Adapted FMEA Framework for CubeSat Risk Assessment: A Systematic Approach for Miniaturized Space Systems

CubeSat missions face high failure rates ( 30-40%) due to resource limitations and extensive use of Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) components. Traditional Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) methodologies do not adequately address miniaturized systems with limited redundancy and constrained budgets. This paper presents an adapted FMEA framework with severity, occurrence, and detection scales calibrated to nanosatellite constraints, integrating National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and European Cooperation for Space Standardization (ECSS) standards. The framework provides ready-to-use risk prioritization scales and a systematic 9-step process optimized for resource-constrained projects. Validation through three real case studies demonstrates 83-88% agreement with independent analyses and 100% agreement on critical failure modes. The adapted scales identify 2-3 additional failure modes compared to traditional FMEA, capturing COTS-specific mechanisms. Results show 56% of failure modes in a generic 3U CubeSat require priority action, aligning with observed mission failure rates. The main contribution is a practical, validated FMEA adaptation for systematic risk analysis in nanosatellite missions, applicable to both academic and commercial CubeSat projects.

Keywords: FMEA, CubeSat, nanosatellite, reliability analysis, risk assessment, failure modes, space systems, NASA standards, ECSS standards.