Contact us
Drop us your message!
Call us
800-345-678.
PocketQube Glasgow Workshop: tiny sats yet so capable
Wait, a PocketQube?
The 6th PQW was the best place to explore the technical challenges and democratization opportunities offered by #PocketQubes, providing useful knowledge regarding them. Before digging into the details, let's define PocketQubes (PQ) properly: they are a kind of miniaturized satellite with 5 cm sides and a mass of less than 250 grams that uses mostly commercial off-the-shelf components for their electronics.
They can also be called #Picosatellites and the unit used to measure them is a "P" similar to when a 1U CubeSat is 10cm cubed, a 1P PocketQube is 5cm cubed.
As a team of satellite project enablers, we have good news for the #SpacePreneurs with limited resources! It is possible to manufacture PQs yourself for a few hundred euros or supported by partners for roughly a 1000€ per P. These partners can be in charge for example of 3D-printing the structure of the satellite and these amounts make them much more affordable than #CubeSats even when manufacturing a 3P or 6P.
Along with a cheaper conception, picosats are much cheaper to orbit considering their very limited mass and the limited teams requested to integrate them onboard launchers.
Brimming with resources
In the same fashion as all satellites, these PQ can host various kind of payloads allowing various kind of applications. Exploring the Scottish Workshop, you could find groups working on improving access to #telecommunication #internet in remote areas using a #constellation made of PQs. There were also organizations working on an #iot (Internet Of Things) constellation dedicated to localization. PQs can obvisouly be used for In-Orbit demonstration and one of the teams attending was developing a Picosat whose goal was to test Moon-regolith made solar panels.
Although offering very limited volume, we learned that 5 picosats have already been equipped and sent to orbit with propulsion, allowing them to perform manœuvres and #deorbit faster. We were glad to discover such features are possible on PQs since propulsion is crucial to prevent collisions in orbit.
Surprisingly, metal tape measures and specific guitar strings can be used as antennas on these satellites making sourcing of such equipments much affordable and easy. However, such simple communication systems are not appropriate on observation satellites when paired with certain ADCS (Attitude Determination and Control System) as steel affects performances and could prevent pointing manœuvres.
In a nutshell, the low cost, low mass, faster time of development and possibility to be easily launched in large numbers make PQs a great asset to democratize access to space. They bring fascinating opportunities to the SpacePreneurs and students trying to achieve great ideas with limited means.
Challenges pertaining to satellites remain
Although easier to conceive and manufacture, operational testing must not be forgotten on the PocketQube development cycle to ensure nominal performing. These demanding requirements remain the same no matter the size of the satellites being developed.
#FrequencyAllocation and licensing questions are also to be taken into account and issues on the matter were reported during the forum, especially on the US market. This can be a quite long and tricky process, which you have to deal with even for a Picosat (to know more about how to manage your satellite frequencies allocation, read our article on the matter: The art of applying to satellite frequency allocation (astreoslaunch.com)
On a more operational note, it can take up to a week to localize your PQ satellite when it gets to orbit on a #Rideshare mission. It is noticeable that close #conjunctions occur on a very regular basis. During a conference, a speaker mentionned weekly conjunctions for his satellite, the worst one bringing his satellite as close as 80m from another one.
A story of enthusiasts
During the workshop Clémence had the opportunity to speak with many passionate engineers, students and SpacePreneurs from all over the world (European countries, USA, Turkey, Israel and Brazil, we do apologize if we forget some here!) working on PicoSats/PocketQubes projects.
Their involvment and passion was marvelously contagious and made for interesting quotes such as “The 1st signal of your satellite is almost like you’ve got your kid born” or “I am a PocketQube guy”. However, we have to keep in mind these satellites are being operated in an international context with limited possibilities in some areas and were told that “We need to treat frequencies as a ressources”. In spite of PQs being affordable to manufacture, project leaders must bear in mind that “You don’t buy it with money but you buy with your time".
Rendez-vous in Glasgow in 2023
Alba Orbital's motto for this annually PocketQube workshop is to democratize access to space and we believe at Astreos this forum is definitely contributing and we would like to thank the organizers for that. The PocketQubes offer valuable opportunity to test and learn on the satellite development cycle and we hope to meet more of them attending the 2023 edition in Scotland!
After a year filled with exhibits in the USA, Germany, Switzerland, India and France, Astreos ends 2022 with one last (but not least) event, namely the 6th PocketQube Workshop held at the Glasgow University Union. Our COO Clémence Cambourian was attenting on behalf of Astreos and brought some key takeaways from this 2-day forum hosted by Alba Orbital.
Wait, a PocketQube?
The 6th PQW was the best place to explore the technical challenges and democratization opportunities offered by #PocketQubes, providing useful knowledge regarding them. Before digging into the details, let's define PocketQubes (PQ) properly: they are a kind of miniaturized satellite with 5 cm sides and a mass of less than 250 grams that uses mostly commercial off-the-shelf components for their electronics.
They can also be called #Picosatellites and the unit used to measure them is a "P" similar to when a 1U CubeSat is 10cm cubed, a 1P PocketQube is 5cm cubed.
As a team of satellite project enablers, we have good news for the #SpacePreneurs with limited resources! It is possible to manufacture PQs yourself for a few hundred euros or supported by partners for roughly a 1000€ per P. These partners can be in charge for example of 3D-printing the structure of the satellite and these amounts make them much more affordable than #CubeSats even when manufacturing a 3P or 6P.
Along with a cheaper conception, picosats are much cheaper to orbit considering their very limited mass and the limited teams requested to integrate them onboard launchers.
Brimming with resources
In the same fashion as all satellites, these PQ can host various kind of payloads allowing various kind of applications. Exploring the Scottish Workshop, you could find groups working on improving access to #telecommunication #internet in remote areas using a #constellation made of PQs. There were also organizations working on an #iot (Internet Of Things) constellation dedicated to localization. PQs can obvisouly be used for In-Orbit demonstration and one of the teams attending was developing a Picosat whose goal was to test Moon-regolith made solar panels.
Although offering very limited volume, we learned that 5 picosats have already been equipped and sent to orbit with propulsion, allowing them to perform manœuvres and #deorbit faster. We were glad to discover such features are possible on PQs since propulsion is crucial to prevent collisions in orbit.
Surprisingly, metal tape measures and specific guitar strings can be used as antennas on these satellites making sourcing of such equipments much affordable and easy. However, such simple communication systems are not appropriate on observation satellites when paired with certain ADCS (Attitude Determination and Control System) as steel affects performances and could prevent pointing manœuvres.
In a nutshell, the low cost, low mass, faster time of development and possibility to be easily launched in large numbers make PQs a great asset to democratize access to space. They bring fascinating opportunities to the SpacePreneurs and students trying to achieve great ideas with limited means.
Challenges pertaining to satellites remain
Although easier to conceive and manufacture, operational testing must not be forgotten on the PocketQube development cycle to ensure nominal performing. These demanding requirements remain the same no matter the size of the satellites being developed.
#FrequencyAllocation and licensing questions are also to be taken into account and issues on the matter were reported during the forum, especially on the US market. This can be a quite long and tricky process, which you have to deal with even for a Picosat (to know more about how to manage your satellite frequencies allocation, read our article on the matter: The art of applying to satellite frequency allocation (astreoslaunch.com)
On a more operational note, it can take up to a week to localize your PQ satellite when it gets to orbit on a #Rideshare mission. It is noticeable that close #conjunctions occur on a very regular basis. During a conference, a speaker mentionned weekly conjunctions for his satellite, the worst one bringing his satellite as close as 80m from another one.
A story of enthusiasts
During the workshop Clémence had the opportunity to speak with many passionate engineers, students and SpacePreneurs from all over the world (European countries, USA, Turkey, Israel and Brazil, we do apologize if we forget some here!) working on PicoSats/PocketQubes projects.
Their involvment and passion was marvelously contagious and made for interesting quotes such as “The 1st signal of your satellite is almost like you’ve got your kid born” or “I am a PocketQube guy”. However, we have to keep in mind these satellites are being operated in an international context with limited possibilities in some areas and were told that “We need to treat frequencies as a ressources”. In spite of PQs being affordable to manufacture, project leaders must bear in mind that “You don’t buy it with money but you buy with your time".
Rendez-vous in Glasgow in 2023
Alba Orbital's motto for this annually PocketQube workshop is to democratize access to space and we believe at Astreos this forum is definitely contributing and we would like to thank the organizers for that. The PocketQubes offer valuable opportunity to test and learn on the satellite development cycle and we hope to meet more of them attending the 2023 edition in Scotland!
