CubeSat, a miniature satellite technology co-created at Cal Poly, will be inducted into the Space Technology Hall of Fame.
The induction will take place during the 37th Space Symposium in Colorado Springs on April 4-7.
Jordi Puig-Suari, a former Cal Poly aerospace engineering professor, created the CubeSat platform with now-retired Stanford University professor Bob Twiggs.
“CubeSat was born here at Cal Poly with Professor Jordi Puig-Suari back in 1999,” said Ryan Nugent, Director of the CubeSat Lab. “It was his brainchild, but it was undergraduate and graduate students that really created the standard.”
The standards of the invention allow it to be as small as about four inches per side and less than three pounds.
CubeSats have become a common feature of space missions launched from Earth. They're also regularly launched from the International Space Station.
According to Nugent, the labs started with just ten students when CubeSat was first being developed. Now, more than 100 students work on the satellites.
“It’s really on their shoulders why this has made it to the Space Technology Hall of Fame,” Nugent said. “Without the students, without Cal Poly, this wouldn’t have happened and this new space industry would not be where it’s at today.”
An upcoming partnership with the Air Force Research Laboratory will provide access to newer equipment, facility upgrades, and experts in the field.
To find out more about the invention, you can visit the website www.polysat.org.
