launch in March 2025 in California. Finally, the fifth and final chapter traces the evolution of our knowledge and methods regarding the phenomenon of light and illumination from antiquity to the end of the Middle Ages. Current advances – with a methodology based not only on conceptual thinking, but also on experimentation following the scientific revolution 500 years ago, are also presented. Each chapter includes an appendix in which the theories, models developed and simulations conducted within the scope of the chapter’s content are presented. These models and theories can serve as gateways for further exploration of specific areas that may be of interest to the reader.

Chapter 1 is devoted to optical architecture suitable for instruments that use electromagnetic waves to probe the medium under study. It presents the various tools that can be developed, namely high spatial resolution imagers with cameras, radiometers for measuring temperature fields, spectro-imagers with relatively low spatial and spectral resolutions used for remote sensing, reconnaissance and ground surveillance missions, spectrometers for measuring temperatures, pressures or water vapor content, LiDAR, active vertical sounders of the atmosphere, to measure the concentrations of constituents in the lower atmosphere (CO2, CH4, etc.) and telescopes for very high-resolution imaging. The effects of instrumental distortion during measurements of observed phenomena are described, as well as the steps to be taken to reduce these distortions. The CCD detection system is also presented, with an emphasis on its advantages and disadvantages, as well as how data is collected and transmitted to the electronic system responsible for its transmission to the ground segment.

Chapter 2 focuses on the thermal and electrical architecture and heat sources during CubeSat operation. The various components in the electrical and thermal subsystems are presented, with an emphasis on the different technologies available for cooling or heating, either passively or dynamically. The objective of controlling thermal effects is explained, as are the means used to achieve this target. This involves maintaining the CubeSat in real time within a temperature range that allows the various onboard sensors and instruments based on electronic components to work correctly in flight in its orbit. Electrothermal coupling is presented, along with an analytical calculation based on heat equations and the various ways in which heat can propagate, namely conduction, natural or forced convection, and radiation. The manufacture of these nanosatellites with a technology readiness level (TRL) [ECS 17b] ranging from stable levels to 9, particularly in technological fields related to mechanisms and thermal control management systems in the space sector, is explained using the examples of UVSQ SAT and INSPIRE SAT-7. The latter are in support to show how this phase of controlling the CubeSat’s operating temperature range can be carried out using feedback from completed or ongoing missions. A third nanosatellite, UVSQ-SAT NG, scheduled for launch in March 2025, will certainly be operational at an average altitude of 500 km when this volume is published.

Chapter 3 presents the environmental tests required to ensure a robust and reliable design, and to meet, from a legal standards perspective, the specifications of the launcher’s company and the legislation to be complied with depending on the CubeSat’s mission. The environment in which the nanosatellite will operate, as well as the constraints experienced by the CubeSat, whether thermal, magnetic, electrical or exposure to charged particles or other radiation, are described. The onboard technological devices must also be optimized for their functions and in their coupling with the supporting mechanical architecture. The various couplings, whether internal due to the payload or external due to the environment in which the nanosatellite will operate, must be studied by simulation, using the finite element method presented in Volume 1, in order to anticipate environmental tests and, if necessary, correct design flaws. These HALT or HASS tests also draw on feedback from previous missions and concern thermal, vibratory, electromechanical, thermomechanical and electrothermomechanical phenomena, and electromagnetic compatibility, which must be checked to ensure operational reliability. FIDES or RBDO procedures can also be used to optimize the reliability of the CubeSat.

Chapter 4 is devoted to the implementation of an optical observation and study system as part of a spectrometer operating in the near-infrared (NIR). Calibration of scientific instruments and checks is necessary to validate...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 6.1.2026
• Reihe/Serie: ISTE Invoiced
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Technik ► Maschinenbau
• Schlagworte: Astronomy • Celestial mechanics • cubesats • Nanosatellites • space exploration • space observation • space probes
• ISBN-10: 1-394-43501-0 / 1394435010
• ISBN-13: 978-1-394-43501-2 / 9781394435012