CubeSat

noun

Cube·Sat ˈkyüb-ˌsat

variants or less commonly cubesat

plural CubeSats also cubesats

: an artificial satellite typically designed with inexpensive components that fit into a cube with sides 10 centimeters in length

In the DIY culture of CubeSat builders, simple (read "cheap") is good.—

Mark Betancourt

Meanwhile, competitor Planet Labs is deploying cubesats from the International Space Station for tasks such as urban planning and reservoir monitoring.—

Elizabeth Howell

Examples of CubeSat in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

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In technical terms, the small satellite is what's called a CubeSat, which is a a class of nanosatellites. —

Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 22 Sep. 2024 For this first launch, the rocket has multiple payloads and science experiments including a small space weather satellite, known as a CubeSat, called CURIE (CubeSat Radio Interferometry Experiment) provided by NASA’s Launch Services Program based out of Kennedy Space Center. —

Richard Tribou, Orlando Sentinel, 9 July 2024 Alpha Flight 5's payloads have been selected through NASA's CubeSat Launch Initiative, which aims to provide U.S. educational institutions and nonprofits with affordable access to space. —

Brenna Gauchat, The Arizona Republic, 26 June 2024 The tech startup is now partnering with a previous competitor, Spire Global, to develop the CubeSat for their quantum magnetometer. —

IEEE Spectrum, 5 Oct. 2023 One of the most recent trials involved small-scale plasma thrusters attached to a CubeSat (miniature satellite), enabling it to power itself into Earth’s atmosphere and burn up once its mission is over. —

Jason Thomson, The Christian Science Monitor, 5 Apr. 2023