EXCITE Spacecraft - Nanosats Database

Spacecraft	EXCITE (EXtended Cubesat for Innovative Technology Experiments)
Form factor	CubeSat
Units or mass	12U
Status	not launched, expected in 2027
Launcher	not launched
Entity name	University of Pisa
Institution	University
Entity	Academic / Education
Nation	Italy
Manufacturer	AIVT by ?
Operator	?
Oneliner	Validate in orbit several innovative technologies for small satellites.
Description	EXCITE will serve as a testbed for technologies from several domains of interest for future satellite platforms: on-board propulsion (chemical: monopropellant for orbital maneuvering and electric: pulsed plasma for fine and proximity control), management of intense heat fluxes in a limited volume with pulsating heat pipes, high-performance processing on COTS platform for IoT and VDES, and compact steerable beam microwave antennas. The mission is based on a custom CubeSat 12U platform: several critical high-performance subsystems (power generation, thermal control, structure, and deployable elements) will be entirely designed and manufactured by the EXCITE team. The mission is developed by a team that includes the University of Pisa as a leader and four Tuscan SMEs as industrial partners: Aerospazio Tecnologie, a small company in the Siena/Livorno area with a strong background in propulsion and testing; CRM Compositi, a Leghorn-based structural workshop specializing in composite materials; IngeniArs, a UniPi spin-off company dedicated to space electronics; and MBI, a Pisa-based company active in satellite telecommunications and networking. The consortium is an excellent example of a regional-scale initiative that leverages CubeSat technology for local development.
Sources	[1] [2] [3]
Photo sources	[1]

Last modified: 2024-12-19