Small Spacecraft Community of Practice
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SBUDNIC: A Model for Lightweight Program Management and Mission Experimentation
Speaker: Marco Cross, Brown University
Wednesday, August 14, 2024
10:00AM-11:00AM Pacific Daylight Time
Click here to download the presentation slides.
Abstract: The SBUDNIC CubeSat project, supported by NASA Rhode Island Space Grant Consortium, Brown University, and Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche di Italia, demonstrates a lightweight approach to payload and mission experimentation. The project, completed in less than 18 months, focused on widespread low-cost COTS implementation while demonstrating a drag sail system which allowed for passive deorbit on an accelerated pace. SBUDNIC similarly utilized 3D printed parts, manufactured using consumer-grade printers and filaments, in load-bearing applications. SBUDNIC launched aboard SpaceX’s Transporter 5 in May of 2022 and reentered in August of 2023. This presentation will cover the program’s structure and the critical engineering decisions that went into making SBUDNIC happen on an abbreviated timeline.
Bio: Marco Cross is a mechanical engineer and industrial designer. Products which he developed have been sold in excess of two million times in the European and USA medical device and consumer electronics markets. His development efforts have taken him to factories throughout Southeast Asia, the United States, and Europe. In addition, Marco was chief engineer on the SBUDNIC satellite development and launch program which culminated in the successful deorbit from 595km of the eponymous CubeSat in August of 2023. Marco currently teaches at Brown University and is building a defense-tech start up, called Gram, in Providence, Rhode Island. Marco holds a BFA in Industrial Design from the Massachusetts College of Art and an MS in Biomedical Engineering from Brown University.
S3VI encourages the community to submit questions before the webinar to enable more directed responses. Please send questions to craig.d.burkhard@nasa.gov.
