Page 91 - International Space Station Benefits for Humanity, 3rd edition.

Jumpstarting the CubeSat Revolution*
*Part of this article is reprinted with permission The ability of companies like
from Upward Magazine (V3.1),
As of August 2018, more than 200 CubeSats NanoRacks and their advanced
(i.e., small satellites traditionally measuring technologies to meet future
10 x 10 x 10 centimeters [~4 x 4 x 4 inches]) have
launched from the ISS into low-Earth orbit (LEO). demand for launch platform
The majority of these have been deployed by capabilities is critical.
NanoRacks, a commercial service provider that
supports customers using the ISS U.S. National
Laboratory as a platform for both SmallSat launch
and research and technology development (R&D)
on the interior and exterior of the ISS. NanoRacks’ assessment of market demand for
With growing interest in CubeSats from academia CubeSat deployments proved accurate. Between
and industry, NanoRacks, in 2013, became the first 2014 and 2017, NanoRacks deployed 176 CubeSats,
commercial entity to utilize the ISS as a platform for thereby demonstrating that the market for high-capacity
CubeSat deployment using the J-SSOD. Following deployment was strong. Taking advantage of the
this early deployment, NanoRacks self-funded its own commercial resupply vehicles used for ISS operations,
ISS deployer to expand beyond the 6U capacity of NanoRacks further expanded CubeSat launch
the J-SSOD in order to use the maximum capacity deployment capabilities by developing the External
of the JEM airlock. The resulting NanoRacks CubeSat NanoRacks Cygnus Deployer (ENRCSD). This deployer
Deployer uses two airlock cycles, each holding eight is installed on the exterior of the Cygnus service
deployers. Each deployer is capable of holding 6U, module, and is capable of deploying up to 36U of
allowing a total of 48U per airlock cycle. satellites after Cygnus’ completion of its primary space
station resupply mission. Not only does this increase
the capacity for CubeSat deployments, it allows for
deployment in orbits up to 499 kilometers (310 miles),
about 96 to 145 kilometers (60 to 90 miles) higher than
the ISS. In August 2018, NanoRacks announced the
successful deployment of six CubeSats from its fifth

NASA astronaut Jack Fischer loads the
NanoRacks CubeSat Deployer into an airlock
in the JEM on the ISS on May 15, 2017.
Ground crews took control when the deployer The NanoRacks CubeSat Deployer “ejects”
was transferred to the outside of the space the Spacecraft for High Accuracy Radar
station, triggering deployment of the satellites Calibrationa microsatellite into orbit from
into Earth orbit. the ISS on May 15, 2017.
Image credit: NASA Image credit: NASA

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