Abstracting Cubesat Operations: A Path to Real Cubesat Interoperability

Introduction of the CubeSat form factor brought a paradigm shift in the industry. With the size becoming a standard, cost and development time were able to be reduced significantly. However, the industry has not yet fully realized the potential of this new paradigm. Many other simplifications or standardizations can be made, whilst still meeting CubeSat mission requirements. One area that can be addressed without significant change is CubeSat mission operations. Many operations activities for CubeSat busses are common, or the differences between missions are close enough to benefit from common streamlining. This thesis proposes abstracted operations sequence for CubeSats. The sequence is demonstrated by applying it to an upcoming CubeSat mission - DESCENT. Simplifications made as a result of this abstraction are demonstrated. The thesis also points to some of the other improvements that could be made longer-term for CubeSat mission designers and operators through further industry standardization.