So far we can't send cubesats interplanetary - three issues - the need for delta v to escape Earth orbit (though that could also be supplied by the launch vehicle) - but even more so - to get into orbit around the planet for your target. Also, the need to be able to communicate back to Earth over interplanetary distances - and radiation hardening - they are beyond the protection of the Earth's magnetic field.
But we may be able to soon. Standard Cubesats would have no chance sadly. They'd be a bit more expensive to launch, somewhere I saw the estimate of 5 million dollars per interplanetary cube sat - but still - at a level where you could imagine a crowdfunding project getttng together the funding for an exciting mission.
See Planetary CubeSats Begin to Come of Age
But we may be able to soon. Standard Cubesats would have no chance sadly. They'd be a bit more expensive to launch, somewhere I saw the estimate of 5 million dollars per interplanetary cube sat - but still - at a level where you could imagine a crowdfunding project getttng together the funding for an exciting mission.
See Planetary CubeSats Begin to Come of Age
About the Author
Robert Walker
Writer of articles on Mars and Space issues - Software Developer of Tune Smithy, Bounce Metronome etc.Studied at Wolfson College, Oxford
Lives in Isle of Mull
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