AEROSPACE CHINA

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China Aerospace Academy of Systems Science and Engineering

ISSN 1671-0940

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AEROSPACE CHINA ›› 2018, Vol. 19 ›› Issue (2): 30-39.doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1671-0940.2018.02.004

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QB50 Project and the Development of CubeSat Technology in China

  

  1. National United Engineering Laboratory of Microsatellite Technology and Application, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an 710072
  • Online:2018-05-24 Published:2019-11-29
  • About author:ZHOU Jun (1966.12- ) received B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in Aircraft Control, Guidance and Simulation from the Northwestern Polytechnical University (NPU). Professor ZHOU Jun works in the School of Astronautics at NPU and serves as the director of National United Engineering Laboratory of Microsatellite Technology and Application. Professor ZHOU Jun’s major research directions are spacecraft control and simulation technology and modern control theory and application. He is an expert of the comprehensive demonstration group of manned lunar landing project, an expert of the demonstration group of the third-stage lunar exploration project, and an expert of the lunar exploration engineering application committee. YU Xiaozhou (1979- ) received his Ph.D degree in Navigation, Guidance and Control from the Northwestern Polytechnical Univetdity (NPU). He is an associate professor of NPU and vice director of National United Engineering Laboratory of Microsatellite Technology and Application. Member of AIAA Small Satellite Technical Committee, Member of Space University Administrative Committee of International Astronautical Federation and Member of QB50 Consortium Board.

Abstract: The CubeSat refers to the low-cost nano satellite produced by international standards. The QB50 project is “an International Network of 50 double CubeSats for multi-point, in-situ, long-duration measurements in the lower thermosphere and re-entry research”. There are 23 countries and region participated in the QB50 Project. 38 CubeSats were developed and launched. Among them, four CubeSats developed by Chinese universities were sent to orbit (Three were deployed from the International Space Station, and one was launched by the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, PLSV). They are Aoxiang-1 (Northwestern Polytechnical University, the Asia coordinator), LilacSat-1 (Harbin Institute of Technology), NJUST-2 (Nanjing University of Science and Technology) and NUDTsat (National University of Defense Technology). Through the development of the QB50 Project, Chinese researchers and students got in touch with the concept of CubeSat and gained experience of international scientific cooperation. A lot of students took part in the assembly, integration, and test of spacecraft, which is helpful to the training of space talents. Now, many universities and institutes have the capabilities to develop CubeSats and the subsystems independently.