SYSTEM DESICN FOR CUBESAT AS A SECONDARY PAYLOAD FOR DEEP-SPACE MISSION - A CASE STUDY FOR ESA ASTEROID IMPACT MISSION

摘要

CubeSats have become very popular in the past decade for space missions. This is because CubeSats can realise similar or part of the functionalities compared to regular size satellites, with much lower cost and easier accessibility for universities and research institutes. However, all present CubeSat missions have been limited to operation in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). Recently, the space industry has drawn attention to use CubeSats for higher orbit or deep-space missions. A widely discussed approach is to use CubeSats as secondary payload or piggyback ride with the primary higher-orbit or deep-space spacecraft.