AeroCube-3 is a single-unit CubeSat which was built and is being operated by The Aerospace Corporation, at El Segundo, California. It is the third AeroCube picosatellite, following on from AeroCube-1, which was lost in a launch failure in 2006, and AeroCube-2 which was successfully launched in 2007 but failed immediately after launch.[3] Compared to its predecessors it contains several improvements in its infrastructure, including a redesigned power system, replacing the older system which was responsible for the loss of AeroCube-2. Its development was funded by the United States Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center, at Los Angeles Air Force Base.[4]
| Mission type | Technology demonstration |
|---|---|
| Operator | The Aerospace Corporation / USAF |
| COSPAR ID | 2009-028E |
| SATCAT no. | 35005 |
| Mission duration | 1-3 years (planned) 1.5 years (achieved) |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | 1U CubeSat |
| Bus | CubeSat |
| Launch mass | 1 kg (2.2 lb) |
| Dimensions | 10 × 10 × 10 cm (3.9 × 3.9 × 3.9 in) |
| Power | Solar cells, batteries |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 19 May 2009, 23:55 UTC |
| Rocket | Minotaur I |
| Launch site | MARS, LP-0B |
| Contractor | Orbital Sciences Corporation |
| End of mission | |
| Decay date | 6 January 2011 [1] |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit[2] |
| Regime | Low Earth orbit |
| Perigee altitude | 427 km (265 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 466 km (290 mi) |
| Inclination | 40.48° |
| Period | 93.51 minutes |
Picosatellite
editAeroCube-3 carried technology development experiments. The primary systems demonstrated were a two-axis solar tracker and an Earth tracker, which could be used in the guidance systems of future satellites. It also carried a 0.6 m (2 ft 0 in) balloon used for tracking tests and to increase drag, increasing the satellite's rate of orbital decay after its mission was completed. AeroCube-3 incorporates a semi-spherical (8-panel) balloon that can serve also as a tracking aid. AeroCube-3 uses an inflation system similar to the one on AeroCube-2. The difference in orbit life (with and without a balloon) is estimated to be from 1–3 years (depending on atmosphere assumptions) without a balloon compared with 2–3 months with the balloon inflated. A VGA-resolution camera pointing in the direction of the balloon will photograph its state of inflation.[5]
Mission
editThe AeroCube-3 mission consists of two phases. Phase A occurs with the AeroCube-3 tethered to the Orion 38 motor that is the upper stage for the TacSat-3 Minotaur launch vehicle. During this phase, AeroCube-3 will measure its dynamics while on the end of a 61 m (200 ft)-long tether attached to a tumbling object (the upper stage). A VGA-resolution camera with a wide-angle field of view will attempt to photograph the upper stage on orbit. A tether reeling mechanism inside the picosatellite can close the distance by drawing in the tether (it operates by ground command). Phase B occurs when the tether is cut and AeroCube-3 becomes a freeflying CubeSat picosatellite. In this phase, permanent magnets and hysteresis material will align the satellite with Earth's magnetic field. In this configuration, a sensor suite will sweep Earth's surface and various experiments can be performed. AeroCube-3 will store sensor data until it passes over its ground station and the data is downloaded.[5]
Launch
editIt was successfully launched on an Orbital Sciences Corporation Minotaur I launch vehicle from Pad 0B at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport, at 23:55 UTC on 19 May 2009. It was a tertiary payload, with TacSat-3 as the primary payload and PharmaSat as the secondary. Two other CubeSats, HawkSat-1 and CP6, were also launched, and together the three satellites were known as the CubeSat Technology Demonstration mission. The three satellites are placed in a Poly-Picosatellite Orbital Deployer (P-POD), which is about the size of a large loaf of bread.[5]
Deployment
editThe standard deployment system for cubesats, the P-POD was developed by the Aerospace Engineering Department at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. After the primary satellite has been released and a collision and contamination avoidance maneuver has been performed, each cubesat will be deployed separately from the P-POD into space.[5]
The satellite reentered in the atmosphere of Earth on 6 January 2011.[1]
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ a b "AeroCube-3". NASA. 28 October 2021. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ McDowell, Jonathan (29 August 2021). "Satellite Catalog". Jonathan's Space Report. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
- ^ Krebs, Gunter (26 June 2018). "AeroCube 1, 2, 3". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
- ^ "AeroCube-3". ESA eoPortal Directory. 2021. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
- ^ a b c d "CubeSats" (PDF). CubeSat-3. NASA. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 November 2021. Retrieved 31 October 2021. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
External links
edit- Davis, Robert. "Cubesat Tech Demo P-POD" (PDF). Hawk Institute of Space Sciences. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 August 2008. Retrieved 31 October 2021.