Overview and Preliminary Subsystem Design of ICUBE-N: The National CubeSat of Pakistan

The evolution of CubeSats makes space access easier for educational and research institutes which was associated with large space organizations, traditionally. However, the high cost of the space missions still limits the access to space for developing countries. The better approach is then to have a multi-university CubeSat with efficient resource and cost sharing while providing the learning benefits to maximum students. The Institute of Space Technology (IST) is the only educational entity in Pakistan which developed and launched a CubeSat; ICUBE-1 in 2013. Small Satellite Technology Research Lab established in IST decided to develop a 3U (Unit) CubeSat; ICUBE-N (National) in collaboration with various universities of Pakistan in 2021. Different universities in Pakistan were first educated about the space mission analysis and design which is followed by the conceptual subsystem design of various ICUBE-N subsystems. This paper describes the preliminary subsystem design, analysis, and management strategies of ICUBE-N. The lesson learned during this multi-university CubeSat is also discussed.