Deployment Systems

This chapter introduces various nanosatellite deployment systems. Nanosatellites are generally designed and developed based on the CubeSat standard and usually launched using a picosatellite orbital deployer (POD), a special container originally called ‘poly picosatellite orbital deployer (P-POD). The deployment system provides a standard interface between a nanosatellite and a launch vehicle. The deployment system tasks are: to enclose safer environment of the nanosatellite, to protect the main payload and the rocket from possible damages, to act as an interface between the nanosatellite and the launch vehicle, and to deploy the satellites to the target orbit. The chapter discusses existing deployers and their properties. The deployers are P-POD, T-POD, XPOD separation system, ISIPOD CubeSat deployers, OuadPack ISIS deployer, JEM-small satellite orbital deployer, SPL/DPL/TPL, Tokyo tech separation system, and AxelShooter.