The First One Hundred CubeSats: A Statistical Look

TLDR: In this paper, the authors evaluate the on-orbit performance of CubeSats using data collected from a variety of sources, and show that the P-POD launch container, not the CubeSat specification, is the true enabling technology for this class of mission.

Abstract: The concept of CubeSats was publicly proposed in 2000, with the first CubeSats launched in 2003. By the end of 2012, more than one hundred CubeSats have been launched, and 80 more are manifested for launches in 2013, with at least that many expected in 2014. Ten years ago, CubeSats were routinely dismissed by industry professionals as being too small to be worth flying; now, NASA is the majority launch broker, and a significant share of the manifests are filled by U.S. DoD-sponsored, industry-built CubeSat missions. How did initial perceptions of CubeSats evolve to this state? Are CubeSats toys, tools, or merely another source of orbital debris? With so many CubeSats now in orbit, it is now possible to make a data-based assessment of these missions. Using data collected from a variety of sources, this study evaluates the on-orbit performance of CubeSats. The history of CubeSat missions is reviewed, with the missions classified according to size, origin, mission life, and on-orbit performance. It is shown that several correctable design/implementation errors plague the university side of CubeSat missions, and that the P-POD launch container, not the CubeSat specification, is the true enabling technology for this class of mission. The First One Hundred CubeSats: A Statistical Look