Twenty (plus) Years of University-Class Spacecraft: A Review of What Was, An Understanding of What Is, And a Look at What Should Be Next

Twenty (plus) Years of University-Class Spacecraft: A Review of What Was, An Understanding of What Is, And a Look at What Should Be Next

The past twenty years have seen the launch of more than 60 “university-class” spacecraft (i.e., spacecraft whose mission in part is to train students in spacecraft engineering), with perhaps 25 more to launch in the second half of this calendar year. And of those 25, twenty are CubeSats, with that trend on the increase. The on-orbit success and on-orbit utility of these missions has varied widely; some never made it off the rocket, some were deployed but never turned on, while others have been functional for decades. This paper will review the past twenty years of student-built small satellites. From that data, we will draw broad conclusions about the typical scope and probability of success of these spacecraft. Also, using this information, and drawing from the author's experience and interviews with small spacecraft builders, we will address three questions for future university-class missions1) Are CubeSats the dominant future for ALL university-class missions, or simply a 'phase'? 2) What kinds of missions are well-suited for student-built satellites? Are there enough to go around? 3) Are student-built satellites worth the effort? Are there more cost-effective (and mission-effective) ways to train spacecraft engineers?