Development and Demonstration of General-Purpose CubeSat and Microsatellite Buses

On the background of technological innovation and the fact that high-performance small satellites can be produced at low cost through the use of consumer components, the construction of small satellite constellations is being promoted worldwide with the aim of expanding satellite data volume and providing new added value by operating a large number of small satellites in an integrated manner. Under such circumstances, securing the capability to build small satellite constellations has become an urgent issue from the perspective of ensuring the independence and competitiveness of space activities.
In this project, NEDO is supporting the development and demonstration of a general-purpose bus for small satellites by manufacturers and others who are engaged in building small satellite constellations, with the aim of ensuring the corresponding capabilities in Japan.

*This project takes over the project implemented by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry from FY2021 to FY2022, and NEDO will implement it from FY2023 to FY2026.

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(1) Development of Fundamental Technologies

The 100 kg class and 6U CubeSat is developed as general-purpose buses for small satellites that can be used for various missions, such as synthetic aperture radar (SAR), optical sensors, and infrared sensors, respectively.
In addition, for satellite constellations with multiple types of mission equipment, the development of a general-purpose bus includes the construction of an automatic operation system since the system is required to operate multiple units in orbit at a high level of performance.
In addition, in order to establish technology to quickly and efficiently produce multiple satellites with a view to mass production, NEDO will verify that multiple satellites can be manufactured at the same time and that the process from order receipt to operation can be accelerated and made more efficient.

(2) In-orbit Demonstration

For general-purpose bus small satellites and so on developed in (1), in-orbit demonstrations will be conducted in Earth's orbit using the International Space Station (ISS) release mechanism or a launch vehicle.