Design and Development of a Deployment System for Small Satellites (1U-4U)

CubeSat standards have greatly simplified the process of satellite development. Understanding the potential of these small satellites has led to their usage in numerous space missions by major space agencies like NASA, ESA, JAXA, and ISRO. In addition, private companies and universities are also entering the sector, as small satellite development is a lot cheaper. The rising number of small satellite launches has necessitated the design and development of deployment technologies for small satellites specifically. The deployment subsystem is one of the crucial subsystems that plays a major role in directing and placing these satellites into the right trajectory. This article presents a deployment system, capable of holding small satellites throughout the launch journey and deploying them into the right trajectory. The major advantage of the system is that it is modular, allowing it to deploy satellites of sizes in the range 1U-4U. The article demonstrates the mechanical design of the proposed deployment system, along with the discussion of the results of the rigorous analysis performed using the model to understand its behavioral response to the variable conditions of space. The analysis carried out includes random vibration analysis, static structural load analysis, and thermal analysis. In addition, the circuit design for the control system of the deployment model to achieve the required objectives within the specified time frame is also presented. The article also explains the process of prototype development, the control system circuit integration, and the operation of the prototype to test the functionality of the proposed deployment system.