Rapid Cubes

Rapid Cubes GmbH is a German space technology company that emerged as a spin-off from the Chair of Space Technology at Technische Universität Berlin. The company builds on more than 15 years of accumulated nanosatellite heritage, including the licensed TUBiX10 platform that has already flown on the S-NET and SALSAT missions. Its stated mission is to provide fast and reliable nanosatellite technology, systems, and missions that accelerate business and science for its customers. The company's core offering is the RapidCube-20 CubeSat bus platform, a 20 kg-class 16U CubeSat designed for flexible payload accommodation. The platform supports payload masses of 5–10 kg and payload volumes of 5U to 11U, with average payload power of 15–30 W. It offers fine attitude control with pointing accuracy better than ±1° (optionally ±0.1°), S-band telemetry and telecommand at 2.0/2.2 GHz, and an X-band data link at 8 GHz capable of up to 100 Mbps downlink. The bus is designed for a 2-year lifetime in a 400–500 km Sun-synchronous orbit. Rapid Cubes targets application areas including in-orbit demonstration and verification, Internet of Things (IoT), inter-satellite communication, Earth observation, and science and research. The company is actively marketing an In-Orbit Demonstration (IOD) Flight Opportunity built around four 16U CubeSats, aimed at research institutions and companies seeking to elevate their systems to space heritage by 2025. As part of this service, Rapid Cubes supports interface coordination between payload and spacecraft, plans in-orbit demonstration scenarios, and performs periodic reviews until payload integration. The founders, Mr. Walter Frese and Dr. Zizung Yoon, bring together more than 30 years of experience in satellite engineering, satellite communication, and spacecraft dynamics. Both were instrumental in the S-NET nanosatellite mission at TU Berlin, one of the world's first nanosatellite missions to demonstrate multi-hop inter-satellite communication. Walter Frese serves as Founder and CEO, with expertise in spacecraft systems engineering, satellite communication, and mission operations for the S-NET and TUBSAT fleets. Dr. Zizung Yoon served as lead project manager for S-NET and has worked on formation flight and fault-tolerant attitude control for DLR's TET-1 mission. Rapid Cubes operates as a private company headquartered in Berlin, Germany, and serves customers across Europe and internationally. Its heritage platform, TUBiX10, has flown on five satellites across two missions, and the S-NET mission has been conducting S-band inter-satellite communication experiments for distances over 250 km since its launch on February 1, 2018.

Rapid Cubes GmbH was founded as a spin-off from the Chair of Space Technology at Technische Universität Berlin. Its main heritage is the development and operation of nanosatellites and related technology. The company licensed the successful TUBiX10 nanosatellite platform (10 kg class), which has already been in orbit with two missions, S-NET and SALSAT, comprising five satellites and more than 15 years of accumulated space heritage. The S-NET mission is notable as one of the world's first nanosatellite missions to demonstrate multi-hop inter-satellite communication. It consists of four TUBiX10 satellites and was launched on February 1, 2018. Since then, it has continued S-band inter-satellite communication experiments for distances over 250 km. The founders, Mr. Walter Frese and Dr. Zizung Yoon, together bring more than 30 years of experience in satellite engineering, satellite communication, and spacecraft dynamics. They jointly led the S-NET nanosatellite mission at TU Berlin to great success. Walter Frese served as the leading system engineer for S-NET/TUBiX10 at TU Berlin and was responsible for mission operation for the S-NET and TUBSAT fleets. Dr. Zizung Yoon was the leading project manager for the S-NET mission and worked on formation flight for the S-NET formation and fault-tolerant attitude control for DLR's TET-1 (120 kg) mission. Building on this heritage, Rapid Cubes developed the RapidCube-20 CubeSat bus platform, a 20 kg-class 16U CubeSat designed for flexible payload accommodation and rapid mission deployment. The company offers an In-Orbit Demonstration (IOD) Flight Opportunity tailored for customers seeking to elevate their systems to space heritage by 2025. This opportunity involves the development of four 16U CubeSats positioned in a Sun-synchronous orbit at 400–500 km altitude, providing ample volume for in-orbit demonstration and validation of payloads. Rapid Cubes' mission is to provide fast and reliable nanosatellite technology, systems, and missions to accelerate business and science. The company operates from Berlin, Germany, and serves research institutions and companies internationally.

• 2025

  In-Orbit Demonstration (IOD) Flight Opportunity targeting customers seeking space heritage by 2025, involving four 16U CubeSats.

• 2018

  S-NET mission, consisting of four TUBiX10 satellites, launched on February 1, demonstrating multi-hop inter-satellite communication.

• Rapid Cubes GmbH founded as a spin-off from the Chair of Space Technology at Technische Universität Berlin.

• Licensed the TUBiX10 nanosatellite platform, which has flown on S-NET and SALSAT missions with five satellites and over 15 years of accumulated space heritage.

Fast and reliable nanosatellite technology, systems, and missions for business and science, leveraging extensive TU Berlin space heritage.

• RapidCube-20 CubeSat Bus Platform

  20 kg-class 16U CubeSat bus with 22 x 22 x 44 cm stowed dimensions, failure-tolerant architecture, 5-10 kg payload mass, 5U-11U payload volume, 15-30 W average payload power, pointing < ±1° (option < ±0.1°), S-band telemetry/telecommand at 2.0/2.2 GHz up to 100 kbps uplink and 2 Mbps downlink, X-band data link at 8 GHz up to 100 Mbps, 400-500 km SSO, 2-year design lifetime.

• In-Orbit Demonstration (IOD) Flight Opportunity

  A service involving four 16U CubeSats in Sun-synchronous orbit at 400-500 km altitude, offering volume for in-orbit demonstration and validation of payloads. Includes support in coordinating payload-spacecraft interfaces, planning in-orbit demonstration scenarios, and periodic reviews until payload integration.

1. 1Rapid Cubes GmbH – Rapid and Reliable Satellite Technologyrapidcubes.space
2. 2About Us – Rapid Cubes GmbHrapidcubes.space
3. 3Rapid Cubes - Wikidatawikidata.org