NewSpace—delivering on the dream

Aalto-1, multi-payload CubeSat: Design, integration and launch

“…For the university, the main driver for the Aalto-1 project was to provide hands-on education in space engineering, science and entrepreneurship, while taking advantage of the NewSpace movement [14,2,3,4,5] and harness the enthusiasm of building the first national satellite. It was envisioned, that in addition to satellite development, students will also learn to work with experienced space scientists and develop connections to industrial partners.The mission was largely financed and led by Aalto University and integrated to Aalto space technology curriculum.…”

“…Traditionally, the classification of small satellites is only based on their mass but the CubeSat standard also takes into consideration the volume [1]. Over the past decade, the applications of small satellites in general and CubeSats in particular have increased manifold due to the availability of low-cost design, testing and launch possibilities [2,3,4,5]. Initially perceived for training and educational activities, the applications of CubeSats have expanded in vast application areas in the past few years [6].…”

“…This approach has led the transformation of CubeSat missions from educational and technology demonstration to real missions with potentially risky but higher commercial and science return [15,16,17]. A large number of commercial applications using CubeSats have evolved in the past few years with a promising future scope of commercial applications [2,3,4,5]. Until now, more than one thousand CubeSats have been launched into space [18].…”

Aalto-1, multi-payload CubeSat: In-orbit results and lessons learned

“…More recently, the CubeSats have started to increasingly exploit the scientific and commercial use cases [12,13]. Being small in size, they have transformed the traditional design approach of space systems by providing low-cost access to space [14,15,16,17]. A single ride of launch vehicle can carry hundreds of CubeSat-class satellites.…”

Drivers and Guidelines in Design for Qualification Using Additive Manufacturing in Space Applications

“…Space products traditionally involve a costly product development process for manufacturing low volumes (from one-off production to tens of parts per year) of high-performance products to be used in harsh environments. However, the space industry is currently in the middle of a transition due to the advent of the so called NewSpace companies such as SpaceX or Virgin Galactic (Salt, 2013). SpaceX, for instance, is planning to launch a constellation of more than 4000 low costs satellites to provide internet connection via space, and expect to have an operating network covering the US by 2020 (BBC News, 2018).…”