In this Making Leaders interview, we hear from Professor Robert Twiggs, Emeritus Professor of Astronautics at Morehead State University and one of six inductees to the Space & Satellite Hall of Fame in 2022. Prof. Robert Twiggs is best known in the space and satellite industry and academia as the “Father of the CubeSat” for his co-development of the CubeSat reference design and P-Pod Deployer for miniaturized satellites at Stanford University, alongside Professor Jordi Puig-Suari of California Polytechnic University at San Luis Obispo. His design has become the de-facto industry standard for Pico satellites since its development in 1998, with over 1,600 successful launches to this day. Prof. Twiggs has also developed and co-developed other original concepts, including the CricketSat, CanSat, ThinSat and the PocketQube for educational applications in space.

Prof. Twiggs’ career began in the Air Force as an electronic technician. After discharge from the Air Force, he completed his Bachler of Science in Electrical engineering at University of Idaho in 1961 and a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering at Stanford University in 1964. He spent 20 years in the commercial industry developing high-power microwave tubes and various software. Prof. Twiggs served as director of the Weber State University, Utah Center for Aerospace Technology from 1985 to 1994, during which time he began building his first academic satellites. After departing from Weber State University, he joined Stanford University’s Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics in 1994 as a consulting professor and there established the Space Systems Development Laboratory. Learn more about Prof. Twiggs.