Rainee N. Simons

Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio

Kavita Goverdhanam

U.S. Army CERDEC, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland

Applications of Nano-Satellites and Cube-Satellites 

in Microwave and RF Domain

NASA/TM—2015-218735

April 2015
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Rainee N. Simons

Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio

Kavita Goverdhanam

U.S. Army CERDEC, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland

Applications of Nano-Satellites and Cube-Satellites 

in Microwave and RF Domain

NASA/TM—2015-218735

April 2015

National Aeronautics and

Space Administration

Glenn Research Center

Cleveland, Ohio 44135

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NASA/TM—2015-218735 1 

Applications of Nano-Satellites and Cube-Satellites in 

Microwave and RF Domain 

Rainee N. Simons 

National Aeronautics and Space Administration 

Glenn Research Center 

Cleveland, Ohio 44135 

Kavita Goverdhanam 

U.S. Army CERDEC 

Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland 21005 

Abstract 

This paper presents an overview of microwave technologies 

for Small Satellites including NanoSats and CubeSats. In 

addition, examples of space communication technology 

demonstration projects using CubeSats are presented. 

Furthermore, examples of miniature instruments for Earth 

science measurements are discussed. 

1.0 Introduction 

The history of modern day satellite communications can be 

traced back to the development of small satellites in the 1960s, 

with the goal of providing over-the-horizon long-distance 

telephone service. Explorer-I was the first American satellite 

that was successfully launched into space on January 31, 1958. 

The satellite weighed less than 14 kg, of which, 8.4 kg was 

instrumentation to detect cosmic rays and micrometeorite 

impact, and sensors for temperature measurement. The 

Explorer-I was the first of a series of satellites of that era. The 

size and mass of these satellites were primarily limited by the 

capabilities of the launch vehicles of that period. As the launch 

vehicle capabilities advanced, so did the mass and data 

throughput of the satellites, which are currently on the order of 

several 1000 kg and over 100 Gbps. Over the past half a 

century, the improvements in spacecraft technology have been 

primarily in the areas of microelectronics for on-board 

processing, high frequency electron devices, and integrated 

circuits for communications and navigation, solar cells and 

batteries for on-board power generation and storage, thruster 

technologies for propulsion and orbit determination, 

micromechanical systems (MEMS) and optoelectronic/optical 

devices for sensors and instruments, etc. Hence, the term small 

satellite is not revolutionary but merely indicates the 

progression in technological innovations that has taken place, 

which has enabled satellite manufacturers to package a wide 

range of functionality into a small volume at an affordable cost 

and shorter development time. The efficiencies gained have 

enabled satellite developers to place useful payloads into small 

satellites without degrading performance and capability, which 

was previously possible with only very large satellites. 

To cater to a diverse range of missions, the small satellites 

community has adopted granularity in the overall mass as a basis 

for defining the mission class. Table I presents these definitions. 

Among these, the Nanosat has drawn tremendous interest in 

recent years, because it enables easy and cost effective options, 

even for small companies and universities, to provide hand-on 

experience in building a spacecraft and later deploying it in space. 

The deployment is by sharing the ride to space as a secondary 

payload, by using the available excess margin, after the 

integration of the primary payload on to a launch vehicle. Thus 

the major benefit is the significantly lower cost to develop and 

deploy a Nanosat compared to a conventional large satellite. 

To facilitate the above goals of providing low cost access to 

satellites, the community has further adopted a standard, which 

is dubbed as CubeSat. Prof. R.J. Twiggs at the Stanford 

University pioneered the development of CubeSats (Ref. 1). A 

CubeSat measures 10 cm on a side, weighs about a kg, and is 

assembled using commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) components. 

This form factor is defined as “1U” unit. A single CubeSat could 

either serve as a standalone satellite with limited functionality or 

serve as a building block for a larger Nanosat or a Microsat. For 

example, a “3U” Nanosat will consist of three CubeSats. Thus, 

the major advantage of this standardization is that launch vehicle 

manufacturers, regardless of who built the CubeSats, can adopt a 

common deployment system. Prof. J. Puig-Suari at the California 

Polytechnic State University developed such a standard 

deployment system. This system is known as the Poly 

Picosatellite Orbital Deployer (P-POD) (Ref. 1). This 

deployment system can accommodate multiple Nanosats with a 

range of form factors, which allows spreading the launch cost 

across several customers, resulting in lower launch cost per 

customer. Applications of Nanosats include, communications, 

remote sensing, scientific research, high-resolution still imagery, 

maritime applications such as ship tracking, formation flying to 

create large synthetic aperture for imaging radar, etc. 

 
NASA/TM—2015-218735 2 

TABLE I.—SMALL SATELLITE NOMENCLATURE 

Generic name Launch weighta

Smallsat 100 to 500 kg (220 to 1100 lb) 

Microsat 10 to 100 kg (22 to 220 lb) 

Nanosat 1 to 10 kg (2.2 to 22 lb) 

Picosat 0.1 to 1 kg (0.22 to 2.2 lb) a

Wet mass with fuel at launch 

2.0 Challenges Facing the 

Small Satellite Industry 

The first and foremost challenge for the small satellites is the 

radio spectrum. The uplink and downlink frequencies for 

CubeSats are typically in the UHF band (435 to 438 MHz), which 

are regulated by the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU). 

At UHF the available bandwidths are very small and so are the 

achievable data rates. Hence, there is a push to migrate into the 

higher X-band and Ka-band frequencies, were the available 

bandwidths are larger. However, this requires special license to 

deploy and operate. 

The second challenge for small satellites is the sustainability of 

the business in the case of small start-up companies. An area that 

has drawn a lot of interest in using small satellites is remote 

sensing of the Earth from space. These service providers propose 

using a constellation of small satellites that are capable of 

delivering global high-resolution scientific grade Earth 

multispectral imagery on a daily basis. Applications may include 

both commercial and military. Potential applications may include 

agriculture yield, oil and natural gas exploration and production, 

deforestation, mapping and geospatial services, tracking of ships 

in seas, emergency response, national security, mobile device 

support, etc. 

The next challenge for small satellites is the cleanup and 

removal of space debris. Thus, small satellite manufactures will 

need to develop an innovative mechanism to deorbit at the 

completion of their mission. 

Finally an additional challenge for small satellites, is finding the 

appropriate launch opportunity with affordable cost. This issue has 

been partly addressed by sharing the ride as a secondary payload, 

on a launch vehicle equipped with a P-POD system. 

3.0 CubeSat Architecture 

The CubeSat architecture is modular and each subsystem 

resides on a separate printed circuit board. The subsystems 

include the communications subsystem (CS), the on-board 

controller (OC), the attitude determination and control (ADC) 

subsystem, the electronic power supply (EPS), and the payload. 

The OC routes the data from the payload to the CS and operates 

the radio in the CS. In addition, it processes the data from the 

ADC, controls the EPS, and facilitates communications 

between the various subsystems through the satellite bus. A 

simplified block schematic of the CubeSat architecture is 

presented in Figure 1. 

4.0 CUBESAT Communications 

Subsystem 

The communications subsystem not only supports the 

transmission of the data from the payload to the ground station 

but is also responsible for the tracking, telemetry, and command 

functions. The communications subsystem consists of the radio 

and the antenna. The radio includes the transceiver, the low 

noise amplifier (LNA), the high power amplifier (HPA), and 

the diplexers. A simplified block schematic of the communication subsystem is presented in Figure 2. 

4.1 Antenna 

The CubeSat antenna must have an omnidirectional radiation 

pattern to communicate with Earth terminals located at any 

latitude. A second requirement is that the antenna must be 

capable of being stowed during launch and later deployable onorbit. To meet these requirements a deployable turnstile antenna 

is recommended. The turnstile antenna consists of four 

monopole antennas located at the four corners of either the top 

or bottom panel of the CubeSat and properly phased so as to 

generate a circularly polarized (CP) omnidirectional radiation 

pattern. 

4.2 Transceiver 

The transceivers are commercially available from several 

vendors and operate in a half-duplex mode. They are configured 

to transmit and receive data at rates ranging from 1.2 kbps up 

to 9.6 kbps using a variety of modulation schemes including 

FSK, GMSK, and GFSK, etc. They are also capable of 

implementing both forward error correction (FEC) and Viterbi 

coding. The typical operating frequencies have been in the UHF 

band. However, in some instances, CubSats have operated in 

the Industrial Scientific and Medical (ISM) band (2.4 GHz) and 

in the Space Research band (2.2 to 2.29 GHz). 
NASA/TM—2015-218735 3 

4.3 Low Noise Amplifiers (LNA) and High 

Power Amplifiers (HPA) 

At the operating frequencies indicated above, the noise figure 

of LNAs is typically on the order of 0.5 to 0.7 dB. The gain is 

in the range of 15 to 20 dB. The output power of HPAs typically 

ranges from 0.5 to 2 W, which is adequate to close the link at 

the above mentioned data rates. 

5.0 Examples of NASA’s Small Satellite 

Communication Technology 

Missions and Demonstrations 

In the section below, NASA’s two CubeSat Technology 

Demonstration missions, one Smallsat Network mission, three 

CubeSat flight demonstration missions and three Smallsat 

Technology Partnership Projects will be briefly described. 

5.1 PhoneSat Missions 

The first PhoneSat housed in a 1U CubeSat platform and 

launched into a low Earth orbit (LEO) in April 2013 was to 

validate the use of smartphone and other commercially available 

consumer-grade electronics in space (Ref. 2). Subsequently, in 

November 2013 and April 2014, PhoneSat 2.4 and PhoneSat 2.5 

mission were launched. All of the above served as technology 

demonstrations and risk mitigation precursor missions to the 

upcoming Edison Demonstration of Smallsat Networks (EDSN) 

Mission, which is described below. They also provided further 

confidence in the PhoneSat concept and electronic components 

by investigating their survivability in space radiation 

environment. 

5.2 Edison Demonstration of Smallsat 

Networks (EDSN) Mission 

This mission will launch in early 2015, eight, 1.5U CubeSats 

into LEO (~500 km) (Ref. 3). These satellites based on 

PhoneSat architecture will have cross-link communications 

capability and perform a wide range of scientific research. The 

primary goal of the mission is to demonstrate that a swarm of 

nanosatellites can be configured to simultaneously gather multipoint science data and downlink the data to a ground site. The 

cross-link and downlink communications are at UHF and Sband frequencies, respectively. 

5.3 Optical Communications and Sensor 

Demonstration (OCSD) 

The OCSD mission will consist of two, 1.5U CubeSats in 

near-circular LEO with an inclination of 34° (Ref. 4). The first 

objective of this mission is the demonstration of a space-toground optical communications link at 1064 nm wavelength. 

The target data rate achievable with this system is on the order 

of 5 Mbps, which is faster by two orders of magnitude than the 

current capability at UHF. 

The second objective is to demonstrate a small automotive 

anti-collision radar sensor (77 GHz) repurposed to determine 

the range between the two CubeSats in close proximity. Recent 

studies indicate that a laser rangefinder is better suited for this 

task since it is smaller, lighter, requires less prime power, and 

has multi-kilometer range. The two CubeSats equipped with 

this sensor will maneuver to within 200 m of each other using 

on-board GPS to determine their relative position and velocity. 

Proximity operations capability will enable multiple small 

spacecrafts to operate cooperatively in a science mission, 

approach another spacecraft for observation/servicing, or fly information to form a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) for Earth 

surface mapping. The OCSD mission will be launched in 2015. 

5.4 Integrated Solar Array and Reflectarray 

Antenna (ISARA) for High Bandwidth 

CubeSat 

The ISARA mission will demonstrate a Ka-band (26 GHz) 

high gain (~35 dB) reflector antenna using the back of a 3U 

CubeSat’s deployable solar array panel as a reflector (Ref. 5). 

The projected data rates are as high as 100 Mbps from LEO, 

which are several orders of magnitude higher than the data rates 

achievable at the UHF band. The above high-bandwidth 

communications demonstration will enable small satellites to 

perform radar/radiometry science missions that were previously 

only possible on large satellites. The projected launch date is 

late 2015. 
NASA/TM—2015-218735 4 

5.5 CubeSat Proximity Operations 

Demonstration (CPOD) 

Two 3U CubeSats will be launched in 2015/16 time frames 

with the objective to demonstrate (Ref. 6): (1) Ability to remain 

at determined points relative to each other on-orbit. This 

capability is essential for inspection/servicing of satellites or 

remote sensing of an asteroid in support of a science mission. (2) 

Precision circumnavigation using imaging sensor and cold gas 

propulsion systems. (3) A universal docking mechanism. The 

ability to circumnavigate and dock is essential for flying 

information or joining to form a large orbiting structure, such as 

a mirror for a telescope. During navigation, visual images of each 

CubeSat will be transmitted via a space-to-ground link to the 

control center for ensuring proper operations. In addition, GPS 

information will be exchanged between the two CubsSats via an 

inter-satellite link. 

5.6 Network and Operation Demonstration 

Satellite (NODES) 

This mission will build on the successes of the PhoneSat 

series of missions presented earlier (Ref. 7). In addition, it will 

exploit the knowledge from the experience gained in the 

development of hardware and software for the EDSN mission. 

In this mission, two 1.5U cubeSats will be launched from the 

International Space Station (ISS) with the objective to 

demonstrate software that can perform command and data 

handling tasks. The mission plans to showcase this capability 

by relaying ground commands through one CubeSat to the 

second CubeSat. In addition, science instruments on each 

CubeSat will measure the space radiation in the proximity of 

the ISS and relay the information to ground. The deployment is 

expected to take place in early 2015. 

5.7 High Rate CubeSat X-band/S-band 

Communication System 

The goal of this technology demonstration project is to 

develop a high data rate X-band CubeSat communication 

system that is compatible with NASA’s Near-Earth Network. 

Preliminary investigations indicate that a communication 

system operating at a center frequency of 8.38 GHz can be built 

using commercially available parts (Refs. 8 and 9). The link 

simulations assume a transmit power of 1 W, transmit 

waveform to be QPSK with FEC capability, and transmit 

antenna gain of 0 dBi. The target data rate achievable from LEO 

with this system is on the order of 12.5 Mbps with a ground 

antenna diameter of 12 m. 

5.8 Development of Novel Integrated 

Antennas for CubeSats 

CubeSats make use of a wire or tape antenna for 

communications. The disadvantage of this type of antenna is 

that they require a deployment mechanism and are also prone 

to damage, which can lead to mission failure. Hence, the goal 

of this project is to demonstrate low-profile transparent 

microstrip antennas that are conformal to the surface of the solar 

panels of a CubeSat. Initial design studies indicated that a 

meshed patch antenna on a transparent quartz substrate is an 

excellent candidate for generating a linearly polarized (LP) 

antenna pattern at 2.4 GHz (Refs. 9 and 10). Extending this 

design to a CP version is also planned. The pioneering 

development of optically transparent microstrip patch antennas 

on flexible and on glass substrates is reported in References 11 

and 12. 

6.0 Example of NASA’s In-Space 

Validation of CubeSat Based 

Microwave Small Instruments and 

Subsystems for Earth Science 

Measurements 

6.1 The Microwave Radiometer Technology 

Acceleration (MiRaTA) CubeSat 

This CubeSat mission will validate the following new 

subsystem and measurement technologies (Ref. 13): (1) Ultra 

compact and low-power radiometers operating at 52 to 

58 GHz, 175 to 191 GHz, and 206 to 208 GHz. (2) GPS receiver 

and antenna array for tropospheric radio occultation sounding. 

(3) Radiometer calibration using concurrent GPS radio 

occultation measurements. The above set of demonstrations 

will significantly enhance the capabilities of future weather and 

climate sensing microwave instruments. 

7.0 Summary of European Small 

Satellite Communication 

Technology Demonstrations 

The CubeSat community in Europe has made tremendous 

strides in the development of inflatable and printed antennas, 

Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers, 

transponders, software defined radios, and networked ground 

receiving stations, etc., for small satellites. References 14 and 

15 are good sources of information on these developments. 

 
NASA/TM—2015-218735 5 

8.0 Conclusion 

Small Satellites such as CubeSats, NanoSats and MicroSats 

is an emerging disruptive technology area with a broad 

range/scope of applications in the RF and Communications 

fields. While the scope of applications is still being studied, it 

is clear that this technology offers tremendous benefits in many 

space applications. These benefits can be further enhanced 

through the use of 3D printing technology, which has the 

potential to significantly reduce the manufacturing cost, total 

time for the design cycle, and material waste. 

References 

1. H. Heidt, J. Puig-Suari, A.S. Moore, S. Nakasuka, and 

R.J. Twiggs, 2000, “CubeSat: A New Generation of 

Picosatellite for Education and Industry Low-Cost Space 

Experimentation,” Proceedings of the 14th Annual 

AIAA/USU Conference on Small Satellites, Lessons 

Learned-In Success and Failure, SSC00-V-5. 

http://digitalcommons.usu.edu/smallsat/2000/All2000/32/ 

2. The PhoneSat Series of Smartphone Nanosatellites, 

NASAfacts, http://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/files/ 

PhoneSatFactSheet-27May14.pdf 

3. Edison Demonstration of Smallsat Networks (EDSN) 

Mission, NASAfacts, http://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/ 

files/files/EDSN_Fact_Sheet-15Oct14.pdf 

4. S.W. Janson and R.P. Welle, 2014, “The NASA Optical 

Communication and Sensor Demonstration Program: An 

Update,” Proceedings of the 28th Annual AIAA/USU 

Conference on Small Satellites, Next on the Pad, SSC14-VI-1. 

http://digitalcommons.usu.edu/smallsat/2014/NextPad/1/ 

5. R. Hodges, B. Shah, D. Muthulingham, and T. Freeman, 

2013, “ISARA-Integrated Solar Array and Reflectarray 

Mission Overview,” Proceedings of the 27th Annual 

AIAA/USU Conference on Small Satellites, PreConference: CubeSat Developer’s Workshop.

http://digitalcommons.usu.edu/smallsat/2013/all2013/12/ 

6. S. MacGillivray, “Proximity Operations Nano-Satellite 

Flight Demonstration (PONSFD) Overview,” 10th Annual 

CubeSat Developers Workshop, Cal Poly, San Luis 

Obispo, CA, April 24-26, 2013. http://www.cubesat.org/ 

index.php/workshops/past-workshops/128-

2013summerworkshoppresentations 

7. Network & Operation Demonstration Satellite (NODES), 

NASAfacts, http://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/files/ 

Nodes-Fact_Sheet-23July14(1).pdf 

8. S. Palo, D. O’Connor, E. DeVito, R. Kohnert, G. Crum, 

and S. Altunc, 2014, “Expanding CubeSat Capabilities 

with a Low Cost Transceiver,” Proceedings of the 28th

Annual AIAA/USU Conference on Small Satellites, 

Advanced Technologies-Communications, SSC14-IX-1. 

http://digitalcommons.usu.edu/smallsat/2014/AdvTechC

omm/1/ 

9. Smallsat Technology Partnerships, NASAfacts, 

http://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/files/SSTP_Partn

erships_Program_Fact_Sheet.pdf 

10. R. Montano, N. Neveu, S. Palacio, E. Martinez, D.R. 

Jackson, J. Chen, P.W. Fink, and R.S. Provence, 2014, 

“Development of Low-Profile Antennas for CubeSats,” 

Proceedings of the 28th Annual AIAA/USU Conference on 

Small Satellites, Advanced Technologies-Communications, 

SSC14-IX-7. http://digitalcommons.usu.edu/smallsat/2014/ 

AdvTechComm/7/ 

11. R.N. Simons and R.Q. Lee, “Feasibility Study of 

Optically Transparent Microstrip Patch Antenna,” IEEE 

Antennas and Propagation Society Inter Symp Digest, 

vol. 4, pp. 2100-2103, Montreal, Canada, July 13-18, 

1997. 

12. R.N. Simons and R.Q. Lee, U.S. Patent #5,872,542, 

Optically Transparent Microstrip Patch & Slot Antennas, 

Feb 16, 1999. 

13. The Microwave Radiometer Technology Acceleration 

(MiRaTA) Cubesat, W. Blackwell, MIT Lincoln 

Laboratory. http://esto.nasa.gov/files/solicitations/ 

INVEST_12/ROSES2012_InVEST_awards.html#black 

14. 5th European CubeSat Symposium, Book of Abstracts, 

Ecole Royale Militaire, Brussels, June 3-5, 2013. 

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Estavayer-le-Lac, Switzerland, Oct 14-16, 2014.