Webinar #24
(Development and Operational Insights from the CURTIS CubeSat) Oct 10, 2024
industry partner
operations
curtis
Webinar #24 presentation (Development and Operational Insights from the CURTIS CubeSat) Oct 10, 2024
Speaker Information
Dr. José Rodrigo Córdova Alarcón (Kyutech)
José Rodrigo Córdova-Alarcón was born in Mexico City in August 1982.
He earned his B.Eng. and M.Eng. degrees from the National Autonomous University of Mexico
in 2008 and 2011, respectively, and completed his Ph.D. in space engineering at the
Kyushu Institute of Technology, Japan, in 2019.
During his studies, he interned at
the University of Stuttgart’s Institute of Space Systems in 2009, contributing to the
Flying Laptop microsatellite project.
From 2013 to 2015, Rodrigo worked as a researcher at the Center for Aerospace
Development at the National Polytechnic Institute (IPN), where he supported
various satellite projects. Since 2018, he has been a Postdoctoral Researcher at
Kyushu Institute of Technology’s Laboratory of Lean Satellite Enterprises and InOrbit Experiments, where he specializes in developing Attitude and Orbit Control
Systems (ADCS) for nanosatellites.
Rodrigo has played key roles in several satellite missions, including Aoba VELOX IV
(launched in 2019), KITSUNE (launched in 2022), CURTIS (launched in 2024), and
LEOPARD (to be launched by 2025). He is currently leading ADCS development for
the VERTECS satellite project and providing technical guidance on system
engineering.
His research interests include satellite attitude determination and
control, orbital dynamics, space systems engineering, and the development of
embedded systems for space applications.
Details
This presentation covers the development, integration, and early operations of the CURTIS (Compact
Utility Research and Technology Integration Satellite) project.
CURTIS is a 3U CubeSat developed by
Kyushu Institute of Technology in collaboration with Panasonic Holdings Corporation.
The satellite’s
BUS evolved from previous BIRDS projects and was designed for efficient subsystem integration,
featuring a slot-type structure to support mass production and simplify assembly. CURTIS carries three
payloads developed by Panasonic: a thermal experiment using surface-coated graphite for heat
management, an highly integrated onboard computer, power system and UHF transceiver (Panasonic
BUS), and an in-vehicle analog camera for Earth observation.
These payloads were integrated into the
Kyutech BUS, which also includes UHF and S-band communication systems.
The satellite uses the
Infostellar ground station network for S-band communication.
CURTIS was successfully launched from
the International Space Station’s Kibo module in April 2024.
This presentation will discuss the design,
development milestones, and operational results of CURTIS, highlighting the potential for streamlined
CubeSat development using the Kyutech BUS platform..
Keywords: International Collaboration, Project Management, Small Space Project, Teamwork