NPS CubeSat Launcher program management

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is to document my activities related to managing the design, analysis, construction, testing, and integration of a qualification and, possibly, a flight article in support of the NPS CubeSat Launcher (NPSCuL) project. This thesis will describe the process, experience, and results of managing the NPSCuL program, including the program budget and schedule in support of a flight opportunity as early as August 2010. NPSCuL is designed to utilize excess capacity on U.S. launch vehicles to place a significant volume of CubeSats into orbit in a single launch. The NPSCuL will be a secondary payload attached to the launch vehicle via the EELV Secondary Payload Adapter (ESPA) or other compatible launch vehicle structures. The NPSCuL-Lite, a modified version of the NPSCuL, integrates eight Poly-Picosatellite Orbital Deployers (P-PODs) with a deployment sequencer in a simple structure. NPSCuL-Lite will be able to accommodate up to twenty-four units of CubeSat volume. The goal of the NPSCuL project is to improve CubeSat access to space, advance U.S. space technology, and ensure that the next generation of U.S. space professionals will remain on the cutting edge of very small satellite development.