There is a misconception about CAD and design where some will quickly fire up their 3D modelling software of their choice when given a project. This has been a major grievance of mine when working in a team and having to resolve issues later down the line that could have been avoided if team members … Continue reading CAD is not design
Figure 1 Damage to robotic arm on ISS (NASA/Canadian Space Agency) One of the most exciting things about space now is how the barrier of entry is lowered where those without large financial government backing can launch space craft into space. However, while this opportunity will help speed up the advancement of our technology and … Continue reading Responsible Space
Pocketqubes and cubesat satellites have been around for quite some time with their applications and usage growing. This is because of their lower costs in launching and development than traditional satellites have opened new markets and users. Here are some of the missions that cubesat and pocketqube satellites can perform. In orbit demonstrators (IOD) In … Continue reading Pocketqube and cubesat missions
A Porter’s 5 forces is carried out by analysing your company internal and external environment and comparing the perceived negotiation powers within your competitors, suppliers, customers and market. This analysis can be used as part of your SWOT, technology road mapping and business planning. Performing a Porter’s 5 forces analysis should be used in your … Continue reading Porters 5 forces
It’s no secret that developing hardware for space is expensive and requires a lot of investment even for smaller systems like cubesats and pocketqubes. You might not have the budget of NASA or be successful in obtaining funding through grants or investors. Therefore, you will have to self fund you satellite project with another job. … Continue reading Bootstrapping your satellite
During the concept generation phase of the project it can be quite daunting to come up with ideas for designs. Luckily we have a couple of useful tools such as 9 windows of the world and 3-6-5 which are very useful in the early stages of a project. 9 windows TIMEPastPresentFutureSPACESuper SystemsPast SupersystemPresent SupersystemFuture SupersystemSystemPast … Continue reading Concept generation tools
If you are interested in building a pocketqube or cubesat, it is useful to know what you will need to build your satellite. Most of the equipment listed below is focussed from a mechanical standpoint but we briefly cover electronics: Mechanical Drill Dremel Allen keys/Screw Drivers Files Loctite Tower drill G-clamps 3D Printer Drills, files … Continue reading Equipment recommendations
Before proceeding to the prototyping and environmental testing stages of your pocketqube or cubesat you will be carrying out various FEA analysis to ensure the design can survive the forces during testing, launch and the mechanisms and structures are fit for purpose. To ensure that your FEA results are representative of the real-life environment of … Continue reading FEA checks
The Claymore 6P deployer is nearing closer towards it's maiden launch. Next step is to carry out environmental testing to qualify the deployer. I would like to thank DCubed for not only supplying the pinpuller but for their support when I had a couple of queries when integrating it to the deployer.
Figure 1 Design process When developing the Claymore deployer or designing subsystems for satellites I follow the design process. The design process is a structured approach and covers from the initial stages of capturing requirements to release of the design. The design process helps identify where you are in the project and how to turn … Continue reading Design Process
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