Preliminary Design and Analysis of the HyperSat using CubeSat Technologies

This paper describes a preliminary design of the HyperSat -- a small spacecraft leveraging CubeSat technologies and existing communications infrastructure to provide a new option for hypersonic flight testing. Aiming to take advantage of ride-sharing launch opportunities, the platform meets size and mass constraints of a 12U CubeSat. Initially placed in a highly elliptical geostationary transfer orbit, the HyperSat performs a propulsive maneuver to adjust its orbit to pass through the Earth's upper atmosphere along an aerobraking trajectory. Prior to re-entry, the HyperSat deploys a heat shield for aerodynamic stability and thermal protection. During atmospheric re-entry, the hypersonic flight environment will be probed and/or desired instruments, materials, and other technologies will be tested. Corresponding technical analyses, including energy-consumption and communications-link estimates, confirm that the mission is feasible using readily available technologies. Challenges associated with the HyperSat's need to survive the hypersonic flight environment are outlined.