A CubeSat is a class of small satellite with a form factor of 10 cm (3.9 in) cubes. CubeSats have a mass of no more than 2 kg (4.4 lb) per unit, and often use commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components for their electronics and structure. CubeSats are deployed into orbit from the International Space Station, or launched as secondary payloads on a launch vehicle. As of January 2026, the Nanosatellite & CubeSat Database records 2,973 CubeSats launched, out of more than 3,200 nanosatellites launched since 1998. Jonathan McDowell's Jonathan's Space Report independently catalogues more than 3,200 CubeSats launched in total.