Shape Memory Alloy Deployable Device For CubeSat Satellite

The purpose of this project was to design and create a release mechanism for a cubesat satellite with the use of shape memory alloys. The goal of the project was to design and create a lightweight, reliable, and simple release mechanism to deploy stowed solar arrays attached to the exterior of a Cubesat satellite. The design and creation of this mechanism is intended to further USM’s goal of creating and launching a Cubesat satellite into low orbit to expand the university into space exploration. The Cubesat project was created by the California Polytechnic State University and Stanford University’s Space Systems Development Lab in hopes of creating a platform that made space exploration more accessible to universities and their students. Other Cubesat groups have used various other release mechanism designs, some of which used shape memory alloys, with varying degrees of success. This project is USM’s first foray into the Cubesat field, with other related projects taking place at the time of this project. The challenge of this project was designing a simple and reliable linear actuator using SMA’s that meet NASA’s Cubesat dimension standards. The end product is a simple, effective, and reliable release mechanism capable of being reset for ground testing