CubeSat Missions From Communication Subsystem Perspective: A Review

Abstract

CubeSats are a class of miniaturized, cost-effective satellites that have recently become pivotal to the space sector. Their small size, lightweight design, coupled with the ability to communicate with each other and with ground stations to support various mission types from earth observation to deep space communication has advanced the space technology sector. Due to their growing popularity and significance, exploring and understanding the communication subsystems of CubeSats is essential for advancing their performance for various missions. To this end, this manuscript categorizes 1,523 CubeSat missions launched between 2017 and 2024 into 26 mission categories to systematically analyze their communication subsystems, including radios, antennas, modulation techniques, downlink frequencies, data rate, and power consumption. We present a comparative analysis based on key evaluation metrics such as data rate, frequency band, power consumption and antenna type, offering deeper insight into communication subsystem trade-offs. This study also introduces a practical flowchart to guide subsystem selection, supported by a UHF-band link budget example for telecommand operations. Emerging challenges such as cybersecurity risks, space debris mitigation, and regulatory compliance are also discussed, broadening the survey's applicability. This survey bridges existing gaps in literature and offers valuable reference for researchers, engineers and students designing CubeSat communication subsystems aligned with practical mission requirements.