Overall objectives:
- Consult the CubeSat industry on key issues relevant for future operational missions with ESA or commercial:
- CubeSat COTS radiation hardness
- CubeSat avionics bus/interface standards
- CubeSat engineering and quality standards
- CubeSat inter-operability standards
Working Group 1: CubeSat COTS radiation hardness
Chair: Ali Zadeh (ESA)
Topics:
- Radiation hardness assurance best practices
- COTS EEE component database for CubeSats
- Low-cost radiation testing procedures
- ESA support for radiation testing
Questions:
- How much are radiation hardness assurance practices performed in the CubeSat industry?
- What actions are necessary to improve the radiation harness of CubeSats?
- How can we identify COTS components used through the CubeSat industry?
- How can we determine if the COTS components have flight heritage or require radiation testing?
- How can we reduce risk associated with radiation induced failures/outages whilst keeping the radiation testing costs low?
- How can ESA help with radiation hardness assurance?
Working Group 2: CubeSat avionics bus/interface standards
Chair: Rafaele Vitulli (ESA)
Topics:
- Existing de facto standard PC104 stack connector & I2C bus
- New standards for connector and data bus for improved reliability & robustness
- Reduction of harness and increased ease of AIV through automation
Questions:
- Is there a need for a (new) CubeSat bus standard regarding electro-mechanical interfaces?
- Need for different databus, power distribution, wiring & connectors?
- Need for 1 or more standards?
- What are the alternative candidates for a new CubeSat bus & connector standard?
- Pros and cons with respect to reliability, robustness and resources?
- How can the wiring harness be eliminated/reduced?
- How can ease of integration be improved?
- What is the best approach for establishing a new CubeSat standard?
- Bottoms-up: may the “best” win?
- International working group with industry, institutions & academia?
- Using an existing standard?
- Adoption by the industry developing COTS products?
Working Group 3: Engineering and quality standards
Chair: Roger Walker (ESA) & Fulvio Capogna (ESA)
Topics:
- ESA IOD CubeSat engineering and quality standards
- Industry standards
- Analysis/Testing for requirements verification
- Documentation & reviews
Questions:
- To what extent is industry applying its own standards or the ESA tailored standards for CubeSat projects to cover mission assurance for customers?
- What is the industry experience with applying ESA tailored CubeSat standards?
- Is the balance right?
- What improvements can be made?
- What is the industry experience with regard to ESA CubeSat projects reviews and the requirements for documentation?
- Is the balance right?
- What improvements can be made?
- To what extent should we specify standards for analysis and testing for requirements verification and risk reduction?
- Standard thermal and mechanical test specifications for LEO missions?
- Mechanical and thermal analysis specifications?
- AOCS analysis specification?
- Should ESA maintain a generic lessons learned database?
- Would industry contribute?
Working Group 4: Inter-operability standards
Chair: Quirien Wijnands (ESA)
Topics:
- Data layer protocols
- Mission control/EGSE software standards
- Reference facility for software verification
Questions:
- Which data packet standards and on-board control procedures are used by the industry to control CubeSat?
- Is there a need to have a new standard for CubeSat operations to ensure inter-operability?
- CCSDS / PUS / MO Services?
- Open source standards?
- How can operations standards help to support multi-node constellations and ground station networks?
- needed technology developments?
- Do we need standard MCS/EGSE software standards?
- How can we ensure a through verification of software for acceptance on CubeSat projects before and after launch?
- Is there a role for a reference facility in order to provide an independent standard environment for software testing?
