Finite Element Analysis and Design of a CubeSat Class Picosatellite Structure

This paper focuses on the mechanical design of a low-cost picosatellite structure which complies with the CubeSat program design specifications. Being the quasi-static loads bigger than any other expected load, we consider failures due to column bending as a design criteria. The overall design is validated using finite element methods. The satellite structure is treated as a combination of beams and thin plate elements. The mechanical design process leads to three different prototypes which comply with the dimensional and structural requirements of the CubeSat program. The natural frequencies of the prototypes are computed numerically through finite element based methods.