Ultra-small and lightweight satellites, called CubeSats, have demonstrated their agility over the years to carry out space research in low-Earth orbit, typically using commercial off-the-shelf electronics. A move is on to consider using these miniaturized spacecraft to further moon exploration — a new class of CubeSat dubbed LunarCubes. When CubeSats emerged onto the scene, and ideas began to materialize about their uses in Earth orbit, the prevailing thought was “that's impossible, you'll never do it,” said Russell Cox, director of research for Flexure Engineering in Greenbelt, Md.