ADVANCING PLANETARY EXPLORATION WITH CUBESATS: CHALLENGES, INNOVATIONS, AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS

Abstract

CubeSats, initially developed for educational purposes in low-Earth orbit, have revolutionized planetary exploration by providing a cost-effective, agile, and scalable alternative to traditional largescale missions. Their standardized design, rapid development cycles, and ability to serve as secondary payloads have enabled ground-breaking deep-space missions, including NASA's MarCO, Lunar Flashlight, and BioSentinel, as well as international efforts by Roscosmos, ESA, JAXA, and China. These missions demonstrate CubeSats' versatility in planetary science, technology validation, and astrobiology. However, challenges such as limited payload capacity, radiation susceptibility, and propulsion constraints remain. Emerging solutions-including federated spacecraft systems, swarm architectures, and innovative propulsion technologies like solar sails-are expanding their potential. As CubeSat capabilities advance, they are poised to play an increasingly vital role in solar system exploration, offering new opportunities for distributed science, rapid innovation, and collaborative missions. This paper reviews the current state, challenges, and prospects of CubeSats in planetary research, highlighting their transformative impact on space exploration.