Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Sakamoto, Yuji, Kurihara, Junichi, Fujita, Shinya, Sato, Yuji, Kuwahara, Toshinori
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
Subjects:
Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.12840
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1866914263394680832
author Sakamoto, Yuji
Kurihara, Junichi
Fujita, Shinya
Sato, Yuji
Kuwahara, Toshinori
author_facet Sakamoto, Yuji
Kurihara, Junichi
Fujita, Shinya
Sato, Yuji
Kuwahara, Toshinori
contents Hokkaido University and Tohoku University have been developing and operating a constellation of 50-cm-class microsatellites for Earth observation. DIWATA-1, launched in 2016, was deployed into a circular orbit at an altitude of approximately 400 km from the International Space Station (ISS). For the subsequent satellite developed in 2021, the structural design and vibration test campaign were optimized to meet a strict one-year development schedule. This paper summarizes how the structural design of the previous satellite was reviewed and updated, and how the vibration test was successfully completed in a single trial to minimize schedule and technical risks. These lessons learned provide valuable insights, as there are only a limited number of reported cases of 50-kg-class microsatellites deployed from the ISS.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2601_12840
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Lessons Learned from Structural Design and Vibration Testing of 50-kg Microsatellites Deployed from the International Space Station
Sakamoto, Yuji
Kurihara, Junichi
Fujita, Shinya
Sato, Yuji
Kuwahara, Toshinori
Systems and Control
Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics
Hokkaido University and Tohoku University have been developing and operating a constellation of 50-cm-class microsatellites for Earth observation. DIWATA-1, launched in 2016, was deployed into a circular orbit at an altitude of approximately 400 km from the International Space Station (ISS). For the subsequent satellite developed in 2021, the structural design and vibration test campaign were optimized to meet a strict one-year development schedule. This paper summarizes how the structural design of the previous satellite was reviewed and updated, and how the vibration test was successfully completed in a single trial to minimize schedule and technical risks. These lessons learned provide valuable insights, as there are only a limited number of reported cases of 50-kg-class microsatellites deployed from the ISS.
title Lessons Learned from Structural Design and Vibration Testing of 50-kg Microsatellites Deployed from the International Space Station
topic Systems and Control
Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.12840