April 26, 2024

NASA Announces Latest Candidates for CubeSat Space Missions

An overall of 4 CubeSats were deployed from the International Space Station on the ELaNa38 Mission. Credit: NASA
NASA has actually chosen 8 small research study satellites from seven states to fly as either auxiliary payloads or implementations from the International Space Station (ISS). These missions are presently prepared to introduce in the 2023-2026 timeframe. The chosen CubeSats were proposed by educational institutions, not-for-profit organizations, and NASA centers in action to NASAs CubeSat Launch Initiative (CSLI) call for proposals provided on August 9, 2021.
” CSLI fosters development in the science and innovation neighborhood by releasing CubeSats built by varied companies– from middle schools to NASA Centers,” said Samantha Johnson, Launch Services Office, NASA Headquarters. “These collaborations benefit NASA, industrial launch partners, and individuals by supplying a low-priced pathway to introduce small satellites performing clinical investigations, innovation presentations, Earth observation, and more.”
NASA has picked 8 small research satellites from 7 states to fly as either auxiliary payloads or implementations from the International Space Station during the 2023-2026 timeframe. Credit: NASA
CubeSats are a type of area research study nanosatellite. In their smallest form, they measure about 4 inches on each side, weigh less than 3 pounds, and have an approximate volume of one quart. CubeSats are constructed using these standard dimensions or units (U) and are typically classified as 1U, 2U, 3U, 6U, or 12U in overall size. Each chosen CubeSat proposition was required to attend to elements of the companys science, innovation advancement, or education objectives.

Release opportunities for the selectees are supplied through the Educational Launch of Nanosatellites (ELaNa) objectives assisted in by NASAs Launch Services Program (LSP). Picked CubeSats will release aboard prepared spaceflight missions led by NASA, other U.S. federal government firms, or commercial organizations with coordination from LSP. After launch, the CubeSats will deploy into orbit from either the launch lorry or the International Space Station.
An overall of four CubeSats were released from the International Space Station on the ELaNa38 Mission. Credit: NASA
CSLI 13th Round CubeSat Selections
The companies and the CubeSats chosen throughout this selection round are:

To date, 210 CubeSat objectives from 42 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico have actually been picked, and 134 CubeSat missions have actually launched into area through ELaNa rideshare opportunities.

Arizona State University– Star-Planet Activity Research CubeSat (SPARCS) is devoted to photometric monitoring of M stars in the far-ultraviolet (UV) and near-UV, measuring the time-dependent spectral slope, intensity and evolution of M-star stellar UV radiation. SPARCS will constantly observe each chosen target over at least one total excellent rotation (5-45 days). SPARCS will also advance UV detector technology by flying high quantum effectiveness (QE), UV-optimized detectors established at Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign– The Virtual Super-Resolution Optics with Reconfigurable Swarms (VISORS) development will image the solar corona at the resolution required to identify the presence of hypothesized heat-release bands. These scientific phenomena might explain why the corona displays such suddenly big temperature levels. By separating the telescope components across two spacecraft, the VISORS development avoids the scaling issue which restricts standard coronal imagers and collects premium images at a fraction of the expense.
NASA Langley Research Center– ARCSTONE will provide more precise lunar spectral reflectance measurements to establish an absolute lunar calibration standard for past, present, and future Earth observing sensors. The goal of this project is to demonstrate in-space recognition of a method for establishing the Moon as an accurate referral for on-orbit calibration of reflected solar instruments.
California Polytechnic State University– Additively Manufactured Deployable Radiator with Oscillating Heat Pipes (AMDROHPSat) main objective is to show making use of a brand-new generation of deployable radiators in low-Earth orbit (LEO). The presentation of this technology will enable small satellite mission with greater thermal restraints to run in LEO and beyond.
Olin College– The Space Weather Atmospheric Reconfigurable Multiscale Experiment (SWARM-EX) task supplies a crucial action in the development of developing and designing CubeSat constellations for area weather condition. SWARM-EX will include three identical CubeSats with unique innovations for radio interactions between satellites, onboard propulsion, advanced information downlinks, and self-governing operations within the constellation. Each satellite will measure ionized and neutral gases in the Earths upper atmosphere, studying structures seen near the equator.
University of New Hampshire– The 3U3-A measures speeding up electrons and ultraviolet (UV) emissions in the auroral and cusp areas of Earth. These measurements are integrated with other measurements of the interplanetary conditions to examine how the polar regions of Earths atmosphere react to varying solar wind conditions and particle precipitation. The proposed work offers undergraduate students experience in area physics and engineering by letting them lead a CubeSat mission in all stages of the objective life cycle, from style to information analysis. In addition to its academic objective, 3U3-A has a secondary clinical objective of advancing our understanding of Earths atmosphere in the polar LEO.
Utah State University– The Active Cooling for Multispectral Earth Sensors (ACMES) mission is to all at once verify 2 new technologies, each representing an important advance in satellite remote noticing capability for Earth science. The first technology is the Active Thermal Architectures (ATA) and the second innovation is the HyTI (Hyperspectral Thermal Imager). ACMES includes two student technology demonstrations, the Filter Incidence Narrowband Infrared Spectrometer (FINIS) and the Planer Langmuir/Impedance Diagnostic (PLAID).
Arizona State University– The Deployable Optical Receiver Aperture (DORA) objective will carry out a technology presentation of a widefield infrared laser interaction terminal for small satellites. The brand-new technology allows communication networks in cis-lunar space and new mission classes, including constellations of little satellites for clinical investigations.

The selected CubeSats were proposed by educational organizations, not-for-profit organizations, and NASA centers in response to NASAs CubeSat Launch Initiative (CSLI) call for propositions provided on August 9, 2021.
CubeSats are a type of space research study nanosatellite. Olin College– The Space Weather Atmospheric Reconfigurable Multiscale Experiment (SWARM-EX) job provides an important step in the advancement of creating and constructing CubeSat constellations for area weather. SWARM-EX will consist of three similar CubeSats with unique innovations for radio communications in between satellites, onboard propulsion, advanced data downlinks, and self-governing operations within the constellation. The proposed work provides undergraduate students experience in space physics and engineering by letting them lead a CubeSat objective in all phases of the objective life cycle, from style to information analysis.