# CubETH

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{{Short description|Swiss satellite project}}
{{Infobox spaceflight|auto=all
| name                  = CubETH
| image                 = 
| image_caption         =

| mission_type          = Satellite navigation<br/>Technology demonstration
| operator              = [ETH Zurich](/source/ETH_Zurich)
| website               = 
| COSPAR_ID             = 
| SATCAT                = 
| mission_duration      = 18 months planned
| spacecraft_type       = 1U [CubeSat](/source/CubeSat)
| manufacturer          = 
| dry_mass              = 
| launch_mass           = {{convert|1.388|kg}}.<ref name="sym">Ivanov et al. (2014) "CubETH: low cost GNSS space experiment for precise orbit determination". ''Proceedings of: Small Satellites Systems and Services Symposium'', Porto Petro, Majorca, Spain</ref>
| power                 =
| launch_date           = 
| launch_rocket         = 
| launch_site           = 
| launch_contractor     = 
| last_contact          = 
| decay_date            =
| orbit_semimajor       = {{convert|6830|km|mi}} to {{convert|6930|km|mi}}<ref name="sym" />
}}

thumb | right | alt=3D printed model of CubETH | 3D printed model of CubETH
'''CubETH''' is a [Swiss](/source/Switzerland) [satellite](/source/satellite) project. As of 2015, it is being developed by several Swiss academic and industrial partners. The [spacecraft](/source/spacecraft) is a single unit [CubeSat](/source/CubeSat) and therefore 10&nbsp;x&nbsp;10&nbsp;x&nbsp;10&nbsp;cm (3.9&nbsp;x&nbsp;3.9&nbsp;x&nbsp;3.9&nbsp;in) in size. Its main goal is to prove the feasibility of attitude and [orbit determination](/source/orbit_determination) with [low cost](/source/low_cost) [commercial off-the-shelf](/source/commercial_off-the-shelf) [GNSS](/source/GNSS)-receivers.

== Aims ==
CubETH is a [technology demonstration](/source/technology_demonstration) mission. The first goal is to prove that low cost receivers can be used for positioning in space. The orbit as well as the attitude of the spacecraft will be computed on board the satellite and send to a station on earth. The post-processing of the data will allow a first plausibility check. In order to fulfil an external validation, CubETH will be equipped with [satellite laser ranging](/source/satellite_laser_ranging) reflectors for range measurements from ground stations.

== Satellite structure ==
The upper face of the satellite will be equipped with four GNSS antennas. The four side faces hold the [solar panel](/source/solar_panel)s for electricity generation. A fifth GNSS antenna is mounted on one of the lateral faces. The communication antenna is located on the lower, earth looking face. The whole flight electronics is located inside the satellite. In addition to the five GNSS antennas and the SLR-reflectors, The payload consists of the GNSS receivers and the necessary hardware. The GNSS receiver chips are developed and manufactured by the Swiss company [U-blox](/source/U-blox). The main advantage of these commercial chip-sets is the low power consumption and the small size. However, the chips are not certified for space applications and a [risk assessment](/source/risk_assessment) is part of the project. For redundancy reasons, the satellite is equipped with ten receivers, each antenna being connected to two of them.

== Project partners ==
The Geodesy and Geodynamics Lab of [ETH Zurich](/source/ETH_Zurich) holds the scientific leadership and is responsible for the payload data processing software. [EPFL](/source/EPFL) and the Swiss Space Center (SSC) are in charge of project management and the realization of the [satellite bus](/source/satellite_bus). [Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts](/source/Lucerne_University_of_Applied_Sciences_and_Arts) develops the payload hardware and the ground station. [RF](/source/RF) and antenna-design is provided by [Hochschule für Technik Rapperswil](/source/Hochschule_f%C3%BCr_Technik_Rapperswil). Further project partners are [HES-SO](/source/HES-SO) (academic partner), u-blox (industrial partner), [RUAG Space](/source/RUAG_Space) (industrial partner) and Saphyrion (industrial partner).<ref>[http://www.sgc.ethz.ch/sgc-volumes/sgk-report-2011-2015.pdf Willi et al. (2015) "The Cube Satellite Mission CubETH". ''Swiss National Report on the geodetic activities'', IUGG, p.&nbsp;217]</ref>

== Status ==
CubETH is currently under development. The launch was planned for 2017.<ref>"[http://www.tagesanzeiger.ch/wissen/technik/Raumschiffchen-vom-Hoenggerberg/story/16361131 Raumschiffchen vom Hönggerberg]" ''Tages Anzeiger'' (in German)]</ref>

== See also ==
* [List of CubeSats](/source/List_of_CubeSats)

== References ==
{{reflist}}

Category:CubeSats
Category:Student satellites
Category:Satellites of Switzerland

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [CubETH](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CubETH) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CubETH?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.