Aerodynamics of CubeSat Geometries in High-Speed Flow

Abstract

CubeSats are a popular form of miniature spacecraft capable of quality science experiments, so it was of interest to study their behavior in high-speed flow. The aerodynamic coefficients of CubeSat geometries were studied in a hypersonic wind tunnel located at the University of Maryland using free-flight techniques. A high-speed visualization device was used to capture the body’s motion during the testing period. Combining a function for the cube outline with a pixel edge tracking routine allowed for the calculation of the aerodynamic coefficients. It was observed that the three rotation angles had a significant impact on the aerodynamic properties.