Astronomicon Laboratory specializes in the creation of
ultra-small spacecraft of the CubeSat form factor — nano- and picosatellites for conducting scientific, educational, and technological experiments in outer space.
CubeSat is an international standard for small spacecraft; the basic unit is a cube measuring 10×10×10 cm (1U). The standard allows for combining several units into groups of 2, 3, 6, 12, and 24 (2U, 3U arrays, etc.).
Activities
Laboratory staff conduct a full cycle of research and development (R&D) for the design, assembly, configuration, and maintenance of ultra-small class spacecraft. Key features of the activities include:
- Use of the block-modular principle for constructing nanosatellites from standard service subsystems and payloads.
- Application of commercially available electronic devices and components (COTS — Commercial-off-the-shelf) to ensure radiation resistance.
- Development of a specialized production line for the manufacture of mechanical, electrical, and software-hardware elements.
Products
Selected products of the Astronomikon laboratory:
- Synergy multi-purpose platform of a block-modular type. The basic unit of construction is a one-liter module weighing from one to three kilograms (1U). Other standard sizes (2U, 3U, 4U, etc.) are assembled by increasing the number of identical 1U modules.
- Polytechnic platform — a set of tools for creating ecosystems for the design of nano- and picosatellites.
- Origami constructor — for assembling prototypes of ultra-small satellites and testing them, as well as refining new technological developments.
Projects
Selected projects of the Astronomikon laboratory:
- Creation of nanosatellites for scientific tasks in the fields of observing the Moon, the Sun, planets of the solar system, asteroids and comets, photographing space objects, measuring their gravitational and magnetic fields, and studying radiation and surrounding plasma.
- Development of nanosatellites for testing complex systems in outer space over long periods of time.
- Creation of nanosatellites for unique and complex chemical, biological, medical, and other experiments under high vacuum conditions.