CubeSat Research & Development
CubeSats are small, standardized satellites built in 10cm x 10cm x 10cm (1U) modular units. ASTI specializes in CubeSat mission design, development, integration, testing, and operations for technology demonstration, scientific research, Earth observation, communications, and educational missions.
What are CubeSats?
CubeSats revolutionized access to space by providing a standardized, low-cost platform for satellite missions. Developed initially for university research, CubeSats now serve commercial, defense, and scientific applications.
Standard configurations range from 1U (10x10x10cm, approximately 1.3kg) to 12U and beyond, with proportionally larger size and mass.
CubeSat advantages include:
• Significantly lower development and launch costs
• Rapid development cycles (months vs. years)
• Standardized interfaces and deployment systems
• Ride-share launch opportunities
• Accessibility for universities and small organizations
• Rapid technology demonstration and validation
CubeSats support diverse mission applications including Earth observation and remote sensing, communications and IoT connectivity, scientific instruments and space weather monitoring, technology demonstration for larger missions, educational and workforce development, and signals intelligence and reconnaissance.
ASTI FSO Research Capabilities
ASTI develops FSO systems and subsystems for space and terrestrial applications:
Mission Design Requirements definition, concept of operations, orbit selection, link budgets, power budgets, mission architecture, and success criteria.
Spacecraft Development Design and integration of CubeSat bus, attitude determination and control systems (ADCS), power generation and distribution, command and data handling, UHF/VHF/S-band communications, and structural design.
Payload Integration Integration of cameras, multispectral sensors, radio payloads, scientific instruments, technology demonstration payloads, and experimental systems.
Assembly, Integration, and Test (AIT) Cleanroom assembly, electrical integration, functional testing, environmental testing (thermal-vacuum, vibration), and launch readiness verification.
Launch Integration Coordination with launch service providers, deployer integration (P-POD, EXOpod, etc.), safety reviews, and manifesting.
Ground Station Operations Ground station design and setup, satellite commanding and telemetry, mission operations planning and execution, and data downlink and processing.
Constellation Management Multi-satellite coordination, constellation phasing and maintenance, and distributed mission operations.
ASTI has experience with COTS CubeSat components, custom subsystem development, software-defined payloads, and mission-specific customization.
Partnership Opportunities
We welcome partners focused on:
• CubeSat technology demonstration missions
• Ground-to-space FSO terminals and networks
• Atmospheric propagation research and modeling
• Adaptive optics for communications
• FSO for military and intelligence applications
• Commercial FSO broadband systems
• Deep space optical communications
Contact ASTI
Launch your CubeSat mission with ASTI. Contact contact@asti.technology to discuss mission concepts, access our CubeSat development and testing facilities, integrate custom payloads, or execute constellation deployments.