NASA's CubeSat Launch Initiative: Enabling broad access to space

CubeSats are playing an increasingly larger role in exploration, technology demonstrations, scientific research and educational investigations at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). These miniature satellites provide a low-cost platform for NASA missions, including planetary space exploration; Earth observation; and technology demonstrations such as cutting-edge laser communications, energy storage, in-space propulsion and autonomous movement capabilities. They also provide educators with an inexpensive means to engage students in all phases of satellite development, operation and exploitation through real world, hands-on research and development experience on NASA-funded and non-NASA funded opportunities. These advancements in turn are propelling an emerging and fast-growing commercial industry to support a wide application user base.

For the past seven years, NASA has enabled educational institutions, universities, non-profit organizations and agency field centers to launch these small research satellites through the CubeSat Launch Initiative (CSLI) for Educational Launch of Nanosatellite (ELaNa) missions. Launch opportunities are made available via existing launch services of government payloads on previously planned launches, commercial missions or as International Space Station deployments, as well as dedicated CubeSat launches from the newly selected Venture Class Launch Services contracts. CSLI establishes Cooperative Research and Development Agreements with satellite development partners, which supports NASA's emphasis on public-private partnerships.

Since the inception of the CubeSat Launch Initiative, NASA has selected over 162 CubeSat missions from 93 unique organizations and has launched 66 CubeSats into orbit on seventeen ELaNa Missions. This paper provides a status and overview of missions and community involvement, launch vehicles, and technology and science focus areas. It also details the methods employed by NASA to deliver CSLI, requirements for participation, and next steps for the initiative.