Given the increasing number of space-related applications, research in the emerging space industry is becoming more and more attractive. One compelling area of current space research is the design of miniaturized satellites, known as CubeSats, which are enticing because of their numerous applications and low design-and-deployment cost. The new paradigm of connected space through CubeSats makes possible a wide range of applications, such as Earth remote sensing, space exploration, and rural connectivity. CubeSats further provide a complementary connectivity solution to the pervasive Internet of Things (IoT) networks, leading to a globally connected cyber-physical system. This paper presents a holistic overview of various aspects of CubeSat missions and provides a thorough review of the topic from both academic and industrial perspectives. We further present recent advances in the area of CubeSat communications, with an emphasis on constellation-and-coverage issues, channel modeling, modulation and coding, and networking. Finally, we identify several future research directions for CubeSat communications, including Internet of space things, low-power long-range networks, and machine learning for CubeSat resource allocation.

中文翻译：

---

CubeSat 通信：最新进展和未来挑战

鉴于与太空相关的应用越来越多，新兴太空产业的研究正变得越来越有吸引力。当前空间研究的一个引人注目的领域是被称为立方体卫星的小型化卫星的设计，由于其应用众多且设计和部署成本低，因此很有吸引力。通过立方体卫星连接空间的新范式使广泛的应用成为可能，例如地球遥感、空间探索和农村连接。CubeSats 进一步为无处不在的物联网 (IoT) 网络提供了一种互补的连接解决方​​案，从而形成了一个全球连接的网络物理系统。本文全面概述了 CubeSat 任务的各个方面，并从学术和工业角度对该主题进行了全面回顾。我们进一步介绍了 CubeSat 通信领域的最新进展，重点是星座和覆盖问题、信道建模、调制和编码以及网络。最后，我们确定了 CubeSat 通信的几个未来研究方向，包括空间物联网、低功耗远程网络和用于 CubeSat 资源分配的机器学习。