Open-source Framework for the Concurrent Design of CubeSats

In this paper, the open-source Nanospace framework is presented, dedicated to facilitate concurrent engineering during the preliminary design phase of CubeSats. It allows for direct information exchange between third-party expert software, while allowing transparent data visualization to any team member. It provides a web based GUI, and relies on a database with ACID properties and provides a RESTful API. Nanospace ensures concurrent access to the data, which is relevant when teams are working remotely. Nanospace also provides an intuitive way of visualizing other experts’ contributions that can be of high value when looking for internal project understanding and transparency. The paper presents the modular software architecture of Nanospace, as well as design choices and the different options to connect to third-party specialized software and the database.