10/8/2025 - #1-Stated off with Baseplate and cube rails

#1

Today I built the very first foundation and backbone of my CubeSat-the baseplate and cube rails according to national CubeSat standards designs: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5418c831e4b0fa4ecac1bacd/t/62193b7fc9e72e0053f00910/1645820809779/CDS+REV14_1+2022-02-09.pdf. 2U structure's dimensions are 100x100x227mm and will be made by aluminum 6061-T6 which is generally preferable for CubeSats. Baseplate will serve as the foundation and cuberils will serve for deployment purposes. Stay tuned for updates!!

10/9/2025 6 PM - #2 Battery Holders

#2

Yo Guys battery holder is ready to be fit in the CubeSat which will be the heart of it, and powering it, currently I built half structure to keep batteries and other one will seal it. It is made for 4 cells and 2 packs like this are goanna be established in the CubeSat. Stay tuned for modifications and making it modular.

10/9/2025 10 PM - #3 Making Battery holders Modular

#3

My quest was left half, made the battery holders modular and easily fixed in the CubeSat structure, 8 cells are to be placed there, the spaces at the edges are placed for a battery PCB connecting them all and through a connector, it will be connected to the power board.

10/11/2025 10 AM - #4Dipole Antenna Deployers

#4

The deployer will hold our antenna for data transmission safe during launching. We have chosen Tape measure antenna for our use of 433MHz frequency and 70cm wavelength. Our mechanism for deploying in burn wire mechanism in which we will give voltage to nichrome wire, which will bure and due to tension in tape measure caused by folding will deploy the antenna. A hook like structure is made for the wire to seize antenna before deployment.

10/11/2025 12 PM - #5 Radiation tolerant Case for PCBs

#5

as a necessity, there exists a radiation tolerant PCB case integrated for 5 boards namely, power, RF, RF antenna, avionics and magnetorquer board. It is made 3mm thickness, which is enough to be protected by radiation as it will be inside the CubeSat not exposed, a special place made for the antenna deployers to fix at the bottom as shown in the section view, it will fit.

10/11/2025 7 PM - #6 Making modular Baseplate and Cube rails

#6

Some Changes were needed for the CubeSat to be modular and build-up friendly. Just made walls for support of cases. All the corners are there with 3*3mm squares which will act like rail just like the cube rails are. All the cases will do down the rails and fixed at the bottom.

10/11/2025 10 PM - #7 Integrating PCB Case with battery holders

#7

Integrated battery holder with radiation tolerant PCB case. A plate is inserted in between them for screws which I will make for whole satellite. For modulation space is kept open between them for wires and cable coming through the holder and the solar panels too. Trust me guys integrating 2 objects took longer than expected due to some dimensional errors as well as mate forms.

10/12/2025 - #8 Top Plate

#8

Just made the top plate today which will be closed at the last, after completing the assembly. Holes are made for screws to attach top solar panel as well as cube rails to it, those cave like structure are made for deployment of solar panels using the same burn wire and tape measure mechanism. It was fascinating to build.

10/13/2025 - #9 Radiation hardened cover for Camera

#9

Guys, I was waiting for do this one as I felt it the most satisfying thing in this whole project. I made the Radiation hardened cover for my cam which is GoPro hero 10 barebones. It is made in two parts, the case and the cover, screws are designed for its mount as well as connecting them both. integrated and minimal designs you can see there for whole cam including buttons, one thing remaining was the space for cable to come out for power and image transmission, will do it later.

10/14/2025 - #10 Screw with Standoffs and Nuts

#10

Yo guys, today I made a Hex Bolt, standoffs of different length according to the need and their nuts, for my satellite which are M3 by specifications, at some places, M2 are also used for minimalism. This is the smallest thing made for the satellite and can be called as a connecting pillar.

10/16/2025 - #11 Magnetorquers

#11

Yo guys, I made the structure for my magnetorquers. Magnetorquers are used for orientation of the CubeSat on 2-axis for taking over control on camera facing and also max. power point, the sun facing one, these can be controlled via MGT. The materiel used will be different, most probably Mn-Zn ferrite, which will work for gaining magnetic field.

10/19/2025 - #12 Integration of Baseplate and Cube rails with Camera case

#12

Hmm, just an integration of Baseplate and Cube rails with radiation hardened Camera case. Dug some holes for screws to add it on and made a lens size carved out area on the wall for lens to come out and take pictures, video etc. Some other cuts will also made on the wall for other objects too.

10/20/2025 - #13 Top plate with baseplate

#13

Guys, top plate is now set with baseplate to hold long solar panels on 4 sides and one on the top, with the assembly arranged. Some cuts are made on the wall for deployment mechanism for solar panels which is same as the dipole antenna one, extension on the wall is also made to attach top plate with baseplate with M3 screws.

10/24/2025 - #14 Making the base plate as lighter as a feather

#14

Ayo guys, long time break for Diwali, today I just made some holes or big caves on the baseplate so that our tiny fingers can work inside and can get a view of that thing, it is done roughly as many things will be changing there for sure for deployment mechanism, screwing it up lol, and ya shielding it from UV rays. And guess what, somethings big for it is coming up soon!!

10/25/2025 3 PM - #15 Full Side Solar panels

#15

Guys, this post made a lot of crap in my mind, although I completed all the solar panels to b place on the side panels of the satellite. you refer it like this:

The purpose of making whole panels on PCB was nothing but Cost!!, we found many ready to use solar panels, but they were way too expensive-about 3 times our whole CubeSat budget.
Here I use SM141K10TF https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/anysolar-ltd/SM141K10TF/14311415?msockid=29b7086329956da600e61d8b280e6c96 as our solar cell, you can see that here, placed 8 on every side, generating 6.91 Volts at 9.8A, which is good as it will cross 10 when top panel is developed.
You can s=also see an NTC thermistor for monitoring temperature on the surface of the panels.

Cuts for deployments are also made.
One thing to mention that I will PCBA this so the connector will be placed on the back not on the on the top, top will remain flat. Connecter is for thermistor and those pas are for solar power.
This whole R&D, Building PCB, finding Solar cell, making it dimensionally correct (may change in integration with CAD), and all the stuff took me not more than 8.5 hours!!!

10/25/2025 9 PM - #16 Small integration

#16

Started off with small integrations, made the whole satellite modular made my heart full of satisfaction.
I built the standoff from baseplate to PCB case for holding it upright along one axis as it is fixed, pressed by wall on another axes. it is like a sliding function. Walls are going to be absent to reduce weight, and for the sake of thermal stability, we are going to use heat coils, and also MLI for insulation and UV protection.

11/4/2025 - #17 Here Comes the Battery PCB

#17

Ayo guys, it's been a while, hasn't it? no worries i am back with my battery PCB to be placed in the gaps made before on the design of battery holder, particularly this PCB will connect all +ve and -ve connection of battery and the connecter at the end of the PCB will go to the power board. After many research on C rating, power required (consumption) I have chosen this battery https://robu.in/product/samsung-inr18650-35e-3500mah-2c-li-ion-battery/#tab-specification
for the CubeSat, you may DM me in Slack for more info.

Schematic:

Board:

3D:

11/5/2025 - #18 Integrating Battery PCB with cad model

#18

Got to do some integration work, although it had some dimensional error which I fixed and space disturbances too which were difficult to manage but did, and here it fits. Well, it took me more to find mate because it has individual parts and not a selectable center.

11/8/2025 - #19 Making Solar Cells in Cad with PCB

#19

Soon to finish, I made a solar cell which is integrated here with the model of my solar pcb, actually I tried to fix my panel with CubeSat mode, but due to some dimensional error I will do it in the next journal, stay tuned for that, again to tell , I our solar cell is SM141K10T10F from Digi key you may check it out.

11/11/2025 - #20 Integration of Solar panels

#20

Did the placement of solar panels on the main assembly, as wrote d=before, they will be working on a tape measure mechanism so, I made a small tape measure by my own, and assembled according to the design planned, still points for nichrome wire to open the tape measure is remaining with some other changes which are to be done finally before completion will be done in the next journal, stay tuned!!

11/15/2025 - #21 Made the Top Solar panel

#21

Made the top Solar panel and integrated it with CAD, of course this cannot be done by making=g and correcting dimensional errors and yep, here we got 3 solar cells on the top and holes for screw are also made on the top plate to fit the panel.

11/16/2025 - #22 Making the walls effective

#22

Made some changes in the walls related to the deployments of solar panels and tape measure antenna, actually made special places for that to make it effective and not clashing with other object, also some works has to be done in the journal about reducing the weight, as it matters for the SAT a lot.

11/18/2025 - #23 Making CubeSat Lighter and new holder for it.

#23

Made some extrusions on some part to reduce mass, which is 19.3kg (only CAD structure) and the limit is 2.5Kg. Also made a new cover for our easiness to keep it safe, scratch free and safe.

11/20/2025 - #24 One last ride

#24

The last thing remaining in the project, is to build it, so this is going to be the last of all the journals. Had a great time on Blueprint reporting this project well, hope it works well, but yeah at the end, I cannot believe made the design of this level on my own. Feels crazy!!

SIGNING OFF, VIKRAMSAT 1.0