CubeSail (UltraSail)
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This article is about the University of Illinois satellite. For the Surrey satellite, see CubeSail.
CubeSail is a low-cost spacecraft propulsion demonstration mission using two identical 1.5U CubeSat satellites to deploy a 260 m (850 ft) long, 20 m2 (220 sq ft) solar sail ribbon between them.[2] This mission is a first in a series of increasingly complex demonstrations leading up to a full-scale UltraSail heliogyro[3] by the University of Illinois and CU Aerospace.
Quick Facts Mission type, Operator ...
Mission type | Technology: solar sail propulsion |
---|---|
Operator | NASA / University of Illinois |
Website | cubesail and cuaerospace |
Spacecraft properties | |
Spacecraft type | 2 × 1.5 U CubeSats |
Manufacturer | University of Illinois |
Launch mass | ~ 3 kg |
Start of mission | |
Launch date | 16 December 2018 (2018-12-16)[1] |
Rocket | Electron |
Launch site | Rocket Lab LC-1 |
Contractor | Rocket Lab |
Orbital parameters | |
Reference system | Geocentric |
Regime | Low Earth |
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