SOLARAS S2: An Overview of India’s Private Solar CubeSat Mission

Abstract

The frequent development of small satellite technology has made access to space more reliable and flexible for scientific research for educational and technology testing mission purposes. SOLARAS S2 is 1U CubeSat satellite developed by Grahaa space as part of its early nanosatellite development works. The main goal of the mission is to test key spacecraft subsystems while carrying out experimental studies related to solar radiation and satellite communication performance. The satellite is scheduled for launch as a rideshare payload aboard South Korea’s HANBIT-NANO, operated by Innospace, from the Alcântara Space Center by end of December 2025, and is intended to be placed into a low Earth orbit at an altitude of about 300 km. SOLARAS S2 operates an open and non-commercial technology illustration mission, by continually transmitting telemetry and beacon signals in the UHF and VHF bands around the world to receive and analyze the signals, supporting satellite health monitoring, signal behaviour studies, and leaning activities. The spacecraft follows standard 1U CubeSat design, featuring  a small structure, limited power availability, and modular subsystems suited for early in-orbit testing. Although with technical and scientific goals, the mission emphasized regulatory compliance through formal registration with international telecommunication union, ensuring official use of radio-frequency spectrums for mission. Overall, SOLARAS S2 shows smaller size satellites can provide affordable and sustainable missions while supporting future nanosatellite and constellation development.