The biggest limitation for virtually every satellite is its mass. If the satellite is too heavy the rocket will not be able to take it into orbit. UoS3 will be less than 1.33 kg, so this isn’t a problem. But we still need to comply with CubeSat requirements and keep the mass below the mentioned limit.
In our particular case the mass limit is slightly higher so we don’t need to be so careful. This is because we’ll most likely end up launching our satellite from the International Space Station with NanoRacks, and their maximum launch mass is over 2 kg. But still we check that all the components are as heavy as we think they are as we progress in the design process to make sure our estimates are realistic and that the finished CubeSat will not be too heavy for launch.
First thing to go on the scales was a prototype of the on-board computer.
Verifying the estimated mass of one of the prototypes of the on-board computer.
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