Rendering of KUbeSat1 orbiting earth.

KUbeSat Program

The KUbeSat organization, composed of teams of undergraduate and graduate students collaborating with faculty members and advisors, seeks to design and build cube satellites and their ground station systems. The goal is to encourage scientific and engineering discovery in aerospace and to provide the opportunity for students to directly work on astronautical research.

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Ground station antenna fully assembled in lab space.

Ground Station

The development of a ground station is necessary in order to send and receive vital data to the satellite as well as to control satellite orientation and location. The ground station is located on top of KU’s Eaton Hall, and is connected to a campus computer system for data analysis.

A partially assembled KUbeSat1 with internal structure and black metal frame. This image depicts the satellite being held up vertically on a black piece of foam which rests upon a blue platform.

Satellite Development  

Cube satellites are small, lightweight, and relatively inexpensive satellites upon which high fidelity payloads can be mounted. Their small size and affordability help to explain their increasing role in the satellite industry.


Get Involved

Interested in the KUbeSat organization? You can visit our Rock Chalk Central page for more details or email us at KUbeSat@ku.edu.
Rock Chalk Central Rock Chalk Central
Email Us at KUbeSat@ku.edu Email Us at KUbeSat@ku.edu

Satellites

The KUbeSat1 mission badge showing the earth in the distance with an emblem of KUbeSat1 hovering above the earth. Stars and space phenomena surround the satellite. 'The University of Kansas' is printed in the top margin of the badge, with 'KUbeSat1' and 'DEC 2020' displayed in the side margins.

KUbeSat1

If successful, KUbeSat1 will be the first satellite put into orbit by a major university in the state of Kansas. It is a 3U satellite that carries three main payloads: a Primary Cosmic Ray Detector (PCRD) to measure primary cosmic rays hitting the Earth, a High-Altitude Calibration instrument for KUbeSat (HiCalK) used for measuring very high frequency (VHF) from cosmic ray interactions with the atmosphere, and a camera to capture images of both Earth and space.
Organization patch for KUbeSat. The image depicts the side of the Earth with a cube satellite rounding the corner in orbit. Stars and a four leaf clover is depicted in the back ground. The yellow, blue, and red border shows two KU Jayhawks on either side, with the 'University of Kansas' printed on the top, and 'KUbeSat' printed on the bottom.

KUbeSat2

KUbeSat2 is in the initial planning and design stages. This future addition to the KUbeSat fleet will be designed using information attained from KUbeSat1 to adjust and enhance further satellite development.

Hill Space Systems Laboratory

Located on the first floor of Learned Hall at KU, the Hill Space Laboratory provides a place where KUbeSat members can design and plan projects, and houses a cutting-edge clean room for KUbeSat assembly and testing.