CubeSat Cadet.

A satellite as small as a loaf of bread

A CubeSat is a real, working satellite — but tiny! The smallest size is called 1U: a little cube that's 10 centimeters on every side, about the size of a softball or a small loaf of bread. It weighs around 1.3 kilograms. Bigger CubeSats are just more cubes stacked together, like building blocks — 3U, 6U, and beyond.

1U = a 10 cm cube

What's inside?

Even though it's small, a CubeSat has everything a big satellite has, just shrunk down:

• Solar panels — turn sunlight into electricity
• Radio — talks to people back on Earth
• Computer — the brain that runs everything
• Payload — its special job, like a camera or sensor

Kids really build these!

Through NASA's CubeSat Launch Initiative, students design and build real CubeSats and NASA helps launch them. A U.S. elementary school even built one that flew. You don't have to be a grown-up scientist to start learning the craft.

Small but mighty

Because CubeSats are small and light, they're much cheaper than giant satellites — and they can hitch a ride on a rocket that's already going up. Small size is their superpower: it makes space more accessible.