SPARCS: Design and Development of CubeSats for Advanced Research and Cooperative Studies

The increasing deployment of small satellites into Low Earth orbit (LEO) has presented both exciting opportunities and pressing challenges particularly, around efficient communication, orbital maneuvering, and long-term sustainability. To address these challenges, our CubeSat mission, SPARCS (spacecraft for advanced research and cooperative study), presents a compact ۳U CubeSat mission (configured as ۱U + ۲U) that integrates three advanced technologies: an electrodynamic tether (EDT) for fuel-free orbital adjustment and end-of-life deorbiting; inter-satellite links (ISL) to enable real-time, autonomous communication across satellites; and a radiation dosimetry payload for monitoring environmental exposure and understanding its effects on system performance. Unlike previous studies that have focused on these technologies in isolation, the SPARCS mission aims to investigate their combined performance under real orbital conditions. By demonstrating the capabilities of each system, the mission provides insight into building smarter, more resilient small satellite platforms. Following the completion of detailed design and simulations, the team is now moving into the hardware development stage, bringing this multifaceted research one step closer to flight.

کلیدواژه ها:

CubeSat ، Electrodynamic Tether ، Inter-Satellite Link ، Space Technology ، CubeSat Platform Design