CubeSats: Tiny Payloads, Huge Benefits for Space Research

CubeSats are miniature satellites that are commonly used in low Earth orbit for applications such as remote sensing or communications. As engineers become more familiar with the technology, CubeSats are also being considered for flights outside of Earth orbit — particularly to locations such as Mars or Jupiter. The design was first proposed in the late 1990s by two professors: Jordi Puig-Suari of California Polytechnic State University and Bob Twiggs of Stanford University. They were trying to help students gain engineering experience in satellites, which are traditionally expensive to build and launch. Inspiration for the CubeSat came in part from the miniature toy craze of the day, Beanie Babies, according to Spaceflight Now. More

(Source: Space.com - Oct 8)