This page will outline the current state of Space Systems, the plans and goals of the BUS and PAY teams, as well as the team’s efforts towards the CUBICS 2026 Grant.
A spacecraft bus consists of the main body and structural components of a spacecraft. This includes the primary mechanical, power, communications, and attitude control systems within the spacecraft.
The BUS team segment of UTAT Space Systems is responsible for the design, testing, and integration of the satellite bus. BUS is composed of BUS Systems, ADCS (Attitude Determination and Control Systems), BUS Electrical, BUS Firmware, Mechanical, Mission Operations, Power, and RF/GS (Radiofrequency/Ground Station) subsystems.
A spacecraft payload is an instrument/experiment/technology contained within the spacecraft bus, with the goal of accomplishing a scientific objective.
The PAY team segment of UTAT Space Systems is responsible for the mission definition, design, testing, and assembly of mission payloads. PAY is composed of PAY Systems, Data Processing, PAY Electrical, PAY Firmware, Misson Research, Optics, Opto-Mechanical, and Science subsystems.
UTAT-SS has been working on the FINCH 3U cubesat mission since 2019. The original mission aimed to use a hyperspectral imager to map GHG emissions — this was changed to mapping crop residue in 2022. See FINCH Mission Handbook for a description of the mission - note that the team was not split into “BUS” and “PAY”.
Since 2017, the main source of funding for UTAT-SS has been the UTSU student levy. UTAT was unsuccessful in renewing the UTSU levy in 2025. UTAT-SS applied for another funding source (the CSA’s FAST grant) but did not receive the grant, and UTAT was not able to renew the UTSU levy in 2026. As a result, the team was left without a major funding source, which is necessary in order to advance to Phase D: Assembly, Integration, Testing and secure a launch opportunity.
At this time, UTAT-SS was in Phase C: Detailed Design of FINCH for several years. The FINCH spacecraft bus became very customized to accomodate the complexity of the payload as well as the capabilities of previously purchased flight hardware.
In February 2026, UTAT-SS held a vote to decide how the team would proceed, with this slideshow outlining the rationale and the options to be voted on. The team decided to split Space Systems into “BUS” and “PAY” teams, and pursue the CSA’s CUBICS grant with a new mission [Currently Unnamed] - one that aims to include a reusable spacecraft bus, a payload from an external partner, and a scaled down version of the FINCH hyperspectral imaging payload. The aim is not to restart the mission from scratch, but to use the knowledge gained and lessons learned from working on FINCH to develop this “new” mission.
During the FINCH mission, the bus and payload advanced at different timelines. Due to the complexity of the payload, the bus teams would be waiting on the payload teams to advance to the same readiness level. In addition, the spacecraft bus was heavily designed around the specifications of the payload, and it was subject to design changes due to changing payload requirements. For example, the FINCH volume was reallocated in response to the payload size doubling to meet science requirements during Phase C: Detailed Design.
Splitting the team into BUS and PAY would enable both parts of the satellite to advance at their own pace, and allow for decoupling of BUS and PAY requirements through a clearly defined relationship between the two teams. This decision was voted on during the February 2026 meeting mentioned above.
The CUBICS (CubeSats Initiative in Canada for STEM) initiative is a grant from the Canadian Space Agency meant to fund university cubesat missions. CUBICS opens applications every four years, with the next round expected to open in September 2026. See the previous 2022 CUBICS Announcement of Opportunity (AO) here (note that the 2026 version is expected to have significant changes) — nine teams across Canada were funded.
UTAT-SS is planning to apply to CUBICS as a funding source for our next cubesat mission (3U cubesat bus + external partner payload + hyperspectral imaging payload). If selected, it is anticipated that the grant funding would cover the majority of the mission’s costs and provide a launch opportunity, as well as provide engineering support from the CSA. Applications will most likely close in November 2026, and results will most likely be known in March 2027.