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CubeTwin

The 12-week mission workbook

CubeSat energy, mission and reliability analysis

14 September – 6 December 2026

Mission / team: __________________________

Initial Draft · v0.01 · Scenario schema 1.0
Educational R&D prototype · Simulated data · Not flight software.
Last reviewed 12 September 2026
https://aerospace.ev.engineer/space/cubesat
Educational Prototype · 12-Week Student R&D Project

CubeTwin

A Digital-Twin Simulation Platform for CubeSat Energy, Mission and Reliability Analysis

Learn how solar generation, spacecraft loads, orbital sunlight and eclipse periods affect CubeSat battery energy, mission availability and reliability.

Initial Draft · v0.01Educational R&D prototype · Simulated data · Not flight software.
Preparing orbital view…
PROJECT OVERVIEW

A spacecraft energy lab, in your browser.

CubeTwin is an educational web simulator that helps students model the electrical-energy behaviour of a CubeSat. It calculates how orbit sunlight, eclipse, solar generation, subsystem loads and battery characteristics affect State of Charge, voltage, temperature, mission activities and safe-mode decisions. The project is an EV Society™ initiative hosted on EV.ENGINEER™, with commercial engineering handled separately by iTelematics Software Private Limited.

A digital twin represents a specific physical system using traceable data. CubeTwin starts as a simulation platform; it is not connected to a spacecraft or calibrated against a physical test article.

INTERACTIVE ENERGY SIMULATION

Configure a mission. Follow the energy.

Start with the example inputs, run the model and inspect the recorded timeline. Change one parameter at a time to understand its effect.

Educational R&D prototype · Simulated data · Not flight software.

Configure orbit, solar power, battery energy and scheduled activities. Results are calculated locally with a deterministic model.

HOW IT WORKS

How a CubeSat energy system works

The Electrical Power System (EPS) generates, stores and distributes the electricity that supports the mission. Follow its energy journey, then explore the equations.

SunlightThe energy source
Solar arrayConverts light to electricity
Power managementConditions & distributes power
Loads + batteryUse energy or store it
Mission outcomeComplete planned activities
01 / CUBESAT BASICS

A small spacecraft. A complete system.

A CubeSat is a small satellite built around standardized units and dispenser interfaces.

Explanation, equation & example

Its payload performs the mission; its bus supplies power, computing, attitude control, communications and thermal support. A launch vehicle carries it to space.

3U ≈ three standard CubeSat units
TRY IT YOURSELFSketch a 3U mission. Identify the payload, EPS, OBC, ADCS and radio.
02 / ORBIT & ECLIPSE

Continuously falling around Earth.

Altitude changes orbital period.

Explanation, equation & example

With a mean Earth radius of 6,371 km, a circular orbit at 500 km takes about 94.5 minutes. Earth blocks direct sunlight during eclipse. This model starts each orbit in sunlight and uses a configurable eclipse at its end; real shadows depend on geometry and season.

T = 2π √((Rᴇ + h)³ / μ)
TRY IT YOURSELFPredict the effect of moving from 400 to 600 km. Run both cases and compare periods.
03 / SOLAR & PMAD

Sunlight becomes usable power.

Solar cells convert light to electricity.

Explanation, equation & example

Panel area, efficiency and incidence angle determine generation; PMAD conditions and distributes that power. Beginner mode takes peak power directly. Engineering mode exposes the same assumptions. Delivered solar power is zero during the simplified eclipse.

Psolar = G × A × ηcell × derating × max(0, cos θ)
TRY IT YOURSELFAt 20 W peak and 90% PMAD efficiency, calculate the 18 W delivered to the bus.
04 / POWER BALANCE

Every activity has an energy cost.

Watts describe an instantaneous rate.

Explanation, equation & example

Watt-hours describe energy accumulated over time. The nominal 8 W bus uses 4.67 Wh during a 35-minute eclipse before battery losses. Payload and downlink add 10 W and 6 W to the nominal bus. Essential-only operation uses 3 W.

Pnet = Psolar,delivered − Pload
TRY IT YOURSELFCalculate the battery withdrawal for 35 minutes at 8 W with 95% discharge efficiency: about 4.91 Wh.
05 / SOC & DEPTH OF DISCHARGE

Follow the energy in the battery.

SOC is 100 × stored energy / usable capacity; DoD is 100 − SOC.

Explanation, equation & example

Charging stores less energy than is supplied. Discharging removes more than the loads receive. The model clamps stored energy, records rejected charge at the upper limit and reports unmet demand when the battery is empty.

Enew = E + ηc Pnet Δt/3600 (charging); E + Pnet Δt/(3600ηd) (discharging)
TRY IT YOURSELFA 40 Wh battery starts at 80% SOC. Deliver 8 W for one hour at 95% efficiency: final energy ≈ 23.58 Wh and SOC ≈ 58.95%.
06 / VOLTAGE & RESISTANCE

Voltage responds to load.

Open-circuit voltage comes from an editable illustrative pack lookup.

Explanation, equation & example

Positive current means discharge. The current estimate uses requested battery power divided by OCV. Greater resistance produces more voltage sag. This diagnostic approximation does not determine SOC from voltage or solve a coupled circuit.

Vterminal = OCV(SOC) − I × Rinternal
TRY IT YOURSELFAt equal discharge current, double resistance and compare terminal voltage.
07 / SIMPLIFIED TEMPERATURE

Heat is another state to watch.

The optional lumped model balances resistive heating, an assumed external heat input and heat exchange with a fixed bus temperature.

Explanation, equation & example

Its parameters are educational assumptions. It excludes radiative geometry, cell chemistry and thermal runaway, and cannot assess battery safety.

ΔT = Δt/Cth × (I²R + Qexternal − (T − Tbus)/Rth)
TRY IT YOURSELFIncrease resistance while holding the other parameters constant. Compare the peak temperature.
08 / MODES & RELIABILITY

Protect the reserve, then recover.

The deterministic controller defers noncritical payload/downlink below reserve and enters safe mode below its entry threshold.

Explanation, equation & example

It exits only after the higher recovery threshold holds for the specified dwell time. This hysteresis prevents rapid switching. Completion, brownout intervals and per-orbit margins describe the simulated outcome.

safe entry < reserve ≤ recovery ≤ maximum SOC
TRY IT YOURSELFRun Heater Stuck On. Find the first safe-mode event and explain the transition using sensed SOC.

Power-system background: NASA Small Spacecraft Power Systems. Unit and interface guidance: Cal Poly CubeSat Design Specification.

EDUCATIONAL MISSION SCENARIO

Meet your reference CubeSat.

Every value below is an illustrative simulator default, not a component recommendation or flight limit. The same values are editable in the simulation.

SPACECRAFT & ORBIT

A 3U spacecraft in Low Earth Orbit

A CubeSat uses standard units (U); a 3U model combines three units. Low Earth Orbit (LEO) is an orbit relatively close to Earth.

Altitude above Earth
500 km
Orbital period: one circuit
≈ 94.5 min
Sunlight / eclipse per orbit
≈ 59.5 / 35 min
Inclination: orbit-plane tilt
51.6°
POWER & BATTERY

A finite energy reserve

A watt (W) measures power; a watt-hour (Wh) measures energy. A 40 Wh energy capacity can ideally supply 8 W for 5 h before losses.

Peak solar / delivered power
20 / 18 W
Battery energy capacity
40 Wh
Initial State of Charge (SOC)
80%
Reserve / safe-mode entry
30% / 20%
MISSION PROFILE

Give the spacecraft a purpose

A mission profile schedules activities. The payload is the mission instrument; downlink sends its data to a ground station, an Earth-based radio facility.

Nominal / essential-only load
8 / 3 W
Payload activity: starts at 4 h
18 W · 10 min
Downlink activity: starts at 5 h
14 W · 8 min
Simulation duration / step
24 h / 10 s
12-WEEK STUDENT R&D ROADMAP

From first principles to an engineering prototype.

14 September – 6 December 2026. Expand each week to learn, calculate, build, verify and document. Progress is saved in this browser.

Your mission, one week at a time.

14 September – 6 December 2026 · Learn → Calculate → Build → Verify → Deliver

0 / 198 tasks complete · saved in this browser
01Foundations & first prototype
01Mission definition and CubeSat basics14–20 September 2026

Learn

Calculate

Build

Verify

Deliver

02Power budget, sunlight and eclipse21–27 September 2026

Learn

Calculate

Build

Verify

Deliver

03Battery MVP and ISAST submission28 September–4 October 2026

Learn

Calculate

Build

Verify

Deliver

The guide plans a concept submission milestone for 30 September. Confirm eligibility, deadline and submission requirements with the organizer; the full learning project continues to December.

04Voltage, temperature and Stage Gate 15–11 October 2026

Learn

Calculate

Build

Verify

Deliver

02Mission behaviour & faults
05Mission modes and energy-aware scheduling12–18 October 2026

Learn

Calculate

Build

Verify

Deliver

06Fault injection and diagnosis19–25 October 2026

Learn

Calculate

Build

Verify

Deliver

07Telemetry and reliability metrics26 October–1 November 2026

Learn

Calculate

Build

Verify

Deliver

083D mission experience and Stage Gate 22–8 November 2026

Learn

Calculate

Build

Verify

Deliver

03Uncertainty & release
09Monte Carlo uncertainty9–15 November 2026

Learn

Calculate

Build

Verify

Deliver

10Model validation and learning workbook16–22 November 2026

Learn

Calculate

Build

Verify

Deliver

11SEO, AI search and production quality23–29 November 2026

Learn

Calculate

Build

Verify

Deliver

12Release, demonstration and handover30 November–6 December 2026

Learn

Calculate

Build

Verify

Deliver

MISSION & RELIABILITY ANALYSIS

Test the mission when conditions change.

Reliability means performing the required functions under stated conditions. Compare a fault experiment with the same mission without faults, then explore input uncertainty.

Solar degradation

The array produces less power throughout the fault window.

Compare charging slopes and daily energy margin.

This experiment replaces existing faults. Import a scenario JSON to combine fault windows.

BASELINE VS. EXPERIMENT

Change one thing. See the consequence.

The baseline uses the current mission configuration with all faults removed. Both runs use identical models and schedules.

No faults injected · baseline active
Whole-run metricBaselineExperiment
Minimum SOC80.00 %80.00 %
Final SOC91.81 %91.81 %
Energy margin79.99 Wh79.99 Wh
Below reserve0.00 min0.00 min
Minimum voltage7.92 V7.92 V
Safe-mode entries00
Unmet energy0.00 Wh0.00 Wh
PHYSICAL TRUTH80.0%Authoritative simulated SOC
OBSERVED TELEMETRY80.0%Reading at selected time
DETECTOR STATUSNo threshold alertThreshold-based teaching detector

Fault injection is not proof of detection. The SOC discrepancy detector uses simulated truth; real detection requires independent measurements.

GO BEYOND A SINGLE RUN

How sensitive is your mission?

Sample battery capacity, solar output, total subsystem load and resistance independently from uniform ± ranges. Seeded trials run in a worker. Bounds are clipped to the scenario limits; temperature and faults stay fixed.

A trial succeeds when all activities complete with no unmet load or undervoltage. This is a simulated probability under stated assumptions.

Verification, model assumptions & limitations

Check the evidence

Verification checks that code implements its equations correctly. Validation checks whether those equations represent the intended physical system.

  • Compare orbital period and constant-power battery cases with hand calculations.
  • Close the energy balance: initial stored + generated − served load − rejected energy − losses − capacity-fault removal − final stored ≈ 0.
  • Inspect event timestamps, activity outcomes and changes at different time steps.
  • Reproduce the exported scenario with the same random seed.
Simulation results are not flight evidence.

No physical test article or measured mission data calibrates this prototype. It cannot demonstrate flight readiness, qualification or battery safety.

Model assumptions

  • Circular two-body orbit: Earth mean radius 6371 km; gravitational parameter 398600.4418 km³/s². Inclination is descriptive in duration mode.
  • Each orbit begins in sunlight; eclipse is a configurable interval at the end. No seasonal geometry, attitude dynamics or perturbations.
  • Battery energy in Wh; power in W; time in seconds. Positive battery power/current means discharge. Efficiency losses are included.
  • OCV is an illustrative editable pack lookup. Current = requested battery power / OCV; voltage sag and I²R temperature are diagnostic approximations, not a coupled electrical solver.
  • Constant capacity except timed fault windows. Capacity loss removes excess stored energy explicitly; recovery never creates energy.
  • SOC bias affects onboard decisions. Telemetry dropout affects ground observations only. Bias detection uses truth as a teaching oracle, unavailable to real operators.
  • A deferred activity is skipped, not rescheduled. Mission completion requires every activity completed, no unmet load and no undervoltage interval.
  • Lumped thermal model is uncalibrated; no radiation, electrochemistry, battery safety prediction, SOH or RUL estimate.
WORKBOOK & SCENARIO TEMPLATES

Record your prediction. Explain the result.

Print the same lessons and project checklist, save a scenario or keep local experiment notes. Use the browser print dialog to save a PDF.

THE CUBETWIN FIELD NOTES

Build understanding.
Keep the evidence.

A printable companion to the same lessons, equations and 12-week project. Capture your predictions before you run, then explain what changed.

Eight experiments to make it yours

  1. Calculate the period of the 500 km reference orbit and repeat at 600 km.
  2. Calculate battery energy used during a 35-minute eclipse at 8 W, including 95% discharge efficiency.
  3. Compare the baseline with a 35% solar degradation fault. Explain the change in minimum SOC.
  4. Move the downlink activity into a sunlight interval. Record whether the activity completes.
  5. Trigger safe mode. Record entry, recovery threshold, dwell time and exit.
  6. Compare true SOC and observed SOC with a +15 percentage-point sensor bias.
  7. Run 50 Monte Carlo trials twice with the same seed. Explain reproducibility and uncertainty.
  8. Write a conclusion: assumptions, analytical verification, limitations and next experiment.
Record your observations here.

Notes stay in this browser. No account or upload is needed.

THE LANGUAGE OF YOUR MISSION

Big ideas. Plain language.

A searchable field guide to spacecraft, energy and simulation.

97 of 97 terms

Spacecraft
A vehicle or engineered system designed to operate in space. A satellite is one type of spacecraft.
Launch vehicle
The rocket that carries a spacecraft from Earth toward its deployment orbit.
Satellite
An object orbiting another body. In this guide it means an artificial spacecraft orbiting Earth.
CubeSat
A small satellite built around standardized unit sizes and dispenser interfaces.
1U
One CubeSat unit, approximately a 10 cm cube under the current CubeSat design specification; larger formats combine units.
3U CubeSat
A CubeSat roughly three units long, providing more volume than a 1U spacecraft.
Spacecraft bus
The supporting platform—power, computing, communications, structure, thermal and attitude control—that enables the payload.
Payload
The instrument or experiment that performs the mission's main purpose.
Mission
The complete objective and lifecycle of the spacecraft, including design, testing, launch and operations.
LEO (Low Earth Orbit)
An orbit relatively close to Earth, commonly used by CubeSats.
Altitude
Height above a reference Earth surface.
Orbit
The curved path followed by a spacecraft under gravity.
Orbital period
Time required to complete one orbit.
Inclination
Angle between the orbital plane and Earth's equatorial plane.
Orbit plane
The geometric plane containing the spacecraft's idealized orbit.
Ephemeris
Time-tagged information describing where a celestial body or spacecraft is expected to be.
Perturbation
A force/effect that makes a real orbit differ from an ideal two-body orbit.
Eclipse
Interval when Earth or another body blocks direct sunlight from the spacecraft.
Sun vector
Direction from the spacecraft/reference frame toward the Sun.
Attitude
Orientation of a spacecraft in space; it is different from altitude.
Reference frame
Coordinate system used to describe position, velocity or attitude.
Ground station
Earth-based equipment that communicates with the spacecraft.
Pass
Period when the spacecraft is visible to a ground station and communication may be possible.
Telemetry
Measurements and status data transmitted from the spacecraft.
Telecommand
Instruction transmitted from the ground to the spacecraft.
EPS (Electrical Power System)
Subsystem responsible for electrical generation, storage, control and distribution.
PMAD
Power Management and Distribution; circuits that condition, control and deliver electrical power.
OBC
On-Board Computer; runs flight software and coordinates spacecraft functions.
C&DH
Command and Data Handling; receives commands, handles data and supports onboard processing/storage.
ADCS
Attitude Determination and Control System; estimates and controls orientation.
TT&C
Telemetry, Tracking and Command; communication functions used to monitor and operate the spacecraft.
Thermal control
Methods used to keep spacecraft components within required temperature ranges.
Reaction wheel
Motor-driven wheel that changes spacecraft attitude through angular momentum exchange.
Magnetorquer
Electromagnetic actuator that interacts with Earth's magnetic field to create control torque.
Safe mode
Predefined low-risk state that protects essential functions after a serious anomaly or low-energy condition.
Redundancy
Extra hardware, software or paths intended to tolerate a failure.
FDIR
Fault Detection, Isolation and Recovery; identify an abnormal condition, locate likely cause and perform/advise a bounded response.
Voltage (V)
Electrical potential difference that helps drive current.
Current (A)
Rate of electric-charge flow.
Power (W)
Instantaneous rate of energy use or generation; P=VI in a simple DC case.
Energy (Wh)
Power accumulated over time; 10 W for 2 hours is 20 Wh.
Power budget
Table comparing expected generation and consumption in each mode.
Energy budget
Calculation of generated and consumed energy over a period such as one orbit.
Solar cell
Semiconductor device converting light into electricity.
Solar array
Connected solar cells/panels that generate spacecraft power.
Incidence angle
Angle between incoming sunlight and the solar-panel normal.
Derating
Intentionally reducing ideal performance to account for real losses, aging, temperature and uncertainty.
BOL
Beginning of Life; performance near the start of the mission.
EOL
End of Life; expected performance near mission end after degradation.
Battery cell
Smallest electrochemical unit in a battery.
Battery pack
Connected cells plus protection, structure, sensing and often management electronics.
Li-ion
Lithium-ion rechargeable battery chemistry family widely used where high energy density is valuable.
BMS
Battery Management System; electronics/software that monitor and protect a battery within its design limits.
Capacity (Ah)
Amount of electric charge a battery can deliver under specified conditions.
Energy capacity (Wh)
Approximate stored electrical energy; depends on voltage and charge capacity.
SOC (State of Charge)
Estimated percentage of presently available battery charge/energy.
DoD (Depth of Discharge)
Percentage of capacity removed; approximately 100% minus SOC under the simplified definition.
SOH (State of Health)
Estimate of present battery capability relative to a defined new/reference condition.
RUL (Remaining Useful Life)
Estimate of time or cycles before a defined end-of-use criterion; highly dependent on data and assumptions.
OCV (Open-Circuit Voltage)
Battery voltage measured/estimated without load after suitable rest conditions.
Internal resistance
Effective opposition inside the battery that creates voltage drop and heat under current.
Voltage sag
Temporary terminal-voltage reduction when load current rises.
Charge efficiency
Fraction of charging energy stored by the battery in the model.
Discharge efficiency
Fraction accounting for energy lost while delivering power.
C-rate
Charge/discharge current normalized to battery capacity; 1C nominally corresponds to using rated capacity in about one hour under stated conditions.
Energy throughput
Total charged and discharged energy accumulated over time.
Equivalent Full Cycle (EFC)
Partial cycles combined into the energy equivalent of one full charge-discharge cycle.
Capacity fade
Reduction in available battery capacity with aging/use.
Thermal runaway
Dangerous self-heating condition in which heat-generating reactions accelerate; CubeTwin does not predict or certify this phenomenon.
Model
Mathematical/software representation of selected real-world behaviour.
Simulation
Running a model over time under defined inputs and assumptions.
Digital twin
A digital representation connected to the state/history of a particular physical system. CubeTwin begins as a physics-based digital-twin simulation; it becomes a calibrated twin only when linked to traceable data from a specific test article or spacecraft.
Time step
Simulated time between numerical updates.
State variable
Quantity carried from one time step to the next, such as SOC or temperature.
Boundary condition
Defined environmental or interface condition used by a model.
Scenario
Complete set of mission inputs, schedule, faults and duration.
Fault
Defined defect or abnormal condition that may cause an undesired effect.
Anomaly
Observed behaviour that differs from expectation; it does not automatically prove the root cause.
Failure
Inability to perform a required function within specified limits.
Fault injection
Deliberately adding a simulated fault to test detection and response.
Ground truth
Hidden, authoritative simulated physical state used to assess an observer/detector.
Threshold
Value that triggers a status, warning or action.
Hysteresis
Different entry and exit thresholds used to prevent rapid toggling.
Energy margin
Energy remaining beyond what is required for the planned activity/reserve.
Brownout
Voltage/power condition too low for correct operation of one or more loads.
Reliability
Probability or ability to perform required functions for a stated time under stated conditions.
Monte Carlo simulation
Repeated runs with sampled uncertain inputs to explore a distribution of outcomes.
Seed
Starting value that makes pseudo-random simulations reproducible.
Verification
Evidence that the software/model was implemented according to its stated requirements—“built correctly.”
Validation
Evidence that the model is appropriate for the intended use—“the right model for this purpose.”
Calibration
Adjusting model parameters using traceable observed/test data.
Uncertainty
Quantified lack of exact knowledge about inputs or model behaviour.
Tolerance
Allowed difference between expected and calculated results.
Digital thread
Traceable connection among requirements, parameters, models, tests, data and decisions.
HIL (Hardware-in-the-Loop)
Test setup where real hardware interacts with a simulated environment/system.
TRL (Technology Readiness Level)
Scale used to describe technology maturity; do not assign a TRL without criteria and evidence.
HUMS
Health and Usage Monitoring System; observes condition and usage to support diagnostics, prognostics and maintenance.
BEGINNER QUESTIONS

Answers before your next experiment.

Key definitions and model boundaries, explained plainly.

What is CubeTwin?

CubeTwin is an educational CubeSat electrical-energy simulator and 12-week learning portal. It uses transparent models and simulated data to connect orbit, sunlight, battery behaviour, mission activities and power faults.

How does a CubeSat battery survive eclipse?

During sunlight, the solar array supplies spacecraft loads and charges the battery. In eclipse, the battery supplies those loads. Teams size the energy store, account for conversion losses, protect a reserve and schedule demanding activities around available energy.

What is a CubeSat electrical power system?

The Electrical Power System (EPS) generates, stores, manages and distributes electrical power. It includes solar generation, batteries and power management and distribution (PMAD) electronics.

Do I need aerospace or coding experience?

No. Start with the bundled 3U LEO Beginner Mission, run the simulation and follow the plain-language lessons. The 12-week guide introduces the science, hand calculations, software and verification in stages.

Is CubeTwin connected to a real spacecraft?

No. All data is simulated in your browser. CubeTwin is not flight software, live telemetry, certified analysis or a validated operational digital twin. Calibration against a specific physical test article is future work.

What does the Monte Carlo probability mean?

It is the fraction of seeded simulated trials completing all activities without unmet load or undervoltage under the selected uniform input uncertainty. The confidence interval describes sampling uncertainty. Neither value is a prediction of real spacecraft reliability.

Can I save my work and use the workbook offline?

Export the complete scenario or run as JSON, export telemetry as CSV, or use Print the Workbook and choose Save as PDF. Workbook notes and weekly progress are stored only in this browser when local storage is available. Downloads can be used offline; the portal is not an offline application.

Who is responsible for CubeTwin?

CubeTwin is an EV Society™ education and research initiative hosted on EV.ENGINEER™. Commercial engineering is handled separately by iTelematics Software Private Limited under explicit agreements. UFlight™ is referenced for the broader aerospace HUMS ecosystem.

REFERENCES & LEARNING RESOURCES

Go straight to the source.

Authoritative starting points for your reading and future model comparisons. Record the document revision used in your report.

Content last reviewed: · Initial Draft v0.01 · Scenario schema 1.0. Applicable launch-provider requirements supersede preliminary interface guidance.

PROJECT OWNERSHIP & RESPONSIBILITIES

Clear roles. An educational purpose.

CubeTwin is an EV Society™ education and research initiative hosted on EV.ENGINEER™.

COMMERCIAL ENQUIRIES

iTelematics

Commercial engineering products, implementation services and customer engagements, where applicable, are handled separately by iTelematics Software Private Limited under explicit agreements.

iTelematics
RELATED ECOSYSTEM

UFlight™

UFlight™ is referenced within the broader ecosystem for Health and Usage Monitoring Systems related to aerospace and autonomous platforms.

UFlight

Educational R&D prototype · Simulated data · Not flight software.

These references do not imply a partnership, endorsement, certification, ISRO affiliation or government approval.