This has been done multiple times. Amateur radio satellites and some cubesat kits [1] use primarily COTS components. The lifetime and radiation environment for

This has been done multiple times. Amateur radio satellites and some cubesat kits [1] use primarily COTS components. The lifetime and radiation environment for those applications are very limited, though. It seems that for short missions (e.g. <2 years) and low orbits (<500km), COTS hardware should be fine if properly shielded. It would be interesting to see what difference it actually makes for HEO or even BEO missions, especially if a high degree of redundancy is introduced as well. [1] http://www.cubesatkit.com http://www.cubesatkit.com