COSMoS Program

Project Overview

The goal of the COSMoS (CSTART Open Source Modular Satellite) program is the design and construction of a family of picosatellites and nanosatellites based on the CubeSat 1U, 2U and 3U specifications.  The satellites will provide robust solutions to the core functions of satellites, such as power generation and storage, orientation and radio communication, and will be designed so that purpose-specific modules can be attached to this infrastructure and receive power and pass arbitrary data to the communication channels, permitting the use of a common infrastructure for a wide range of scientific applications. The idea is that the most appropriate satellite for a given purpose can be built by combining standard “building blocks”.

Program Stage Structure

• Stage 1: 1U CubeSat featuring solar power generation and storage, GPS navigation and radio communication with Earth.
• Stage 2: 2U CubeSat combining an upgraded version of the above 1U satellite with a 1U orientation module and the required infrastructure for an arbitrary third 1U module which can pass arbitrary digital data to the core module for radio back to Earth.

Program Links

• Wiki page