India adopts CubeSat standard for global satellite play

New Delhi: India has adopted the global standard for CubeSat—a class of small satellites—as part of the Union government’s efforts to expand the country’s share in the global space economy, two people aware of the development said.

“The plan is to support educational institutions and research organizations to build andexperiment with CubeSats that are developed with off-the-shelf components and provide anaffordable alternative by reducing costs and development times considerably as compared totraditional satellites," said the first person quoted above on the condition of anonymity.

Small-sized and low-weight satellites exponentially bring down launch costs. The Bureau ofIndian Standards (BIS), an arm of the Department of Consumer Affairs, has adopted theglobal standard for CubeSat when the government is opening its space sector to privatecompanies and allowing public-private participation, along with earmarking a ₹ 1,000 crore venture capital (VC) fund for India’s space sector.

As per Statista, the Indian satellite communication market, valued at $1.6 billion in 2022, isprojected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.75% from 2023 to 2030.

India’s space economy stands at $8 billion, contributing around 2-3% of the global spaceeconomy. The government expects it to reach $100 billion by 2040, according to Arthur D.Little, a strategy and management consultancy firm.

“With a compact form factor of 100mm cube and a maximum weight of 1kg, CubeSats willempower universities, research organizations and industries to advance small satellitetechnologies," said the second person quoted earlier, asking not to be identified.

Queries emailed to the ministry of consumer affairs remained unanswered till press time.

K.J. Ramesh, former director general of the India Meteorological Department (IMD), said, “AsCubeSat technology continues to evolve, it is expected to play a key role in future spacemissions, including those aimed at advancing India’s green energy goals, Earth observationand space exploration. By adopting international standards and encouraging educationalinitiatives, India is positioning itself as a hub for space research and innovation."

“So far, Indian universities supported by Isro (Indian Space Research Organisation), havelaunched about nine satellites built by students with due guidance. Some of them includeANUSAT by Anna University, SRMSAT by SRM University, JUGNU by IIT Kanpur,PRATHAM by IIT Bombay, KalamSAT by Space Kidz India, PISAT by PES University andSatyabhamaSAT by Satyabhama University," said Ramesh.

The CubeSat standard, originally developed for Stanford University’s OPAL mission, hasgained international acclaim. Jointly spearheaded by Stanford University’s Space SystemsDevelopment Lab (SSDL) and California Polytechnic State University (CalPoly), the initiativeis driving innovation in space technology by enabling low-cost access to space usingcommercial off-the-shelf components.

CubeSat standards refer to a modular satellite framework (1U = 10 cm³, ≤1.33 kg), ensuringcompatibility with standard deployers. They mandate uniform dimensions, low-outgassingmaterials, kill switches and rigorous testing (vibration, thermal, shock). These guidelinesstreamline development, reduce costs, and enable safe, efficient satellite deployment intoorbit.

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