Mechanisms for CubeSats and SmallSats

CubeSat mechanisms usually represent dedicated technical solutions and are often developed as mission-specific or product-specific developments. By contrast, other CubeSat systems are often available as off-the-shelf components. This difference reduces the availability and the possibility to integrate standard mechanisms across custom platforms. Despite this limitation, the increasing capabilities and ambitious goals of CubeSat missions are making mechanisms fundamental parts of current and future projects. In this chapter the state of the art and the future advancements of mechanisms for CubeSat are presented. First, the main design drivers for CubeSat mechanisms development are introduced; the most common mechanism applications and some potential future developments are then classified in function of three application fields: antennas deployment, solar array mechanisms, and other mechanisms.