Apply to Our Team!
Thanks for your interest in joining the Cal Poly CubeSat Lab! No experience is required to apply, the only requirement is that you are a current student at Cal Poly SLO!
Keep scrolling for a description of the work done by our different discipline teams.
Applications for the Spring of 2024 have now closed for all teams. If you are interested in any of our other teams, please check back in Fall 2024. If you have any questions, feel free to email us at polysat@calpoly.edu.
Please check out the FAQs to learn more about the application process.
Assembly, Integration, Test
What we do:
Integration and test procedure authoring
Thermal vacuum (TVAC) and Vibration testing
Assembly & integration in cleanroom
Technologies used:
MATLAB, Python
Facilities: TVAC, cleanroom, vibration tables
Systems & Analysis
What we do:
Orbit simulations
Space environments analysis
Requirements development, systems engineering
Technologies used:
MATLAB, Python
Ground Station & Operations
What we do:
Spaceflight operations
Ground segment maintenance
Technologies used:
MATLAB, Python, linux terminal for gs ops
Facilities: Roof of ATL, roof of Engineering IV
Software defined radio
Avionics Team
What we do:
Integrate and test flight hardware
Design custom hardware solutions for Cubesat bus and payload integration
Design various PCBs for external aerospace projects (e.g. Propulsion Power Production Unit, Educational Satellite Simulator)
Technologies used:
ECAD software such as Altium
Electrical test tools such as oscilloscopes, digital signal analyzers, spectrum analyzers, etc.
Fabrication equipment such as soldering irons, reflow ovens, solder paste, etc.
Embedded Linux compatible hardware
Microcontroller hardware
Structures & Mechanisms Team
What we do:
Design structures and mechanisms for CubeSats
Prototype with additive manufacturing
Manufacture structures in house
Technologies used:
Solidworks for the most part
Additive manufacturing - 3D printers
Subtractive manufacturing - CNC mill
Software Team
What we do:
Write and test satellite flight software using C
Integrate to embedded Linux systems and microcontroller environments
Provide software support other projects and teams like ADCS (Attitude Determination and Control System)
Maintain a semi-autonomous groundstation network to communicate with satellites and gather data
Technologies used:
Mostly C! some Python, database, and web development
Note: expected coding experience depends on college classes taken/year in school