Lab
Form factor comparator
Put three sizes side by side: volume, mass, mean projected area, orbit-average power, ballistic parameter, thermal time constant and lifetime from an altitude you choose.
1P
1U
3U
Lab
Lab
Engineering tools that run in your browser and send nothing to a server. They use the same code as the tables in the encyclopedia and the articles.
FEATURED WORKBENCH
Launch Mission WizardEnd-to-End Mission Feasibility Wizard & PDR Exporter
Coupled preliminary sizing across orbit, solar power, Li-ion battery ageing, UHF link closure, ground pass volume, FCC 5-year deorbit compliance, and PDR/LaTeX/CAD export.
Lab
Mission index
143 missions, including the full 2013–2025 PocketQube census: launch, route to orbit, outcome, form factor and sourced status.
20032026
- Active
- 14
- In orbit, inactive
- 4
- Completed
- 7
- Re-entered
- 71
- Lost
- 8
- Not verified
- 39
Lab
Link budget calculator
UHF and S-band downlink margin against elevation for any EIRP, data rate and ground station, with standard 1P and flight mission presets.
Reference 1P UHF (22 dBm, 9.6 kbit/s, 30° elevation)
- 4800 Bd
- +3.1 dB
- 9600 Bd
- +0.1 dB
Lab
Orbital lifetime calculator
Decay of a circular orbit with the Kennewell density model and the solar activity you set, with the five- and 25-year limits.
Fully loaded 1P, moderate solar activity
450 km
0.64 years
500 km
1.70 years
550 km
4.26 years
Subsystem, Orbital & Telemetry Engineering Workbench (13 Tools)
tracker
Orbit Tracker (CelesTrak GP)
SGP4 ground track, visibility footprint, topocentric look angles, and CelesTrak GP OMM ephemeris propagation for PocketQube and CubeSat missions.
heritage
Flight Heritage Telemetry Overlay & Interactive Signal Museum
Compare observed in-orbit decay against Solar Cycle 25 models, synthesize CW/FSK/GMSK/LoRa baseband waveforms, and export .WAV samples.
cad
Parametric 1P–3P CAD (.DXF / .STEP) & KiCad PCB Generator
Generate PocketQube Standard Issue 1 compliant 1.6 mm sliding backplate drawings, 3D STEP envelopes, and 42×42 mm KiCad Edge.Cuts boards.
submit
Community Mission Registry & Zenodo Metadata Builder
Validate and submit new or updated miniature satellite mission records to the nadir lab. open index.
power-budget
Orbital Power & Battery Cycle-Life Simulator
Calculate sunlit solar generation, eclipse battery Depth-of-Discharge (DoD), and multi-year Li-ion capacity retention.
thermal
Single-Node Orbital Thermal & Solder Fatigue Simulator
Integrate orbital temperature swings across sunlit and eclipse phases and estimate Engelmaier solder-joint fatigue cycles.
rf
LoRa / FSK Modulation & Doppler Shift Analyzer
Compare LoRa spreading factors (SF7–SF12), sensitivity, 32-byte time-on-air, and LEO horizon Doppler shift limits.
propulsion
Propulsion Δv & Deorbit Perigee Calculator
Compute Tsiolkovsky rocket Δv, Hohmann perigee-lowering requirements, and annual atmospheric drag make-up.
data-budget
On-Board Data Storage & Downlink Throughput Budget
Balance housekeeping telemetry, payload data generation, AX.25/FEC protocol overhead, and FRAM/flash ring-buffer autonomy.
pass-predictor
Ground-Station Pass & S-Curve Doppler Predictor
Evaluate daily pass count, contact minutes, and real-time 437 MHz Doppler S-curves for any ground station latitude.
pmac
Passive Magnetic Attitude Control (PMAC) Sizer
Size permanent bar magnets and soft-magnetic hysteresis rods for PocketQube alignment and despin time.
bdot
Active B-Dot Magnetorquer Detumbling Simulator
Simulate 3-axis angular velocity decay under PCB magnetorquer B-dot control from tip-off to capture.
mass-budget
Subsystem Mass Budget & Principal Inertia Calculator
Track Current Best Estimate (CBE) subsystem masses, ECSS 12% system margin, deployer reserve, and principal moments of inertia.
cansat
CanSat & Model Satellite Descent, Altimeter & Telemetry Workbench
Size single/two-stage parachutes, Knacke-Pflanz opening shock loads, MEMS barometric apogee filters, RF CSV telemetry links, launch-rail batteries, and NiCr burn-wire release mechanisms.
One set of models
Every tool calls the physics modules behind the site: the Kennewell density model and drag decay of the PocketQube review, Eq. 1 for body-mounted power, Eq. 2 for the thermal time constant and the Table 7 link budget. Results are first-order estimates for comparison and early sizing, not mission analysis.