PREVIOUS ISSUE: JoSS Vol. 12, No. 02 (May/June 2023)

Special Themed Issue: Guatemala’s Pioneering Quetzal-1 Project

Letter to the Editor

Success of Guatemala’s Quetzal-1 Project

Dear Editor,

We are honored that the Journal of Small Satellites’ (JoSS’s) first themed issue features Quetzal-1, Guatemala’s first satellite: a 1U CubeSat that operated in orbit from April to November 2020. Of special note, because there are no graduate level engineering programs in Guatemala, this project was undertaken and completed mainly by undergraduate students. Moreover, budget limitations on this pioneering space project required our team to develop several of the satellite’s subsystems in-house. In this context, the project’s leadership is proudest of the fact that Quetzal-1 was developed, tested, and operated by a group of around 100 people averaging 21 years of age, leading to the project’s landmark successes and the laying the foundation for further satellite research and development in Guatemala.

JoSS, Vol. 12, No. 02 (May/June 2023) pp. 1249–1250
First Page (Abstract) / Download Full Article PDF 2 Pages (215 kb)

Peer-Reviewed Articles

Design and On-Orbit Performance of the Electrical Power System for the Quetzal-1 CubeSat

Aldo Aguilar-Nadalini, Kuk H. Chung, Cecilia Marsicovetere, José A. Bagur, Juan F. Medrano, Emilio Miranda, Víctor Ayerdi, Luis Zea — Universidad del Valle de Guatemala, Guatemala City, Guatemala

JoSS, Vol. 12, No. 02 (May/June 2023) pp. 1201–1229
First Page (Abstract) / Download Full Article PDF 29 Pages (886 kb)

Design and On-Orbit Performance of the Attitude Determination and Passive Control System for the Quetzal-1 CubeSat

Dan Alvarez, Aldo Aguilar-Nadalini, José Bagur, Víctor Ayerdi, and Luis Zea — Universidad del Valle de Guatemala, Guatemala City, Guatemala

JoSS, Vol. 12, No. 02 (May/June 2023) pp. 1231–1247
First Page (Abstract) / Download Full Article PDF 17 Pages (882 kb)