Building Engineers: A 15-Year Case Study in CubeSat Education

The University of Illinois’ NanoSatellite Design Course is in its 30th semester of instruction. Since 2001, this pioneering course has strived to use CubeSats as a vehicle for education. During its run, it has provided hundreds of students with hands-on satellite design experience. During the 15 years of operation, the course has undergone a constant metamorphosis. Between incorporating new instructional elements, adapting to new curriculum requirements, and striving towards new mission goals, the course evolved through several incarnations all the while keeping a constant focus on using CubeSats as an educational tool for young engineers. The NanoSatellite Design Course at the University of Illinois is a oneor two-semester, multi-disciplinary course in the College of Engineering. The course consists of two one-hour sessions per week: one special topic lecture discussing technologies or processes vital to CubeSat design and testing, and one systems meeting for students to discuss their weekly project progress. Outside of the classroom, the students engage in team-based projects to advance the University of Illinois’ CubeSat missions which currently include the Illinois CubeSail and the LAICE spacecraft – both missions are manifested for 2017 launches. The students are periodically assessed on their project work through preliminary design reviews, technology demonstrations, and final design reviews. The largest graded component of the course consists of the thorough documentation of their projects in engineering documents (life cycle documents, operator’s manuals, testing protocols, etc.). From an instructional perspective, the course straddles the lines between a systems design course and a senior design level project lab, allowing it to serve a variety of functions within the University curriculum. In this paper, we will present the evolution of this course highlighting the multitude of lessons learned throughout the 15 years of its operation. We identify the variety of tools needed for managing student projects over multiple semesters and even over decades; weighing the value of lecture based and lab based content in student instruction; and examining the how to meld course projects into mission timelines. We will also introduce the two new courses we are currently developing which serve to further educate students through engagement via small satellite research. Our ultimate goal is to present a roadmap to be applied at other universities for the creation and continued execution of curricula that use CubeSats as an instructional tool.