CubeSat

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A CubeSat is a class of small satellite with a form factor of 10 cm (3.9 in) cubes. CubeSats have a mass of no more than 2 kg (4.4 lb) per unit, and often use commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components for their electronics and structure. CubeSats are deployed into orbit from the International Space Station, or launched as secondary payloads on a launch vehicle. As of January 2026, the Nanosatellite & CubeSat Database records 2,973 CubeSats launched, out of more than 3,200 nanosatellites launched since 1998. Jonathan McDowell's Jonathan's Space Report independently catalogues more than 3,200 CubeSats launched in total. In 1999, Jordi Puig-Suari, a professor at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly) and Bob Twiggs, a professor at Stanford University Space Systems Development Laboratory, developed the CubeSat specifications to promote and develop the skills necessary for the design, manufacture, and testing of small satellites intended for low Earth orbit (LEO...

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