Access to space is becoming a reality to a broader global community of students, scientists, and entrepreneurs. The CubeSat industry is furthering this access to space by standardizing affordable components/subsystem boards. Standards provide for clarity in design, repeatability, and risk reduction. Space to ground communications remains open to many variables, all of which add cost and risk to the mission. Unless the mission is designed to test some new communications method, developers need to decide on a Standard Communications Configuration. SSC has taken a lead role in developing this standard configuration.

This paper will present the problem of traditional approaches to satellite communications design. The new approach is to turn the customer relationship around from providers answering requirements to customers meeting a Standard Configuration in order to gain access to a low cost communications service. The trade space is engineering, individualized configurations, more testing, increased documentation and risk.

Traditional Spacecraft Communications Development The priority of communications is usually a Mission Operations function. From the spacecraft developer side, the communications system operates as specified. The ground systems need to match these interfaces. Now starts the long process of engineering analysis, design, configuration, testing, and documentation. Each of these items requires each ground station to implement and verify mission specific configurations.

New Approach to CubeSat Communications Services This is where the customer – services provider relationship gets flipped around. The customer is still always right! The change is in who is writing the requirements and who is implementing the requirements. We need to identify what systems and radio configurations are compatible with the service being requested. These radios will be pre-qualified to meet one or all of the pre-defined configurations. By taking this approach we “reduce” the compatibility risk and eliminate the need for costly development efforts.