CubeSats in a P-POD dispenserThis NASA guide sets out the rules a first-time CubeSat builder has to meet before launch.
nasa-cubesat-101 CubeSat 101 comes from NASA's CubeSat Launch Initiative and is written for people building their first CubeSat. A CubeSat is a small satellite made in standard units, and the basic unit, 1U, is roughly a 10 cm cube. The guide covers size and mass limits, the dispenser that releases the satellite, battery safety and orbital debris paperwork.
The guide describes no real spacecraft. Its materials show typical practice, not the make-up of one mission. Its sample CubeSat has a 6061-T6 aluminium structure, a ceramic patch antenna and lithium-ion batteries. A blank NASA form adds a few more materials, each marked 'e.g.'.
NASA's guide for first-time CubeSat developers. It shows what a first mission has to get right, from size and mass limits to deployer rules, anodized rails and battery safety. It is a teaching document with example materials, not a specific spacecraft.
A basic CubeSat, called 1U, weighs roughly 1 to 1.33 kg. Larger versions come as 1.5U, 2U, 3U, 6U and 12U, and a 3U measures 10 cm by 10 cm by 34 cm. The standard dispenser is the Cal Poly P-POD, which carries units from 1U to 3U.
The guide includes a sample orbital debris report, an ODAR, written for an example CubeSat. Its structure is aluminium, and its high-speed radio has a ceramic patch antenna. The electronics, circuit boards and solar cells are standard commercial off-the-shelf parts. The report adds that it has no pressure vessels, hazardous or exotic materials.
NASA's blank components template for the debris report has a row for each part of the satellite. Four rows carry example materials: aluminium 6061 for the structure, steel 410 for the antennae, fibreglass for the solar panels and copper alloy for the cabling. The mass and size columns are blank.
The checklist asks if the rails are anodised, a treatment that grows a thin oxide layer. It also calls for batteries with a UL safety listing and, for a 1U, a mass under 1.33 kg. To let a satellite burn up on re-entry, the guide prefers aluminium and steel to tantalum, titanium or tungsten.
The structure of the sample CubeSat, and the suggested entry for the structure on NASA's form.
The rails that meet the dispenser. The checklist asks whether they are anodised, though it does not name the metal.
A suggested entry for the antennae on NASA's form.
A suggested entry for the solar panels on NASA's form.
A suggested entry for the cabling on NASA's form.
Power storage in the sample CubeSat. Its report gives a UL listing number for the batteries.
NASA's CubeSat Launch Initiative wrote the guide. It names the Cal Poly P-POD as the standard dispenser. The debris paperwork rests on NASA-STD-8719.14A, the agency's process for limiting orbital debris, and on NPR 8715.6A, its procedural requirements for the same job. A third document, LSP-REQ-317.01, sets CubeSat requirements for NASA launches.
Blackwing Space
Reference for the CubeSat Design Specification and dispensers; the guide does not name this product
Blackwing Space
Reference for the CubeSat Design Specification and dispensers; the guide does not name this product
Blackwing Space
Reference for the CubeSat Design Specification and dispensers; the guide does not name this product
Pumpkin Space Systems
Reference for the CubeSat Design Specification and P-POD; the guide does not name this product
Gran Systems
Reference for the CubeSat Design Specification and dispensers; the guide does not name this product
EnduroSat
Reference for the CubeSat Design Specification and dispensers; the guide does not name this product
PSAS / Oregon State
Aluminium alloy 6061. Here: CubeSat structure; CubeSat structure (template row 2, body type Box). There: 1U +X frame; Card wedge (card clamp) and more.
Anodized aluminium. Here: Rails (deployer interface rails). There: 1U +X frame (anodize); Card wedge (anodize) and more.
Copper. Here: Cabling, etc. (template row 14). There: Helical antenna (+Z end card); Outer copper foil and more.
lithium-ion batteries. Here: Electrical power storage. There: 18650 cell (Tenergy, 4 per card); Battery cell model (README).
NASA Ames
Aluminium alloy 6061. Here: CubeSat structure; CubeSat structure (template row 2, body type Box). There: EnduroSat 3U structure; ISISPACE 3U structure and more.
Anodized aluminium. Here: Rails (deployer interface rails). There: Dispenser-compatible rails.
Copper. Here: Cabling, etc. (template row 14). There: Frangibolt actuator cylinder.
Blackwing Space
Aluminium alloy 6061. Here: CubeSat structure; CubeSat structure (template row 2, body type Box). There: Sparrow 1U Chassis; Sparrow 1U XL Chassis and more.
lithium-ion batteries. Here: Electrical power storage. There: Puffin battery pack (Puffin Pack); Draft power module cells (Li-ion or LiFePO4).
Blackwing Space
Aluminium alloy 6061. Here: CubeSat structure; CubeSat structure (template row 2, body type Box). There: Kestrel 3U XL Chassis; Structure (all platforms table).
lithium-ion batteries. Here: Electrical power storage. There: Puffin battery pack (Puffin Pack); Draft power module cells (Li-ion or LiFePO4).
Blackwing Space
Aluminium alloy 6061. Here: CubeSat structure; CubeSat structure (template row 2, body type Box). There: Osprey 6U XL Chassis; Structure (all platforms table).
lithium-ion batteries. Here: Electrical power storage. There: Puffin battery pack (Puffin Pack); Draft power module cells (Li-ion or LiFePO4).
EnduroSat
Aluminium alloy 6061. Here: CubeSat structure; CubeSat structure (template row 2, body type Box). There: 3U structure; 6U structure and more.
Anodized aluminium. Here: Rails (deployer interface rails). There: Hard-anodized pearl finish.
Because the guide describes no real satellite, it gives no breakdown of where the mass goes. Its forms for coatings, rubbery materials and adhesives are left blank, and no fasteners or thermal materials are named. It asks for anodised rails but does not say to which specification, or on which metal.
What is written above is built from these numbers and quotes. Each row links to the page it was taken from. Get all of it as JSON, or ask our MCP server.
| What | Value |
|---|---|
| 1U size | 10 cm x 10 cm x 11 cm |
| 3U size | 10 cm x 10 cm x 34 cm |
| 1U mass | approximately 1 to 1.33 kg |
| Larger sizes | 1.5U, 2U, 3U, 6U, 12U |
| Mass checklist limit (1U) | < 1.33 kg |
Each material named in the sources: where it is used here, which other products use it, and its key numbers when its material page exists.
Used in 2 partsCubeSat structure · CubeSat structure (template row 2, body type Box)
Used in 1 partRails (deployer interface rails)
Used in 1 partCabling, etc. (template row 14)
Used in 1 partSolar panels (template row 4)
Used in 1 partElectrical power storage
Used in 1 partAntennae (template row 3)
The document is a how-to guide, not a flown spacecraft: its parts are the rows of a blank ODAR components template, which gives example materials for only four rows, plus one sample ODAR paragraph.
| Part | Material | Finish and standard | Made by |
|---|---|---|---|
| CubeSat structure“The CubeSat structure is made of Aluminum 6061-T6.” | Aluminum 6061-T6aluminium-6061 | — | — |
| High-speed radio antenna“The high-speed radio uses a ceramic patch antenna.” | ceramic patch antenna (ceramic type not stated) | — | — |
| Electrical power storage“The electrical power storage system consists of common lithium-ion batteries” | lithium-ion batterieslithium-ion-cell | UL listing (battery) | UL-listing number MH12345 (sample value in the example) |
| Electronics, PCBs and solar cells“It contains all standard commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) materials, electrical components, PCBs, and solar cells.” | standard commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) materials (not itemised) | — | — |
| Part | Material | Finish and standard | Made by |
|---|---|---|---|
| CubeSat structure (template row 2, body type Box)“e.g., Aluminum” | Aluminum 6061 (template example)aluminium-6061 | — | — |
| Antennae (template row 3)“e.g., Steel 410” | Steel 410 (template example)stainless-410 | — | — |
| Solar panels (template row 4)“e.g., Fiberglass” | Fiberglass (template example)e-glass | — | — |
| Cabling, etc. (template row 14)“Cabling, etc.” | Copper alloy (template example)copper | — | — |
| Part | Material | Finish and standard | Made by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rails (deployer interface rails)“Rails Anodized” | anodized (base metal not stated)anodized-aluminium | Anodized | — |
No hardware part numbers, fasteners, finishes (other than 'anodized' on the rails checklist line) or per-part masses; the template's mass/size columns are blank. Examples are illustrative and not tied to a flown CubeSat. A Materials List form (Metals, Non-Metal, Surface Coatings, Elastomerics tables with TML/CVCM columns) is provided blank. Existing products.json lists a Mylar LightSail sail and a carbon-nanotube mirror quote; neither the word Mylar nor a Mylar quote was found in the PDF text extracted here, so Mylar was NOT carried into this BOM (needs re-check of products.json). The carbon-nanotube/epoxy mirror is a photo caption about a possible telescope mirror, not a CubeSat part, so it is not listed.
Collected from public pages and documents, checked 4 Nov 2026.
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