Date of Award

11-2021

Degree Name

Master of Science in Engineering

Department

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

First Advisor

Dr. Jennifer Hudson

Second Advisor

Dr. Kristina Lemmer

Third Advisor

Dr. Jinseok Kim

Keywords

CubeSat, structure, satellite, 1x6U, design

Access Setting

Masters Thesis-Open Access

Abstract

A CubeSat is a small satellite composed of one or more 10cm x 10cm x ~10cm cubes. Sometimes referred to as a “U” as in unit, the cubes can be combined in configurations of 2U, 3U, 6U, and more. CubeSats provide many advantages that larger satellites cannot offer. They are relatively inexpensive and can be fabricated much faster. Small-scale projects that require a fast timeline from conception up to completion are perfect for CubeSats. Furthermore, educational programs use CubeSat projects to teach and prepare students for the satellite industry. Popular configurations for CubeSat are 1U, 3U and 6U where the 6U configuration is 10x20x30cm. These configurations are standardized and have been used for a majority of CubeSat projects. There is much support for the implementation of these configurations as well as resources to help with the design of the satellite. However, in some cases a non-standard configuration must be used. The configuration of a 1x6U cube satellite structure is uncommon, and there are little to no resources available to aid with its design. The goal of this thesis is to design and document a 1x6U CubeSat structure that can be used as a standard for any future cube satellite mission looking to build in the 1 x 6U configuration.

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