An Open-Source, Reconfigurable FlatSat Platform for CubeSat Verification: Design and Validation

Abstract

Verification and validation (V&V) campaigns for satellites commonly rely on FlatSat platforms to access critical electrical and communication interfaces before final integration. For CubeSats, an ideal platform should be compact and minimize reliance on external instrumentation. Existing solutions often rely on external instrumentation or on simple passive backplanes, whereas more integrated alternatives tend to be proprietary, closed-source, and costly. To address this gap, this article introduces an open-source FlatSat platform that combines bridge- and dock-type architectures, including a set of fully integrated features, such as embedded current and temperature sensors, hardware- and software-based fault injection, and a reconfigurable system-on-module (SoM) running a custom Linux distribution for flexibility and multimission adaptability. The platform was validated through practical, lab-based scenarios using representative CubeSat subsystems. These tests confirmed its ability to emulate missing subsystems, conduct on-orbit scenario simulations and emulations, and perform unified monitoring and logging of sensor and telemetry data without the need for external instrumentation; this establishes it as a practical and reusable solution for advanced V&V, particularly in academic settings. Design files, firmware, and software are publicly available to promote reproducibility and adaptation.