Patrick Stakem

Deep Space Cubesats Patrick Stakem

This book covers the topic of Deep Space Mission, using Cubesats. By Deep Space, we mean Jupiter and beyond, but we will present a case for the Asteroid Belt as well. The core concept here is, there is strength in numbers. Rather than sending one or two explorers, we will suggest sending 1,000. NASA, particularly Jet Propulsion Lab, is defining new approaches to exploration away from Earth's neighborhood, utilizing Cubesat technology. Many missions using solar sails are being considered, and the technology has been demonstrated. Up to this point, the application of Cubesats for interplanetary exploration has been approached by building bigger, more robust Cubesats. Later, we will discuss another approach involving standard launch vehicles, carrying large numbers of Cubesats.