A CubeSat (U-class spacecraft) is a type of miniaturized satellite for space research that is made up of multiple cubic modules of 10 cm × 10 cm × 10 cm size. CubeSats often use commercial off-the-shelf components for their electronics and often run open-source software. As such, they represent a formidable, yet low-cost platform for space research combining aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, electronics, and computer science. NESLab successfully launched a CubeSat in 2019 that was operational for 5 months and is planning two more launches in the next two years.

The goal of the project is to help build a CubeSat simulator that combines hardware and software. The basis for the hardware part is the AMSAT CubeSatSim Project. The software part is to be developed. The project is part of the research activities of NESLab.