AeroCube 3
Encyclopedia
AeroCube 3 is a single-unit CubeSat
which was built and is being operated by The Aerospace Corporation
. It is the third AeroCube satellite, 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. 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
.
AeroCube 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 metres (2 ft) balloon used for tracking tests and to increase drag, increasing the satellite's rate of orbital decay
after its mission was completed.
After launch, AeroCube-3 will remain attached to the upper stage of its carrier rocket by means of a 61 metres (200.1 ft) tether. Experiments will be conducted to determine the satellite's flight dynamics. A wide-angle camera will be used to image the upper stage. The satellite will also reel in the tether, moving closer to the upper stage.
Once the tethered experiments are complete, the tether will be cut, and the spacecraft will begin free-flying experiments. It will align itself with the Earth's magnetic field by means of magnets and hysteresis
systems. It carries a number of sensors which will be used to record information pertaining to the surface of the Earth, which will be returned using a store and dump communications system.
It was successfully launched on an Orbital Sciences Corporation
Minotaur I
rocket from Pad 0B
at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport
, at 23:55 GMT on 19 May. It was a tertiary payload, with TacSat-3
as the primary payload and PharmaSat
as the secondary. Two other CubeSats, HawkSat I
and CP-6
, were also launched, and together the three satellites were known as the CubeSat Technology Demonstration mission.
CubeSat
A CubeSat is a type of miniaturized satellite for space research that usually has a volume of exactly one liter , has a mass of no more than 1.33 kilograms, and typically uses commercial off-the-shelf electronics components...
which was built and is being operated by The Aerospace Corporation
The Aerospace Corporation
The Aerospace Corporation is a private, non-profit corporation headquartered in El Segundo, California that has operated a Federally Funded Research and Development Center for the United States Air Force since 1960...
. It is the third AeroCube satellite, 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. 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
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
Space and Missile Systems Center
Space and Missile Systems Center
The Space and Missile Systems Center is a part of Air Force Space Command of the United States Air Force. SMC is the Air Force’s product center for the development and acquisition of space and missile systems...
.
AeroCube 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 metres (2 ft) balloon used for tracking tests and to increase drag, increasing the satellite's rate of orbital decay
Orbital decay
Orbital decay is the process of prolonged reduction in the altitude of a satellite's orbit.This can be due to drag produced by an atmosphere due to frequent collisions between the satellite and surrounding air molecules. The drag experienced by the object is larger in the case of increased solar...
after its mission was completed.
After launch, AeroCube-3 will remain attached to the upper stage of its carrier rocket by means of a 61 metres (200.1 ft) tether. Experiments will be conducted to determine the satellite's flight dynamics. A wide-angle camera will be used to image the upper stage. The satellite will also reel in the tether, moving closer to the upper stage.
Once the tethered experiments are complete, the tether will be cut, and the spacecraft will begin free-flying experiments. It will align itself with the Earth's magnetic field by means of magnets and hysteresis
Hysteresis
Hysteresis is the dependence of a system not just on its current environment but also on its past. This dependence arises because the system can be in more than one internal state. To predict its future evolution, either its internal state or its history must be known. If a given input alternately...
systems. It carries a number of sensors which will be used to record information pertaining to the surface of the Earth, which will be returned using a store and dump communications system.
It was successfully launched on an Orbital Sciences Corporation
Orbital Sciences Corporation
Orbital Sciences Corporation is an American company which specializes in the manufacturing and launch of satellites. Its Launch Systems Group is heavily involved with missile defense launch systems...
Minotaur I
Minotaur I
The Minotaur I, or just Minotaur is an American expendable launch system derived from the Minuteman II missile. It is used to launch small satellites for the US Government, and is a member of the Minotaur family of rockets produced by Orbital Sciences Corporation.Minotaur I rockets consist of the...
rocket from Pad 0B
Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport Launch Pad 0
Launch Pad 0, Pad 0 or LP-0, also known as Launch Area 0 or LA-0, is a launch complex at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on Wallops Island in the United States. Prior to 2003, the complex was part of the Wallops Flight Facility. It consists of two individual launch pads, LP-0A and LP-0B...
at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport
Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport
The Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport is a commercial space launch facility located at the southern tip of NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on the Delmarva Peninsula south of Chincoteague, Virginia.-Background:...
, at 23:55 GMT on 19 May. It was a tertiary payload, with TacSat-3
TacSat-3
TacSat-3 is the third in a series of U.S. military reconnaissance satellites. It was assembled in an Air Force Research Laboratory Space Vehicles Directorate facility at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico. The TacSat satellites are all designed to demonstrate the ability to provide real-time data...
as the primary payload and PharmaSat
PharmaSat
PharmaSat is a nanosatellite developed by NASA Ames Research Center which measures the influence of microgravity upon yeast resistance to an antifungal agent...
as the secondary. Two other CubeSats, HawkSat I
HawkSat I
HawkSat I is a single-unit CubeSat which was built is being operated by the Hawk Institute for Space Sciences. It is based around a Pumpkin Incorporated CubeSat kit, and carries a technology demonstration payload, primarily as a proof-of-concept mission, testing command, data and power subsystems,...
and CP-6
CP-6
This article is about the satellite. For the operating system, see CP-6 operating systemCP-6, also known as PolySat-6, PolySat CP-6 or CalPoly 6 is a single-unit CubeSat which was built and is operated by the California Polytechnic State University. It is primarily intended to perform a technology...
, were also launched, and together the three satellites were known as the CubeSat Technology Demonstration mission.