NASA and Firefly Aerospace engineers review the integration plan for the agency’s CubeSat R5 Spacecraft 4 (R5-S4) at Firefly Aerospace’s Payload Processing Facility at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. The spacecraft will soon be integrated for launch aboard the company’s Alpha rocket, as part of launch services provided for NASA's CubeSat Launch Initiative and Educational Launch of Nanosatellites 43 mission in support of the agency ’s Venture-Class Launch Services Demonstration 2 contract.
A NASA engineer installs the agency’s CubeSat R5 Spacecraft 4 (R5-S4) into the dispenser at Firefly Aerospace's Payload Processing Facility at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. The spacecraft will soon be integrated for launch aboard the company’s Alpha rocket, as part of launch services provided for NASA's CubeSat Launch Initiative and Educational Launch of Nanosatellites 43 mission in support of the agency ’s Venture-Class Launch Services Demonstration 2 contract.
From left, Firefly mission manager Marcy Mabry observes NASA engineer James Berck install the agency’s CubeSat R5 Spacecraft 4 (R5-S4) into the dispenser at Firefly Aerospace’s Payload Processing Facility at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. The spacecraft will soon be integrated for launch aboard the company’s Alpha rocket, as part of launch services provided for NASA's CubeSat Launch Initiative and Educational Launch of Nanosatellites 43 mission in support of the agency ’s Venture-Class Launch Services Demonstration 2 contract.
NASA engineer Jacob Nunez-Kearny removes the foreign object debris (FOD) cover from the propulsion system on the agency’s CubeSat R5 Spacecraft 4 (R5-S4) at Firefly Aerospace’s Payload Processing Facility at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. The spacecraft will soon be integrated for launch aboard the company’s Alpha rocket, as part of launch services provided for NASA's CubeSat Launch Initiative and Educational Launch of Nanosatellites 43 mission in support of the agency ’s Venture-Class Launch Services Demonstration 2 contract .
From left, NASA engineer James Berck removes the foreign object debris (FOD) cover from the relative navigation camera on the agency’s CubeSat R5 Spacecraft 4 (R5-S4) while NASA engineer Jacob Nunez-Kearny observes, at Firefly Aerospace’s Payload Processing Facility at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. The spacecraft will soon be integrated for launch aboard the company’s Alpha rocket, as part of launch services provided for NASA's CubeSat Launch Initiative and Educational Launch of Nanosatellites 43 mission in support of the agency ’s Venture-Class Launch Services Demonstration 2 contract.
NASA engineer Jacob Nunez-Kearny removes foreign object debris (FOD) cover from the propulsion system on the agency’s CubeSat R5 Spacecraft 4 (R5-S4) at Firefly Aerospace’s Payload Processing Facility at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. The spacecraft will soon be integrated for launch aboard the company’s Alpha rocket, as part of launch services provided for NASA's CubeSat Launch Initiative and Educational Launch of Nanosatellites 43 mission in support of the agency ’s Venture-Class Launch Services Demonstration 2 contract.
NASA engineer Sam Pedrotty performs final cleaning of Los Alamos National Laboratory’s (LANL’s) Extremely Low Resource Optical Identifier (ELROI) on the agency’s CubeSat R5 Spacecraft 4 (R5-S4) at Firefly Aerospace’s Payload Processing Facility at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. The spacecraft will soon be integrated for launch aboard the company’s Alpha rocket, as part of launch services provided for NASA's CubeSat Launch Initiative and Educational Launch of Nanosatellites 43 mission in support of the agency ’s Venture-Class Launch Services Demonstration 2 contract.
Firefly Aerospace’s Alpha rocket carrying eight CubeSats as part of NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative’s (CSLI) ELaNa 43 (Educational Launch of Nanosatellites) mission stands vertical at Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, on Monday, July 1, 2024. Firefly Aerospace is one of three companies selected to fly small satellites to space under NASA’s Launch Services Program Venture-Class Launch Services Demonstration 2 (VCLS Demo 2) contract awarded in December 2020.
Firefly Aerospace’s Alpha rocket carrying eight CubeSats as part of NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative’s (CSLI) ELaNa 43 (Educational Launch of Nanosatellites) mission stands vertical at Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, on Monday, July 1, 2024. Firefly Aerospace is one of three companies selected to fly small satellites to space under NASA’s Launch Services Program Venture-Class Launch Services Demonstration 2 (VCLS Demo 2) contract awarded in December 2020.
Firefly Aerospace’s Alpha rocket carrying eight CubeSats as part of NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative’s (CSLI) ELaNa 43 (Educational Launch of Nanosatellites) mission stands vertical at Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, on Monday, July 1, 2024. Firefly Aerospace is one of three companies selected to fly small satellites to space under NASA’s Launch Services Program Venture-Class Launch Services Demonstration 2 (VCLS Demo 2) contract awarded in December 2020.
Firefly Aerospace’s Alpha rocket carrying eight CubeSats as part of NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative’s (CSLI) ELaNa 43 (Educational Launch of Nanosatellites) mission stands vertical at Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, on Monday, July 1, 2024. Firefly Aerospace is one of three companies selected to fly small satellites to space under NASA’s Launch Services Program Venture-Class Launch Services Demonstration 2 (VCLS Demo 2) contract awarded in December 2020.
NASA’s TechEdSat-11 (TES-11) CubeSat awaits integration at Firefly’s Payload Processing Facility at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California on Saturday, June 8, 2024. Serenity, along with several other CubeSats, will launch to space on an Alpha rocket during NASA’s Educational Launch of Nanosatellites (ELaNa) 43 mission as part of the agency’s CubeSat Launch Initiative and Firefly’s Venture-Class Launch Services Demonstration 2 contract.
A Satellite for Optimal Control and Imaging (SOC-i) CubeSat awaits integration at Firefly’s Payload Processing Facility at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California on Thursday, June 6, 2024. SOC-i, along with several other CubeSats, will launch to space on an Alpha rocket during NASA’s Educational Launch of Nanosatellites (ELaNa) 43 mission as part of the agency’s CubeSat Launch Initiative and Firefly’s Venture-Class Launch Services Demonstration 2 contract.
NASA’s CubeSat R5 Spacecraft 4 (R5-S4) awaits integration at Firefly’s Payload Processing Facility at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. R5-S4, along with several other CubeSats, will launch to space on an Alpha rocket during NASA’s Educational Launch of Nanosatellites (ELaNa) 43 mission as part of the agency’s CubeSat Launch Initiative and Firefly’s Venture-Class Launch Services Demonstration 2 contract.
A Satellite for Optimal Control and Imaging (SOC-i) CubeSat awaits integration at Firefly’s Payload Processing Facility at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California on Thursday, June 6, 2024. SOC-i, along with several other CubeSats, will launch to space on an Alpha rocket during NASA’s Educational Launch of Nanosatellites (ELaNa) 43 mission as part of the agency’s CubeSat Launch Initiative and Firefly’s Venture-Class Launch Services Demonstration 2 contract.
Technicians with the University of Kansas prepare their KUbeSat-1 for integration at Firefly’s Payload Processing Facility at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California on Thursday, April 25, 2024. KUbeSat-1, along with several other CubeSats, will launch to space on an Alpha rocket during NASA’s Educational Launch of Nanosatellites (ELaNa) 43 mission as part of the agency’s CubeSat Launch Initiative and Firefly’s Venture-Class Launch Services Demonstration 2 contract.
Technicians with the University of Kansas prepare their KUbeSat-1 for integration at Firefly’s Payload Processing Facility at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California on Thursday, April 25, 2024. KUbeSat-1, along with several other CubeSats, will launch to space on an Alpha rocket during NASA’s Educational Launch of Nanosatellites (ELaNa) 43 mission as part of the agency’s CubeSat Launch Initiative and Firefly’s Venture-Class Launch Services Demonstration 2 contract.
Serenity, a 3U CubeSat, awaits integration at Firefly’s Payload Processing Facility at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California on Friday, June 7, 2024. Serenity, along with several other CubeSats, will launch to space on an Alpha rocket during NASA’s Educational Launch of Nanosatellites (ELaNa) 43 mission as part of the agency’s CubeSat Launch Initiative and Firefly’s Venture-Class Launch Services Demonstration 2 contract.
A CubeSat named CatSat from the University of Arizona awaits integration at Firefly’s Payload Processing Facility at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California on Thursday, April 25, 2024. CatSat, along with several other CubeSats, will launch to space on an Alpha rocket during NASA’s Educational Launch of Nanosatellites (ELaNa) 43 mission as part of the agency’s CubeSat Launch Initiative and Firefly’s Venture-Class Launch Services Demonstration 2 contract.
Technicians with the University of Kansas prepare their KUbeSat-1 for integration at Firefly’s Payload Processing Facility at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California on Thursday, April 25, 2024. KUbeSat-1, along with several other CubeSats, will launch to space on an Alpha rocket during NASA’s Educational Launch of Nanosatellites (ELaNa) 43 mission as part of the agency’s CubeSat Launch Initiative and Firefly’s Venture-Class Launch Services Demonstration 2 contract.
NASA’s TechEdSat-11 (TES-11) CubeSat awaits integration at Firefly’s Payload Processing Facility at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California on Saturday, June 8, 2024. Serenity, along with several other CubeSats, will launch to space on an Alpha rocket during NASA’s Educational Launch of Nanosatellites (ELaNa) 43 mission as part of the agency’s CubeSat Launch Initiative and Firefly’s Venture-Class Launch Services Demonstration 2 contract.
NASA’s CubeSat R5 Spacecraft 4 (R5-S4) awaits integration at Firefly’s Payload Processing Facility at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. R5-S4, along with several other CubeSats, will launch to space on an Alpha rocket during NASA’s Educational Launch of Nanosatellites (ELaNa) 43 mission as part of the agency’s CubeSat Launch Initiative and Firefly’s Venture-Class Launch Services Demonstration 2 contract.
Technicians from the University of Maine prepare CubeSat MESAT-1 for integration at Firefly’s Payload Processing Facility at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California on Monday, April 22, 2024. MESAT-1, along with seven other payloads, will be integrated into a Firefly Aerospace Alpha rocket for NASA’s Educational Launch of Nanosatellites (ELaNa) 43 mission as part of the agency’s CubeSat Launch Initiative and Firefly’s Venture-Class Launch Services Demonstration 2 contract.
Technicians from the University of Maine prepare CubeSat MESAT-1 for integration at Firefly’s Payload Processing Facility at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California on Monday, April 22, 2024. MESAT-1, along with seven other payloads, will be integrated into a Firefly Aerospace Alpha rocket for NASA’s Educational Launch of Nanosatellites (ELaNa) 43 mission as part of the agency’s CubeSat Launch Initiative and Firefly’s Venture-Class Launch Services Demonstration 2 contract.
Technicians inside Firefly Aerospace’s Payload Processing Facility at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, integrate eight CubeSats as part of NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative’s (CSLI) ELaNa (Educational Launch of Nanosatellites) 43 mission into payload fairings on Sunday, June 30, 2024. The mission will launch on the company’s Alpha rocket from Vandenberg’s Space Launch Complex 2. Firefly Aerospace is one of three companies selected to fly small satellites to space under NASA’s Launch Services Program Venture-Class Launch Services Demonstration 2 (VCLS Demo 2) contract awarded in December 2020.
Firefly Aerospace’s Alpha rocket carrying eight CubeSats as part of NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative’s (CSLI) ELaNa (Educational Launch of Nanosatellites) 43 mission rolls out of the company’s Payload Processing Facility to Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, on Sunday, June 30, 2024. Firefly Aerospace is one of three companies selected to fly small satellites to space under NASA’s Launch Services Program Venture-Class Launch Services Demonstration 2 (VCLS Demo 2) contract awarded in December 2020.
Firefly Aerospace’s Alpha rocket carrying eight CubeSats as part of NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative’s (CSLI) ELaNa (Educational Launch of Nanosatellites) 43 mission rolls out of the company’s Payload Processing Facility to Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, on Sunday, June 30, 2024. Firefly Aerospace is one of three companies selected to fly small satellites to space under NASA’s Launch Services Program Venture-Class Launch Services Demonstration 2 (VCLS Demo 2) contract awarded in December 2020.
Firefly Aerospace’s Alpha rocket carrying eight CubeSats as part of NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative’s (CSLI) ELaNa (Educational Launch of Nanosatellites) 43 mission rolls out of the company’s Payload Processing Facility to Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, on Sunday, June 30, 2024. Firefly Aerospace is one of three companies selected to fly small satellites to space under NASA’s Launch Services Program Venture-Class Launch Services Demonstration 2 (VCLS Demo 2) contract awarded in December 2020.
Firefly Aerospace’s Alpha rocket carrying eight CubeSats as part of NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative’s (CSLI) ELaNa (Educational Launch of Nanosatellites) 43 mission rolls out of the company’s Payload Processing Facility to Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, on Sunday, June 30, 2024. Firefly Aerospace is one of three companies selected to fly small satellites to space under NASA’s Launch Services Program Venture-Class Launch Services Demonstration 2 (VCLS Demo 2) contract awarded in December 2020.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Portrait of Garrett Skrobot, project manager for the Educational Launch of Nanosatellites, or ELaNa, Program at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Portrait of Garrett Skrobot, project manager for the Educational Launch of Nanosatellites, or ELaNa, Program at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Portrait of Garrett Skrobot, project manager for the Educational Launch of Nanosatellites, or ELaNa, Program at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston
A host of CubeSats, or small satellites, are undergoing the final stages of processing at Rocket Lab USA’s facility in Huntington Beach, California, for NASA’s first mission dedicated solely to spacecraft of their size. This will be the first launch under the agency’s new Venture Class Launch Services. Scientists, including those from NASA and various universities, began arriving at the facility in early April with spacecraft small enough to be a carry-on to be prepared for launch. A team from NASA’s Goddard Spaceflight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, completed final checkouts of a CubeSat called the Compact Radiation Belt Explorer (CeREs), before placing the satellite into a dispenser to hold the spacecraft during launch inside the payload fairing. Among its missions, the satellite will examine the radiation belt and how electrons are energized and lost, particularly during events called microbursts — when sudden swarms of electrons stream into the atmosphere. This facility is the final stop for designers and builders of the CubeSats, but the journey will continue for the spacecraft. Rocket Lab will soon ship the satellites to New Zealand for launch aboard the company’s Electron orbital rocket on the Mahia Peninsula this summer. The CubeSats will be flown on an Educational Launch of Nanosatellites (ELaNa) mission to space through NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative. CeREs is one of the 10 ELaNa CubeSats scheduled to be a part of this mission.
The Educational Launch of Nanosatellites 19 (ELaNa 19) payload is prepared to be encapsulated inside the Rocket Lab Electron rocket payload fairing on Dec. 1, 2018, at the company’s facility in New Zealand. The ELaNa 19 payload comprises 10 CubeSats selected through NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative. The liftoff marks the debut of the agency’s innovative Venture Class Launch Services (VCLS) effort. Managed by NASA’s Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, VCLS was developed to offer small payloads dedicated rides to space.
The Educational Launch of Nanosatellites 19 (ELaNa 19) payload is prepared to be encapsulated inside the Rocket Lab Electron rocket payload fairing on Dec. 1, 2018, at the company’s facility in New Zealand. The ELaNa 19 payload comprises 10 CubeSats selected through NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative. The liftoff marks the debut of the agency’s innovative Venture Class Launch Services (VCLS) effort. Managed by NASA’s Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, VCLS was developed to offer small payloads dedicated rides to space.
The Educational Launch of Nanosatellites 19 (ELaNa 19) payload is encapsulated inside the Rocket Lab Electron rocket payload fairing on Dec. 1, 2018, at the company’s facility in New Zealand. The ELaNa 19 payload comprises 10 CubeSats selected through NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative. The liftoff marks the debut of the agency’s innovative Venture Class Launch Services (VCLS) effort. Managed by NASA’s Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, VCLS was developed to offer small payloads dedicated rides to space.
The Educational Launch of Nanosatellites 19 (ELaNa 19) payload is encapsulated inside the Rocket Lab Electron rocket payload fairing on Dec. 1, 2018, at the company’s facility in New Zealand. The ELaNa 19 payload comprises 10 CubeSats selected through NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative. The liftoff marks the debut of the agency’s innovative Venture Class Launch Services (VCLS) effort. Managed by NASA’s Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, VCLS was developed to offer small payloads dedicated rides to space.
The Educational Launch of Nanosatellites 19 (ELaNa 19) payload is encapsulated inside the Rocket Lab Electron rocket payload fairing on Dec. 1, 2018, at the company’s facility in New Zealand. The ELaNa 19 payload comprises 10 CubeSats selected through NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative. The liftoff marks the debut of the agency’s innovative Venture Class Launch Services (VCLS) effort. Managed by NASA’s Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, VCLS was developed to offer small payloads dedicated rides to space.
The Educational Launch of Nanosatellites 19 (ELaNa 19) payload is prepared to be encapsulated inside the Rocket Lab Electron rocket payload fairing on Dec. 1, 2018, at the company’s facility in New Zealand. The ELaNa 19 payload comprises 10 CubeSats selected through NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative. The liftoff marks the debut of the agency’s innovative Venture Class Launch Services (VCLS) effort. Managed by NASA’s Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, VCLS was developed to offer small payloads dedicated rides to space.
The Educational Launch of Nanosatellites 19 (ELaNa 19) payload has been encapsulated inside the Rocket Lab Electron rocket payload fairing on Dec. 1, 2018, at the company’s facility in New Zealand. The ELaNa 19 payload comprises 10 CubeSats selected through NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative. The liftoff marks the debut of the agency’s innovative Venture Class Launch Services (VCLS) effort. Managed by NASA’s Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, VCLS was developed to offer small payloads dedicated rides to space.
The Educational Launch of Nanosatellites 19 (ELaNa 19) payload has been encapsulated inside the Rocket Lab Electron rocket payload fairing on Dec. 1, 2018, at the company’s facility in New Zealand. The ELaNa 19 payload comprises 10 CubeSats selected through NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative. The liftoff marks the debut of the agency’s innovative Venture Class Launch Services (VCLS) effort. Managed by NASA’s Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, VCLS was developed to offer small payloads dedicated rides to space.
The Educational Launch of Nanosatellites 19 (ELaNa 19) payload is encapsulated inside the Rocket Lab Electron rocket payload fairing on Dec. 1, 2018, at the company’s facility in New Zealand. The ELaNa 19 payload comprises 10 CubeSats selected through NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative. The liftoff marks the debut of the agency’s innovative Venture Class Launch Services (VCLS) effort. Managed by NASA’s Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, VCLS was developed to offer small payloads dedicated rides to space.
The Educational Launch of Nanosatellites 19 (ELaNa 19) payload has been encapsulated inside the Rocket Lab Electron rocket payload fairing on Dec. 1, 2018, at the company’s facility in New Zealand. The ELaNa 19 payload comprises 10 CubeSats selected through NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative. The liftoff marks the debut of the agency’s innovative Venture Class Launch Services (VCLS) effort. Managed by NASA’s Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, VCLS was developed to offer small payloads dedicated rides to space.
The Educational Launch of Nanosatellites 19 (ELaNa 19) payload has been encapsulated inside the Rocket Lab Electron rocket payload fairing on Dec. 1, 2018, at the company’s facility in New Zealand. The ELaNa 19 payload comprises 10 CubeSats selected through NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative. The liftoff marks the debut of the agency’s innovative Venture Class Launch Services (VCLS) effort. Managed by NASA’s Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, VCLS was developed to offer small payloads dedicated rides to space.
The Educational Launch of Nanosatellites 19 (ELaNa 19) payload is prepared to be encapsulated inside the Rocket Lab Electron rocket payload fairing on Dec. 1, 2018, at the company’s facility in New Zealand. The ELaNa 19 payload comprises 10 CubeSats selected through NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative. The liftoff marks the debut of the agency’s innovative Venture Class Launch Services (VCLS) effort. Managed by NASA’s Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, VCLS was developed to offer small payloads dedicated rides to space.
The Educational Launch of Nanosatellites 19 (ELaNa 19) payload is prepared to be encapsulated inside the Rocket Lab Electron rocket payload fairing on Dec. 1, 2018, at the company’s facility in New Zealand. The ELaNa 19 payload comprises 10 CubeSats selected through NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative. The liftoff marks the debut of the agency’s innovative Venture Class Launch Services (VCLS) effort. Managed by NASA’s Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, VCLS was developed to offer small payloads dedicated rides to space.
The Educational Launch of Nanosatellites 19 (ELaNa 19) payload is encapsulated inside the Rocket Lab Electron rocket payload fairing on Dec. 1, 2018, at the company’s facility in New Zealand. The ELaNa 19 payload comprises 10 CubeSats selected through NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative. The liftoff marks the debut of the agency’s innovative Venture Class Launch Services (VCLS) effort. Managed by NASA’s Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, VCLS was developed to offer small payloads dedicated rides to space.
The Educational Launch of Nanosatellites 19 (ELaNa 19) payload is encapsulated inside the Rocket Lab Electron rocket payload fairing on Dec. 1, 2018, at the company’s facility in New Zealand. The ELaNa 19 payload comprises 10 CubeSats selected through NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative. The liftoff marks the debut of the agency’s innovative Venture Class Launch Services (VCLS) effort. Managed by NASA’s Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, VCLS was developed to offer small payloads dedicated rides to space.
The Rocket Lab Electron rocket payload fairing is prepared for the encapsulation of the Educational Launch of Nanosatellites 19 (ELaNa 19) payload on Dec. 1, 2018, at the company’s facility in New Zealand. The ELaNa 19 payload comprises 10 CubeSats selected through NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative. The liftoff marks the debut of the agency’s innovative Venture Class Launch Services (VCLS) effort. Managed by NASA’s Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, VCLS was developed to offer small payloads dedicated rides to space.
VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Garrett Skrobot, ELaNa mission manager, NASA Launch Services Program, Kennedy Space Center, Fla., participates in the prelaunch ELaNa briefing at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. The five small 'CubeSat' research payloads that will be carried aboard the Delta II rocket during the NPP launch are the third in a series of NASA Educational Launch of Nanosatellite missions, known as ELaNa missions. Photo credit: NASA_VAFB
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A student representing a team from Merritt Island High School presents their StangSat concepts to NASA engineers at a Critical Design Review in the Operations and Checkout Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. StangSat is one of many CubeSats under development in a class of research spacecraft called nanosatellites. The cube-shaped satellites measure about 4 inches on each side, have a volume of about 1 quart and weigh less than 3 pounds. To date, 27 CubeSats have launched through the initiative as part of the agency's Launch Services Program's Educational Launch of Nanosatellite Program. This year, four separate launches will carry 17 CubeSats. To learn more about the CubeSat Launch Initiative, visit http://go.nasa.gov/CubeSat_initiative. Photo credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Merritt Island High School students and their NASA mentors participate in a Critical Design Review of StangSat concepts in the Operations and Checkout Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. StangSat is one of many CubeSats under development in a class of research spacecraft called nanosatellites. The cube-shaped satellites measure about 4 inches on each side, have a volume of about 1 quart and weigh less than 3 pounds. To date, 27 CubeSats have launched through the initiative as part of the agency's Launch Services Program's Educational Launch of Nanosatellite Program. This year, four separate launches will carry 17 CubeSats. To learn more about the CubeSat Launch Initiative, visit http://go.nasa.gov/CubeSat_initiative. Photo credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A student representing a team from Merritt Island High School presents their StangSat concepts to NASA engineers at a Critical Design Review in the Operations and Checkout Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. StangSat is one of many CubeSats under development in a class of research spacecraft called nanosatellites. The cube-shaped satellites measure about 4 inches on each side, have a volume of about 1 quart and weigh less than 3 pounds. To date, 27 CubeSats have launched through the initiative as part of the agency's Launch Services Program's Educational Launch of Nanosatellite Program. This year, four separate launches will carry 17 CubeSats. To learn more about the CubeSat Launch Initiative, visit http://go.nasa.gov/CubeSat_initiative. Photo credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Merritt Island High School students participate in a Critical Design Review of StangSat concepts with NASA engineers in the Operations and Checkout Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. StangSat is one of many CubeSats under development in a class of research spacecraft called nanosatellites. The cube-shaped satellites measure about 4 inches on each side, have a volume of about 1 quart and weigh less than 3 pounds. To date, 27 CubeSats have launched through the initiative as part of the agency's Launch Services Program's Educational Launch of Nanosatellite Program. This year, four separate launches will carry 17 CubeSats. To learn more about the CubeSat Launch Initiative, visit http://go.nasa.gov/CubeSat_initiative. Photo credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Students representing a team from Merritt Island High School present their StangSat concepts to NASA engineers at a Critical Design Review in the Operations and Checkout Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. StangSat is one of many CubeSats under development in a class of research spacecraft called nanosatellites. The cube-shaped satellites measure about 4 inches on each side, have a volume of about 1 quart and weigh less than 3 pounds. To date, 27 CubeSats have launched through the initiative as part of the agency's Launch Services Program's Educational Launch of Nanosatellite Program. This year, four separate launches will carry 17 CubeSats. To learn more about the CubeSat Launch Initiative, visit http://go.nasa.gov/CubeSat_initiative. Photo credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Merritt Island High School students and their NASA mentors participate in a Critical Design Review of StangSat concepts in the Operations and Checkout Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. StangSat is one of many CubeSats under development in a class of research spacecraft called nanosatellites. The cube-shaped satellites measure about 4 inches on each side, have a volume of about 1 quart and weigh less than 3 pounds. To date, 27 CubeSats have launched through the initiative as part of the agency's Launch Services Program's Educational Launch of Nanosatellite Program. This year, four separate launches will carry 17 CubeSats. To learn more about the CubeSat Launch Initiative, visit http://go.nasa.gov/CubeSat_initiative. Photo credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Students representing a team from Merritt Island High School present their StangSat concepts to NASA engineers at a Critical Design Review in the Operations and Checkout Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. StangSat is one of many CubeSats under development in a class of research spacecraft called nanosatellites. The cube-shaped satellites measure about 4 inches on each side, have a volume of about 1 quart and weigh less than 3 pounds. To date, 27 CubeSats have launched through the initiative as part of the agency's Launch Services Program's Educational Launch of Nanosatellite Program. This year, four separate launches will carry 17 CubeSats. To learn more about the CubeSat Launch Initiative, visit http://go.nasa.gov/CubeSat_initiative. Photo credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky
VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Scott Higginbotham, NASA mission manager for Educational Launch of Nanosatellites, or ELaNa-X, at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, participates in a news conference at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, following NASA's successful launch of the Soil Moisture Active Passive satellite, or SMAP, on its mission to study the Earth's soil moisture. To learn more about ELaNa, visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/smallsats/elana. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Roland Coelho, program lead, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, Calif., participates in the prelaunch ELaNa briefing at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. The five small 'CubeSat' research payloads that will be carried aboard the Delta II rocket during the NPP launch are the third in a series of NASA Educational Launch of Nanosatellite missions, known as ELaNa missions. Photo credit: NASA_VAFB
NASA’s Educational Launch of Nanosatellites-19 (ELaNa-19) payload after separation from a Rocket Lab Electron rocket after successful liftoff from Launch Complex-1 at Māhia Peninsula in New Zealand. Launched at 6:33 a.m. UTC on Dec. 17 (1:33 p.m. EST on Dec 16), this marks the first flight of a payload under NASA’s Venture Class Launch Services (VCLS). Managed by NASA’s Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, VCLS was developed to provide increased access to space specifically for payloads like this, carrying small spacecraft called CubeSats. The successful launch and deployment officially begins the venture-class era.
NASA’s Educational Launch of Nanosatellites-19 (ELaNa-19) payload separates from the upper stage of a Rocket Lab Electron rocket after successful liftoff from Launch Complex-1 at Māhia Peninsula in New Zealand. Launched at 6:33 a.m. UTC on Dec. 17 (1:33 p.m. EST on Dec. 16), this marks the first flight of a payload under NASA’s Venture Class Launch Services (VCLS). Managed by NASA’s Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, VCLS was developed to provide increased access to space specifically for these small spacecraft, called CubeSats.
A Rocket Lab Electron rocket’s nine first-stage Rutherford engines ignite as NASA’s Educational Launch of Nanosatellites-19 (ELaNa-19) payload lifts off at 6:33 a.m. UTC on Dec. 17 (1:33 p.m. EST on Dec. 16) from Launch Complex-1, located at Māhia Peninsula in New Zealand. The liftoff marks the first flight of a payload under NASA’s Venture Class Launch Services (VCLS). Managed by NASA’s Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, VCLS was developed to provide increased access to space specifically for these small spacecraft, called CubeSats.
A Rocket Lab Electron rocket lifts off Launch Complex-1 at Māhia Peninsula in New Zealand carrying NASA’s Educational Launch of Nanosatellites-19 (ELaNa-19) payload. Liftoff occurred at 6:33 a.m. UTC on Dec. 17 (1:33 p.m. EST on Dec. 16). The liftoff marks the first flight of a payload under NASA’s Venture Class Launch Services (VCLS). Managed by NASA’s Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, VCLS was developed to provide increased access to space specifically for these small spacecraft, called CubeSats.
VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – During a news conference at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, NASA officials discuss the launch of the Soil Moisture Active Passive satellite, or SMAP, and its mission to study the Earth's soil moisture. Participating in the briefing, from left, are Kent Kellogg, SMAP project manager at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, Scott Higginbotham, NASA mission manager for Educational Launch of Nanosatellites, or ELaNa-X, at the Kennedy Space Center, and Geoff Yoder, deputy associate administrator of the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters. To learn more about SMAP, visit http://www.nasa.gov/smap. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – During a news conference at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, NASA officials discuss the launch of the Soil Moisture Active Passive satellite, or SMAP, and its mission to study the Earth's soil moisture. Participating in the briefing, from left, are Kent Kellogg, SMAP project manager at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, Scott Higginbotham, NASA mission manager for Educational Launch of Nanosatellites, or ELaNa-X, at the Kennedy Space Center, and Geoff Yoder, deputy associate administrator of the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters. To learn more about SMAP, visit http://www.nasa.gov/smap. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
San Luis Obispo, CA - Students at California Polytechnic State University prepare to integrate mini research satellites, or CubeSats into a Poly Picosatellite Orbital Deployer, or PPOD, container. The PPOD and CubeSat Project were developed by California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, Calif., and Stanford University’s Space Systems Development Lab for use on NASA’s Educational Launch of Nanosatellite, or ELaNa missions. Each CubeSat measures about four inches cubed; about the same volume as a quart. The CubeSats weigh about 2.2 pounds, must conform to standard aerospace materials and must operate without propulsion. U.S. Air Force Photo/Mr. Jerry E. Clemens, Jr.
At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, a Poly Picosatellite Orbital Deployer, or P-POD, container is installed on the Joint Polar Satellite System-1, or JPSS-1, spacecraft. P-PODS are auxiliary payloads launched aboard NASA expendable launch vehicles carrying up to three small CubeSats. The small cube-shaped satellites are part of NASA’s Educational Launch of Nanosatellite, or ELaNa, missions. The small payloads are designed and built by students from high school-level classes up to college and university students. JPSS is the first in a series of four next-generation environmental satellites in a collaborative program between the NOAA and NASA. Liftoff from Vandenberg's Space Launch Compex-2 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket is scheduled for 1:47 a.m. PST (4:47 a.m. EST), on Nov. 14, 2017.
At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, technicians and engineers prepare a Poly Picosatellite Orbital Deployer, or P-POD, container for installation on the Joint Polar Satellite System-1, or JPSS-1, spacecraft. P-PODS are auxiliary payloads launched aboard NASA expendable launch vehicles carrying up to three small CubeSats. The small cube-shaped satellites are part of NASA’s Educational Launch of Nanosatellite, or ELaNa, missions. The small payloads are designed and built by students from high school-level classes up to college and university students. JPSS is the first in a series of four next-generation environmental satellites in a collaborative program between the NOAA and NASA. Liftoff from Vandenberg's Space Launch Compex-2 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket is scheduled for 1:47 a.m. PST (4:47 a.m. EST), on Nov. 14, 2017.
At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, technicians and engineers prepare to install a Poly Picosatellite Orbital Deployer, or P-POD, container on the Joint Polar Satellite System-1, or JPSS-1, spacecraft. P-PODS are auxiliary payloads launched aboard NASA expendable launch vehicles carrying up to three small CubeSats. The small cube-shaped satellites are part of NASA’s Educational Launch of Nanosatellite, or ELaNa, missions. The small payloads are designed and built by students from high school-level classes up to college and university students. JPSS is the first in a series of four next-generation environmental satellites in a collaborative program between the NOAA and NASA. Liftoff from Vandenberg's Space Launch Compex-2 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket is scheduled for 1:47 a.m. PST (4:47 a.m. EST), on Nov. 14, 2017.
At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, a Poly Picosatellite Orbital Deployer, or P-POD, container is installed on the Joint Polar Satellite System-1, or JPSS-1, spacecraft. P-PODS are auxiliary payloads launched aboard NASA expendable launch vehicles carrying up to three small CubeSats. The small cube-shaped satellites are part of NASA’s Educational Launch of Nanosatellite, or ELaNa, missions. The small payloads are designed and built by students from high school-level classes up to college and university students. JPSS is the first in a series of four next-generation environmental satellites in a collaborative program between the NOAA and NASA. Liftoff from Vandenberg's Space Launch Compex-2 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket is scheduled for 1:47 a.m. PST (4:47 a.m. EST), on Nov. 14, 2017.
At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, technicians and engineers prepare a Poly Picosatellite Orbital Deployer, or P-POD, container for installation on the Joint Polar Satellite System-1, or JPSS-1, spacecraft. P-PODS are auxiliary payloads launched aboard NASA expendable launch vehicles carrying up to three small CubeSats. The small cube-shaped satellites are part of NASA’s Educational Launch of Nanosatellite, or ELaNa, missions. The small payloads are designed and built by students from high school-level classes up to college and university students. JPSS is the first in a series of four next-generation environmental satellites in a collaborative program between the NOAA and NASA. Liftoff from Vandenberg's Space Launch Compex-2 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket is scheduled for 1:47 a.m. PST (4:47 a.m. EST), on Nov. 14, 2017.
At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, a Poly Picosatellite Orbital Deployer, or P-POD, container is installed on the Joint Polar Satellite System-1, or JPSS-1, spacecraft. P-PODS are auxiliary payloads launched aboard NASA expendable launch vehicles carrying up to three small CubeSats. The small cube-shaped satellites are part of NASA’s Educational Launch of Nanosatellite, or ELaNa, missions. The small payloads are designed and built by students from high school-level classes up to college and university students. JPSS is the first in a series of four next-generation environmental satellites in a collaborative program between the NOAA and NASA. Liftoff from Vandenberg's Space Launch Compex-2 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket is scheduled for 1:47 a.m. PST (4:47 a.m. EST), on Nov. 14, 2017.
At Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, technicians and engineers prepare a Poly Picosatellite Orbital Deployer, or P-POD, container for installation on the Joint Polar Satellite System-1, or JPSS-1, spacecraft. P-PODS are auxiliary payloads launched aboard NASA expendable launch vehicles carrying up to three small CubeSats. The small cube-shaped satellites are part of NASA’s Educational Launch of Nanosatellite, or ELaNa, missions. The small payloads are designed and built by students from high school-level classes up to college and university students. JPSS is the first in a series of four next-generation environmental satellites in a collaborative program between the NOAA and NASA. Liftoff from Vandenberg's Space Launch Compex-2 atop a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket is scheduled for 1:47 a.m. PST (4:47 a.m. EST), on Nov. 14, 2017.
Students Joe Blair, at left, and Jonathon Bonamarte, describe a CubeSat, called RamSat, during a What’s On Board Science Briefing on June 2, 2021, at Kennedy Space Center in Florida for SpaceX’s 22nd Commercial Resupply Services Mission for NASA to the International Space Station. The small research satellite was developed by students and faculty at Robertsville Middle School in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. RamSat will observe forest regrowth in the Gatlinburg, Tennessee area which was devastated by wildfires in 2016. RamSat is the sole payload of the 36th Educational Launch of Nanosatellites (ELaNa) mission and was selected through NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative (CSLI). The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the Dragon capsule atop is scheduled to launch at 1:29 p.m. EDT on Thursday, June 3, from the center’s Launch Complex 39A. Dragon will deliver more than 7,300 pounds of cargo and science experiments to the space station.
VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – During a news conference at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, NASA officials discuss the launch of the Soil Moisture Active Passive satellite, or SMAP, and its mission to study the Earth's soil moisture. Participating in the briefing, from left, are George Diller of NASA Public Affairs, Kent Kellogg, SMAP project manager at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, Scott Higginbotham, NASA mission manager for Educational Launch of Nanosatellites, or ELaNa-X, at the Kennedy Space Center, and Geoff Yoder, deputy associate administrator of the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters. To learn more about SMAP, visit http://www.nasa.gov/smap. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – From left, John Bellardo, co-principal investigator Cubesat at California Polytechnic, San Luis Obispo, David Rider, GRIFEX principal investigator at Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, and Dave Klumpar, Firebird-II principal investigator and director of the Space Science and Engineering Laboratory at Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana, discuss three Educational Launch of Nanosatellites ELaNa CubeSat that are being flown as auxiliary payloads on NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive mission, or SMAP, with the audience of a NASA Social held for at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. This NASA Social brought together mission scientists and engineers with an audience of 70 students, educators, social media managers, bloggers, photographers and videographers who were selected from a pool of 325 applicants from 45 countries to participate in launch activities and communicate their experience with social media followers. The SMAP mission is scheduled to launch from Vandenberg on Jan. 29. To learn more about SMAP, visit http://www.nasa.gov/smap. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
San Luis Obispo, CA - Roland Coelho and Ryan Nugent, students at California Polytechnic State University, integrate mini research satellites or CubeSats into a Poly Picosatellite Orbital Deployer, or PPOD, container. The PPOD and CubeSat Project were developed by California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, Calif., and Stanford University’s Space Systems Development Lab for use on NASA’s Educational Launch of Nanosatellite, or ELaNa missions. Each CubeSat measures about four inches cubed; about the same volume as a quart. The CubeSats weigh about 2.2 pounds, must conform to standard aerospace materials and must operate without propulsion. U.S. Air Force Photo/Mr. Jerry E. Clemens, Jr.
San Luis Obispo, CA - Roland Coelho and Ryan Nugent, students at California Polytechnic State University, integrate mini research satellites or CubeSats into a Poly Picosatellite Orbital Deployer, or PPOD, container. The PPOD and CubeSat Project were developed by California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, Calif., and Stanford University’s Space Systems Development Lab for use on NASA’s Educational Launch of Nanosatellite, or ELaNa missions. Each CubeSat measures about four inches cubed; about the same volume as a quart. The CubeSats weigh about 2.2 pounds, must conform to standard aerospace materials and must operate without propulsion. U.S. Air Force Photo/Mr. Jerry E. Clemens, Jr.
VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, California– At Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, agency leaders held an Educational Launch of Nanosatellites, or ELaNa, CubeSat briefing to discuss three small research satellites that are being flown as auxiliary payloads on the SMAP mission. More than 100 university students have been involved in the design, development and construction of the CubeSats. Presenting the mission science objectives for the ELaNa CubeSats are George Diller of NASA Public Affairs, Scott Higginbotham, NASA ELaNa-X Mission Manager at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, Dave Klumpar, Firebird-II principal investigator and director of the Space Science and Engineering Laboratory at Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana, Jordi Puig-Sauri, EXOCUBE principal investigator at the California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California, and David Rider, GRIFEX principal investigator at Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, California– At Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, agency leaders held an Educational Launch of Nanosatellites, or ELaNa, CubeSat briefing to discuss three small research satellites that are being flown as auxiliary payloads on the SMAP mission. More than 100 university students have been involved in the design, development and construction of the CubeSats. Presenting the mission science objectives for the ELaNa CubeSats are George Diller of NASA Public Affairs, Scott Higginbotham, NASA ELaNa-X Mission Manager at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, Dave Klumpar, Firebird-II principal investigator and director of the Space Science and Engineering Laboratory at Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana, Jordi Puig-Sauri, EXOCUBE principal investigator at the California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California, and David Rider, GRIFEX principal investigator at Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
San Luis Obispo, CA - Roland Coelho, a student at California Polytechnic State University, inspects the integration alignment of mini research satellites or CubeSats into a Poly Picosatellite Orbital Deployer, or PPOD, container. The PPOD and CubeSat Project were developed by California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, Calif., and Stanford University’s Space Systems Development Lab for use on NASA’s Educational Launch of Nanosatellite, or ELaNa missions. Each CubeSat measures about four inches cubed; about the same volume as a quart. The CubeSats weigh about 2.2 pounds, must conform to standard aerospace materials and must operate without propulsion. U.S. Air Force Photo/Mr. Jerry E. Clemens, Jr.
RSat is a 3U CubeSat with two seven degree of freedom robotic arms designed to latch onto a host satellite and maneuver around to image and potentially repair malfunctioning components. RSat is part of the AMODS research project developed by a team of Midshipmen from the United States Naval Academy. The three-year-old program aims to employ a small satellite platform to provide both new and legacy spacecraft with cost-effective on-orbit assessments and repair services. Currently, if a satellite makes it to orbit, there is no guarantee it will work as intended. In these cases, not only is the spacecraft lost, but invaluable experience vanishes with it. RSat takes advantage of cost and profile efficiencies of the small satellite platform to offer satellite developers and operators a fundamentally new way to reduce risk, protect investment and effect design improvements correlated against observed space environment experience. RSat-P is launching as part of ELaNa XIX as a free-flying unit intended to validate the on-orbit effectiveness of compact robotic manipulators.
CubeSail is a nano-scale flight experiment to demonstrate deployment and control of a single 250-meter (20 m2) solar sail blade as a low-cost risk reduction precursor of the exciting advanced interplanetary UltraSail concept having four 5-kilometer blades (with approximately 100,000 m2 of sail area). CubeSail was built by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and CU Aerospace, the same team that designed the I-Sail and UltraSail concepts funded by NASA’s SBIR program. CubeSail represents an affordable stepping-stone towards the future development of the UltraSail solar sail concept that would enable very high-energy inner heliosphere and interstellar scientific missions. In addition, near-earth missions such as Heliostorm for early warning of solar storms will provide more warning margin as the solar sail performance is increased with UltraSail technology. Spacecraft design studies show that for sail areal densities below 5 gm/m2, as proposed with UltraSail, that spacecraft payloads can be significantly increased to 50-60% because of the elimination of the propellant, without sacrificing flight time. Furthermore, higher payload fractions will result in dramatically lower total spacecraft mass and consequently much lower launch cost, enabling more missions for the research dollar.
The goal of the CHOMPTT mission is to demonstrate new technologies that could be used for navigation and satellite networking in deep space. For future explorers and colonizers of the Moon or Mars, navigation systems like GPS here on Earth, will be essential. The key idea behind CHOMPTT is to use lasers to transfer time code data over long distances instead of radio waves. Because lasers can be more tightly beamed compared to radio waves, more of the transmitted energy reaches its intended target, making them more power-efficient. CHOMPTT takes advantage of this and of new miniature but very stable atomic clocks to produce a timing system with performance similar to that of GPS, but in a very compact and power efficient form factor. We will use a pulsed laser system, located at the Kennedy Space Center that will be synchronized with an atomic clock. Laser pulses will propagate from the ground to the orbiting CHOMPTT CubeSat and back. By precisely measuring the time of emission and detection of these pulses on the ground and in space we can calculate the time discrepancy between the ground atomic clock and the atomic clock on CHOMPTT. Our goal is to do this with an accuracy of 0.2 billionths of a second, or the time it takes light to travel just 6 centimeters. In the future, we envision using this technology on constellations or swarms of small satellites, for example orbiting the Moon, to equip them with precision navigation, networking, and ranging capabilities. CHOMPTT is a collaboration between the University of Florida and the NASA Ames Research Center. The CHOMPTT precision timing payload was designed and built by the Precision Space Systems Lab at the University of Florida, while the 3U CubeSat bus that has prior flight heritage, was provided by NASA Ames. The CHOMPTT mission has been funded by the Air Force Research Lab and by NASA.
RSat is a 3U CubeSat with two seven degree of freedom robotic arms designed to latch onto a host satellite and maneuver around to image and potentially repair malfunctioning components. RSat is part of the AMODS research project developed by a team of Midshipmen from the United States Naval Academy. The three-year-old program aims to employ a small satellite platform to provide both new and legacy spacecraft with cost-effective on-orbit assessments and repair services. Currently, if a satellite makes it to orbit, there is no guarantee it will work as intended. In these cases, not only is the spacecraft lost, but invaluable experience vanishes with it. RSat takes advantage of cost and profile efficiencies of the small satellite platform to offer satellite developers and operators a fundamentally new way to reduce risk, protect investment and effect design improvements correlated against observed space environment experience. RSat-P is launching as part of ELaNa XIX as a free-flying unit intended to validate the on-orbit effectiveness of compact robotic manipulators.
CubeSail is a nano-scale flight experiment to demonstrate deployment and control of a single 250-meter (20 m2) solar sail blade as a low-cost risk reduction precursor of the exciting advanced interplanetary UltraSail concept having four 5-kilometer blades (with approximately 100,000 m2 of sail area). CubeSail was built by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and CU Aerospace, the same team that designed the I-Sail and UltraSail concepts funded by NASA’s SBIR program. CubeSail represents an affordable stepping-stone towards the future development of the UltraSail solar sail concept that would enable very high-energy inner heliosphere and interstellar scientific missions. In addition, near-earth missions such as Heliostorm for early warning of solar storms will provide more warning margin as the solar sail performance is increased with UltraSail technology. Spacecraft design studies show that for sail areal densities below 5 gm/m2, as proposed with UltraSail, that spacecraft payloads can be significantly increased to 50-60% because of the elimination of the propellant, without sacrificing flight time. Furthermore, higher payload fractions will result in dramatically lower total spacecraft mass and consequently much lower launch cost, enabling more missions for the research dollar.
The Advanced Electrical Bus (ALBus) mission is a technology demonstration of resettable Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) mechanisms for deployable solar arrays and a pathfinder for high power density CubeSats. The mission has two primary objectives. The first is to demonstrate the functionality of the novel SMA activated solar array mechanisms in the on-orbit environment. The second objective is to assess the system level ability to charge a high capacity battery, distribute 100 W of electrical power and thermally control the 3-U CubeSat system. Performance from the mission will be used to mature the SMA mechanism designs for CubeSat applications and plan for future high power density CubeSat missions.
CubeSail is a nano-scale flight experiment to demonstrate deployment and control of a single 250-meter (20 m2) solar sail blade as a low-cost risk reduction precursor of the exciting advanced interplanetary UltraSail concept having four 5-kilometer blades (with approximately 100,000 m2 of sail area). CubeSail was built by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and CU Aerospace, the same team that designed the I-Sail and UltraSail concepts funded by NASA’s SBIR program. CubeSail represents an affordable stepping-stone towards the future development of the UltraSail solar sail concept that would enable very high-energy inner heliosphere and interstellar scientific missions. In addition, near-earth missions such as Heliostorm for early warning of solar storms will provide more warning margin as the solar sail performance is increased with UltraSail technology. Spacecraft design studies show that for sail areal densities below 5 gm/m2, as proposed with UltraSail, that spacecraft payloads can be significantly increased to 50-60% because of the elimination of the propellant, without sacrificing flight time. Furthermore, higher payload fractions will result in dramatically lower total spacecraft mass and consequently much lower launch cost, enabling more missions for the research dollar.
RSat is a 3U CubeSat with two seven degree of freedom robotic arms designed to latch onto a host satellite and maneuver around to image and potentially repair malfunctioning components. RSat is part of the AMODS research project developed by a team of Midshipmen from the United States Naval Academy. The three-year-old program aims to employ a small satellite platform to provide both new and legacy spacecraft with cost-effective on-orbit assessments and repair services. Currently, if a satellite makes it to orbit, there is no guarantee it will work as intended. In these cases, not only is the spacecraft lost, but invaluable experience vanishes with it. RSat takes advantage of cost and profile efficiencies of the small satellite platform to offer satellite developers and operators a fundamentally new way to reduce risk, protect investment and effect design improvements correlated against observed space environment experience. RSat-P is launching as part of ELaNa XIX as a free-flying unit intended to validate the on-orbit effectiveness of compact robotic manipulators.
The goal of the CHOMPTT mission is to demonstrate new technologies that could be used for navigation and satellite networking in deep space. For future explorers and colonizers of the Moon or Mars, navigation systems like GPS here on Earth, will be essential. The key idea behind CHOMPTT is to use lasers to transfer time code data over long distances instead of radio waves. Because lasers can be more tightly beamed compared to radio waves, more of the transmitted energy reaches its intended target, making them more power-efficient. CHOMPTT takes advantage of this and of new miniature but very stable atomic clocks to produce a timing system with performance similar to that of GPS, but in a very compact and power efficient form factor. We will use a pulsed laser system, located at the Kennedy Space Center that will be synchronized with an atomic clock. Laser pulses will propagate from the ground to the orbiting CHOMPTT CubeSat and back. By precisely measuring the time of emission and detection of these pulses on the ground and in space we can calculate the time discrepancy between the ground atomic clock and the atomic clock on CHOMPTT. Our goal is to do this with an accuracy of 0.2 billionths of a second, or the time it takes light to travel just 6 centimeters. In the future, we envision using this technology on constellations or swarms of small satellites, for example orbiting the Moon, to equip them with precision navigation, networking, and ranging capabilities. CHOMPTT is a collaboration between the University of Florida and the NASA Ames Research Center. The CHOMPTT precision timing payload was designed and built by the Precision Space Systems Lab at the University of Florida, while the 3U CubeSat bus that has prior flight heritage, was provided by NASA Ames. The CHOMPTT mission has been funded by the Air Force Research Lab and by NASA.
The goal of the CHOMPTT mission is to demonstrate new technologies that could be used for navigation and satellite networking in deep space. For future explorers and colonizers of the Moon or Mars, navigation systems like GPS here on Earth, will be essential. The key idea behind CHOMPTT is to use lasers to transfer time code data over long distances instead of radio waves. Because lasers can be more tightly beamed compared to radio waves, more of the transmitted energy reaches its intended target, making them more power-efficient. CHOMPTT takes advantage of this and of new miniature but very stable atomic clocks to produce a timing system with performance similar to that of GPS, but in a very compact and power efficient form factor. We will use a pulsed laser system, located at the Kennedy Space Center that will be synchronized with an atomic clock. Laser pulses will propagate from the ground to the orbiting CHOMPTT CubeSat and back. By precisely measuring the time of emission and detection of these pulses on the ground and in space we can calculate the time discrepancy between the ground atomic clock and the atomic clock on CHOMPTT. Our goal is to do this with an accuracy of 0.2 billionths of a second, or the time it takes light to travel just 6 centimeters. In the future, we envision using this technology on constellations or swarms of small satellites, for example orbiting the Moon, to equip them with precision navigation, networking, and ranging capabilities. CHOMPTT is a collaboration between the University of Florida and the NASA Ames Research Center. The CHOMPTT precision timing payload was designed and built by the Precision Space Systems Lab at the University of Florida, while the 3U CubeSat bus that has prior flight heritage, was provided by NASA Ames. The CHOMPTT mission has been funded by the Air Force Research Lab and by NASA.
The Advanced Electrical Bus (ALBus) mission is a technology demonstration of resettable Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) mechanisms for deployable solar arrays and a pathfinder for high power density CubeSats. The mission has two primary objectives. The first is to demonstrate the functionality of the novel SMA activated solar array mechanisms in the on-orbit environment. The second objective is to assess the system level ability to charge a high capacity battery, distribute 100 W of electrical power and thermally control the 3-U CubeSat system. Performance from the mission will be used to mature the SMA mechanism designs for CubeSat applications and plan for future high power density CubeSat missions.
San Luis Obispo, Calif. -- 101116-F-8290C-045 -- Students at California Polytechnic State University Cal Poly prepare to integrate miniature research satellites called CubeSats into a Poly Picosatellite Orbital Deployer PPOD container. The PPOD and CubeSat Project were developed by Cal Poly and Stanford University’s Space Systems Development Lab for use on NASA’s Educational Launch of Nanosatellite ELaNa missions. Each CubeSat measures about 4-inches cubed and is about the same volume as a quart. The CubeSats weigh about 2.2 pounds, must conform to standard aerospace materials and must operate without propulsion. The satellites are being prepared to launch with NASA's Glory spacecraft aboard an Orbital Sciences Corp. Taurus XL rocket, targeted to lift off Feb. 23, 2011, from Vandenberg's Space Launch Complex 576-E. Glory is scheduled to collect data on the properties of aerosols and black carbon from its place in low Earth orbit. It also will help scientists understand how the sun's irradiance affects Earth's climate. Photo credit: U.S. Air Force/Jerry E. Clemens Jr.
San Luis Obispo, Calif. -- 101116-F-8290C-059 -- Roland Coelho and Ryan Nugent, students at California Polytechnic State University Cal Poly, integrate miniature research satellites called CubeSats into a Poly Picosatellite Orbital Deployer PPOD container. The PPOD and CubeSat Project were developed by Cal Poly and Stanford University’s Space Systems Development Lab for use on NASA’s Educational Launch of Nanosatellite ELaNa missions. Each CubeSat measures about 4-inches cubed and is about the same volume as a quart. The CubeSats weigh about 2.2 pounds, must conform to standard aerospace materials and must operate without propulsion. The satellites are being prepared to launch with NASA's Glory spacecraft aboard an Orbital Sciences Corp. Taurus XL rocket, targeted to lift off Feb. 23, 2011, from Vandenberg's Space Launch Complex 576-E. Glory is scheduled to collect data on the properties of aerosols and black carbon from its place in low Earth orbit. It also will help scientists understand how the sun's irradiance affects Earth's climate. Photo credit: U.S. Air Force/Jerry E. Clemens Jr.
San Luis Obispo, Calif. -- 101116-F-8290C-054 -- Roland Coelho and Ryan Nugent, students at California Polytechnic State University Cal Poly, integrate miniature research satellites called CubeSats into a Poly Picosatellite Orbital Deployer PPOD container. The PPOD and CubeSat Project were developed by Cal Poly and Stanford University’s Space Systems Development Lab for use on NASA’s Educational Launch of Nanosatellite ELaNa missions. Each CubeSat measures about 4-inches cubed and is about the same volume as a quart. The CubeSats weigh about 2.2 pounds, must conform to standard aerospace materials and must operate without propulsion. The satellites are being prepared to launch with NASA's Glory spacecraft aboard an Orbital Sciences Corp. Taurus XL rocket, targeted to lift off Feb. 23, 2011, from Vandenberg's Space Launch Complex 576-E. Glory is scheduled to collect data on the properties of aerosols and black carbon from its place in low Earth orbit. It also will help scientists understand how the sun's irradiance affects Earth's climate. Photo credit: U.S. Air Force/Jerry E. Clemens Jr.
San Luis Obispo, Calif. -- 101116-F-8290C-060 -- Roland Coelho, a student at California Polytechnic State University Cal Poly, inspects the integration alignment of miniature research satellites called a CubeSats into a Poly Picosatellite Orbital Deployer PPOD container. The PPOD and CubeSat Project were developed by Cal Poly and Stanford University’s Space Systems Development Lab for use on NASA’s Educational Launch of Nanosatellite ELaNa missions. Each CubeSat measures about 4-inches cubed and is about the same volume as a quart. The CubeSats weigh about 2.2 pounds, must conform to standard aerospace materials and must operate without propulsion. The satellites are being prepared to launch with NASA's Glory spacecraft aboard an Orbital Sciences Corp. Taurus XL rocket, targeted to lift off Feb. 23, 2011, from Vandenberg's Space Launch Complex 576-E. Glory is scheduled to collect data on the properties of aerosols and black carbon from its place in low Earth orbit. It also will help scientists understand how the sun's irradiance affects Earth's climate. Photo credit: U.S. Air Force/Jerry E. Clemens Jr.
Plasma fluctuations in the upper atmosphere can distort radio signals as they pass into space, damaging radio communication with satellites. The ISX (Ionospheric Scintillation Explorer) mission will study these effects by measuring and comparing digital TV signals produced on the ground. Developed as a collaboration between SRI International and PolySat at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, the ISX mission will attempt to improve our understanding of these plasma irregularities and help model space weather predictions in the future.
The NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) Shields-1 CubeSat will demonstrate a research payload with materials durability experiments on emerging radiation shielding technologies. Shields-1 incorporates eight mdosimeters for radiation shielding experiments: one in the atomic number (Z)-grade radiation shielding vault, three behind experimental Z-grade radiation shielding samples developed at NASA LaRC, three behind baseline aluminum shielding samples, and one deep inside the research payload. The Z-grade is defined as an atomic number gradient of shielding materials using a low atomic number metal, such as aluminum, with a high atomic number material, like tantalum. The metals are fabricated into the vault structure. Also, Shields-1 measures a charge dissipation film resistance for technology development. The Shields-1 mission contributes to the SmallSat community with the development of technologies to increase the lifetimes of CubeSat missions from months to years in multiple radiation environments and increase the return on investment for scientific and commercial spacecraft.
The CubeSat CeREs — short for Compact Radiation Belt Explorer. Its final destination: Earth’s radiation belts. Our planet is nestled in the center of two immense doughnut-shaped rings of radiation that swell and shrink in response to solar activity. This is a dynamic region of near-Earth space through which spacecraft and astronauts travel; understanding the belts’ behavior is crucial for ensuring their safety. From its high inclination, low-Earth orbit, the CubeSat — no larger than a loaf of bread — will face the tumultuous storms of the radiation belts. In particular, CeREs will examine how radiation belt electrons are energized and lost, particularly during events called microbursts — when sudden swarms of electrons stream into the atmosphere. CeREs will also inspect and characterize the high-energy particles that arrive at near-Earth space by way of the solar wind, the constant flow of charged particles from the Sun, 93 million miles away. The CubeSat was designed and built at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
The CubeSat CeREs — short for Compact Radiation Belt Explorer. Its final destination: Earth’s radiation belts. Our planet is nestled in the center of two immense doughnut-shaped rings of radiation that swell and shrink in response to solar activity. This is a dynamic region of near-Earth space through which spacecraft and astronauts travel; understanding the belts’ behavior is crucial for ensuring their safety. From its high inclination, low-Earth orbit, the CubeSat — no larger than a loaf of bread — will face the tumultuous storms of the radiation belts. In particular, CeREs will examine how radiation belt electrons are energized and lost, particularly during events called microbursts — when sudden swarms of electrons stream into the atmosphere. CeREs will also inspect and characterize the high-energy particles that arrive at near-Earth space by way of the solar wind, the constant flow of charged particles from the Sun, 93 million miles away. The CubeSat was designed and built at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.