COTSAT Small Spacecraft Cost Optimization for Government and Commercial Use

Cost Optimized Test of Spacecraft Avionics and Technologies (COTSAT-1) is an ongoing spacecraft research and development project at NASA Ames Research Center (ARC). The prototype spacecraft, also known as CheapSat, is the first of what could potentially be a series of rapidly produced low-cost spacecraft. The COTSAT-1 team is committed to realizing the challenging goal of building a fully functional spacecraft for $500K parts and $2.0M labor. The project’s efforts have resulted in significant accomplishments within the scope of a limited budget and schedule. Completion and delivery of the flight hardware to the Engineering Directorate at NASA Ames occurred in February 2009 and a cost effective qualification program is currently under study. The COTSAT-1 spacecraft is now located at NASA Ames Research Center and is awaiting a cost effective launch opportunity. This paper highlights the advancements of the COTSAT-1 spacecraft cost reduction techniques.