This paper reviews the current status of space engineering education in Japan especially centered on micro satellites. Hands-on training using micro satellites provides unique opportunity of space education to university level students, by giving them a chance to experience the whole space project cycle from mission creation, satellite design, fabrication, test, launch, operation till analysis of the results. Project management and team working are other important skills that can be trained in these projects. Micro satellites are not only useful for education but also are promising as a new player in space development or space business. The importance of micro satellites as a tool for space engineering education will be discussed first, followed by the description of its importance as a new player in space development. Then the history of the related activities in Japan will be reviewed, starting with Satellite Design Contest to current real satellite projects. Finally, the future vision will be discussed.

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We have participated in the ARLISS (A Rocket Launch International Student Satellite) project since 1999 to design, manufacture and operate small satellites. These satellites called CanSat are the size of soft drink can (350ml). We launched five CanSats on the Black Rock desert in Nevada, U.S, to 12,000ft using amateur rocket, and dropped them with parachutes in July 2000. During their dropping, we operated these CanSats and tested their functions. Furthermore, we conducted additional experiments in Taiki town, Hokkaido, Japan using a balloon to check functions that didn't work well in ARLISS experiment. In this paper, we describe the mission, subsystem design and results of. the experiments on each CanSat, and report the results of the additional balloon experiments.

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We have investigated the feasibility to build a small satellite in the 3kg mass range and in the power range less than 10W since October in 1998, as a research program of mission demonstration satellite (MDS) sponsored by National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA). This small satellite installs three reaction wheels for an attitude control and camera which will demonstrate optical navigation experiment by using image processing. The components such as a small reaction wheel, and onboard computer (OBC) were developed. Radiation test for the OBC was conducted. Attitude control experiment was successfully demonstrated under the microgravity field. The breadboard model of the nanosatellite was fabricated and its feasibility was confirmed in 2000.

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The statistics of estimated errors when conducting the orbit determination of a tethered satellite system (TSS) by only using Doppler frequencies is shown. TSS consists of two satellites connected each other by a tether. The center of mass (CM) moves like a single satellite, so this system can be utilized also for a single satellite case as well as for TSS. This is considered as a low-cost orbit determination system because it can be realized with simple instruments, This kind of low-cost ground station will charm institutions that are developing a micro satellite in a small budget. The result will provide a useful reference in constructing a ground station for the orbit determination by only Doppler frequencies.

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This paper describes outline of the University of Tokyo Intelligent Space Systems Laboratory(ISSL)’s CubeSat “XI” for the demonstration of the pico-satellite bus technology and validation of the commercial-off-the-shelf parts in space as well as the earth imaging mission. CubeSat project is the international joint program, which aims for developing and actually launching 10cm cubic satellites weighing less than 1kg to the earth’s orbit. 18 CubeSats developed by Japanese and U.S. institutes are to be launched by the Russian launch vehicle “Dnepr” in Nowember 2002 to the Sun-synchronized orbit. The project in ISSL is conducted by 20 space engineering students as a material of education.

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