Apollo Orbitals · Platform datasheet · draft · apolloorbitals.example/en/platform

What resources your payload gets

We only publish as fixed values what a standard has frozen; everything else stays marked [PENDING] until the ICD is released. We would rather leave a gap than give you a figure you later have to correct in your design.

Diagram The top third is yours: 1/3 U of payload over the bus.

CubeSat 1U

1/3 U of payload

Payload in the top third on a 2/3 U bus with body-mounted cells. Entry format.

Nominal envelope: 100 × 100 × 37.8 mm
Customers per satellite: One

Diagram The top unit is yours: 1U of payload over a 2U bus.

CubeSat 3U

1U of payload

1U of payload on a 2U bus with deployable panels, for larger or higher-power DUTs.

Envelope: 100 × 100 × 113.5 mm
Customers per satellite: One

Parameter	1U · 1/3 U	3U · 1U	Note
Payload envelope	100 × 100 × 37.8 mm nominal · 1/3 U	100 × 100 × 113.5 mm	External dimensions per the CubeSat Design Specification (1U = 100 × 100 × 113.5 mm); the 1U format's payload takes a third of that height. Each format's usable internal volume, net of rails, structure and connector, is set in the ICD.
Maximum payload mass	[PENDING]	[PENDING]	Limited by each format's mass budget and by the assigned launch dispenser.
Bus voltage	[PENDING]	[PENDING]	Regulated and unregulated lines available; the number of switched lines is defined in the ICD.
Orbit-average power	[PENDING]	[PENDING]	Averaged over the whole orbit, eclipse included. Depends on the final orbit, the pointing profile and the format: the 1U only has body-mounted cells, the 3U adds deployable panels.
Peak power and duty cycle	[PENDING]	[PENDING]	High-consumption tests are scheduled against the battery state of charge.
Data interfaces	[PENDING]	[PENDING]	Candidates under evaluation: I²C, SPI, UART/RS-422, CAN. We will confirm which are exposed to the payload and at what speed.
Interface connector	[PENDING]	[PENDING]	PC/104 is the usual convention on CubeSats; the exact part number and each format's pinout are published with the ICD.
On-board storage	[PENDING]	[PENDING]	Reserved for the payload, to hold what is measured while there is no link with the relay network.
Data link	Via satellites · [PENDING]	Via satellites · [PENDING]	No ground station of our own: data leaves over a link with relay satellites. Provider, network orbit, band and bit rate are still to be closed.
Data volume per day	[PENDING]	[PENDING]	A function of the time with a link to the relay network and of its effective rate.
Orbit	LEO · [PENDING]	LEO · [PENDING]	Altitude and inclination are set by the contracted rideshare. Sun-synchronous orbit likely, not guaranteed until the manifest.
Mission duration	[PENDING]	[PENDING]	Nominal payload test campaign. Total orbital lifetime is bounded by the applicable deorbit requirements.
Thermal interface	[PENDING]	[PENDING]	Temperature range at the interface and per-orbit cycling amplitude; the payload must tolerate the full range without active control of its own.
Total ionising dose	[PENDING]	[PENDING]	Estimate behind the structure's shielding, for the final orbit and duration. The model used is delivered with the data.
Platform telemetry	Included	Included	Voltage and current on the payload lines, temperatures, attitude, position and timestamp, synchronised with your measurements.

payload_interface.yaml

# Interface summary — draft
# Final values come from the ICD

formats:
  1U:  { payload: 1/3 U, envelope_mm: [100, 100, 37.8] }  # nominal
  3U:  { payload: 1 U, envelope_mm: [100, 100, 113.5] }

mechanical:  # per format
  mass_max_g:   PENDING
  connector:    PENDING  # PC/104

power:
  bus_v:        PENDING
  avg_w:        PENDING
  peak_w:       PENDING
  duty_cycle:   PENDING

data:
  buses:        PENDING
  storage_mb:   PENDING
  relay_link:   PENDING  # satellites, no station

environment:
  orbit:        LEO
  altitude_km:  PENDING
  temp_range_c: PENDING
  tid_krad:     PENDING

telemetry:
  included:     true
  channels:     [v, i, temp, adcs, gnss, t]

Fig. 2 — The two formats, at the same scale. Dimensions per the CubeSat Design Specification (1U = 100 × 100 × 113.5 mm); the 1U's payload is a third of that height, 37.8 mm nominal. Each format's usable internal volume and rail envelope are set in the ICD.

Fig. 3 — Data path. No ground station of our own and no waiting to fly over one: the CubeSat sends its data to relay satellites, which bring it to the ground over their operator's network. Provider, network orbit and rate: [PENDING]. Until then, what shapes your test is how much data it generates per day and how much it has to store on board while there is no link.

If your component is close to any of these limits, write to us before redesigning anything: in several cases the split of resources between platform and payload can still be adjusted. To see where yours lands, run its profile through the sizing calculator.

Formats

1/3 U of payload

1U of payload