CubeSat Technologies Advancing Toward Interplanetary Missions

CubeSat R&D Efforts For Moon, Mars, Solar System Missions Expected To Come To Fruition Soon With Initiatives Including Vermont Tech 10x10x30cm Mooncraft, JPL Dual Spacecraft INSPIRE (Interplanetary NanoSpacecraft Pathfinder In Relevant Environment), JPL Lunar Flashlight With 80m² Solar Sail; Greatest Benefit Is Low Cost To Produce & Launch With High Science Capabilities; Could Navigate Through Planetary Rings, Release PicoSats, Land On Surface; US$50K Vermont Lunar CubeSat Currently In LEO Testing Navigation Components For Moon Mission

Pictured: CubeSat Inventors Bob Twiggs (L) & Jordi Puig-Suari

Image Credit: NASA, JPL, ed-sat.com, Vermont Tech