CubeSat – It's hip to be square! - Illustration

2017-04-12 - CubeSat at a glance. (Credit: Canadian Space Agency)

The title of this infographic is CubeSat – It's hip to be square! It is divided into four charts.

First chart

A CubeSat is a miniature cube-shaped satellite.

The dimensions of a CubeSat are illustrated. It is 10 centimetres on each side, making it similar in size to a Rubik's cube. A graphic shows that a CubeSat can be used alone, or a maximum of 24 CubeSats can be stacked.

Second chart

The advantages of a CubeSat are as follows:

• built rapidly (within 24 months)
• simple technology (purchased off-the-shelf)
• simple to design
• no space debris generated (they burn up in the atmosphere upon reentry)
• low cost

Third chart

CubeSats are used for 4 types of missions: technology demonstration, scientific research, educational project, and commercial.

Fourth chart

For comparative purposes, a graphic shows the orbits of various objects in the atmosphere and in space. There is an airplane at 10 kilometres above the Earth, a stratospheric balloon between 10 kilometres and 50 kilometres above the Earth, a meteorite at 100 kilometres above the Earth, and the International Space Station and a CubeSat at 400 kilometres above the Earth.