Payloads

Also known as Payload, Mission payload, Instrument

What small satellites carry: radios and spectrum monitors, cameras, laser-ranging reflectors, sensors, propulsion and materials experiments. In a PocketQube the payload competes for a few square boards, a fraction of half a watt and a downlink of kilobytes per pass.

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SQ-SS-008
Updated
20 Oct 2026
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5 min
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Definition#

The payload is the reason a spacecraft flies; everything else is the bus that keeps it alive. In small satellites the line between the two is often blurred: on an amateur-radio PocketQube the radio is both the communication subsystem and the service the mission provides, and on a technology demonstrator the "payload" may be a new attitude sensor or a new board stack.

What PocketQubes have carried#

Technology demonstration dominates the PocketQube population, often combined with amateur-radio services or education[1]. Within that envelope the class has flown a surprising range of payloads[2]:

PayloadMissionWhat it showed
Spectrum analyzer mapping man-made emissions, including the DVB-T bandSMOG-P, SMOG-1 (BME)A 1P can survey radio pollution from orbit
LoRa and RTTY transmittersFossaSat-1Low-power IoT links from a 1P
Cube-corner reflectors for satellite laser rangingSTECCO (6P)Precise orbit determination of a PocketQube
Camera, about 24 m ground sampling distanceUnicorn-2 series (3P)Earth imaging with three-axis control
LEDs visible to ground telescopes; low-resolution cameraSATLLA-2 (2P)Educational outreach with secondary-school students
Digipeater and openly decodable telemetryGrizu-263A (1P)An amateur-radio service from a 237 g spacecraft
Thermal-insulation material experimentATL-1 (2P)A PocketQube as a materials test bed
Visible-light link to a hosted ChipSatPOQUITO (1P)PocketQube-to-ChipSat optical communication
Miniature pulsed-plasma thrusterGENESIS series (1.5P)Intended demonstration, lost in both Firefly Alpha anomalies

Open payload designs#

Open hardware has lowered the entry barrier. The IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society Open PocketQube Kit, developed at the UPC NanoSat Lab, provides a complete 1P design with power, computer, communications and boards, together with example payloads such as a VGA camera and L- and K-band radio-frequency-interference monitors[3].

References

  1. [1]nadir lab. (2026). PocketQube picosatellites: A review of standards, mission trends and miniaturization constraints, with lessons learned from Grizu-263A, Türkiye’s first PocketQube [Preprint]. nadir lab.Read on nadir lab.
  2. [2]Franzese, V. (2025). PocketQube picosatellites: survey of missions and technologies. CEAS Space Journal, 17, 1007–1018.doi:10.1007/s12567-025-00603-0
  3. [3]UPC NanoSat Lab. (n.d.). IEEE Open PocketQube Kit.nanosatlab.upc.edu(accessed 20 October 2026)
  4. [4]eoPortal. (n.d.). Alba Orbital Unicorn PocketQubes. ESA eoPortal satellite missions database.eoportal.org(accessed 20 October 2026)
  5. [5]Bouwmeester, J., Radu, S., Uludag, M. S., Chronas, N., Speretta, S., Menicucci, A., & Gill, E. K. A. (2020). Utility and constraints of PocketQubes. CEAS Space Journal, 12(4), 573–586.doi:10.1007/s12567-020-00300-0
  6. [6]nadir lab. (2026). Materials engineering for PocketQube picosatellites: A scaling-based review and design guide [Preprint]. nadir lab.Read on nadir lab.
  7. [7]Franzese, V., Kanavouras, K., Bruce Rosete, C., Gouvalas, S., Sajjad, N., Alandihallaj, M., Herasimenka, A., & Hein, A. (2025). System design of the POQUITO PocketQube mission. CEAS Space Journal.doi:10.1007/s12567-025-00624-9

Cite this SatWiki entry

@misc{nadirlab2026payloads,
  author       = {{nadir lab.}},
  title        = {{Payloads}},
  year         = {2026},
  month        = oct,
  howpublished = {nadir lab. SatWiki SQ-SS-008 (Rev. 1)},
  url          = {https://nadirlab.space/en/wiki/payloads/}
}