User:Erikp1999/sandbox
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Mars Cube One (or MarCO) is a Mars flyby mission consisting of two nanospacecrafts, of a size that JPL has referred to as a "6U CubeSat", that is planned for launch in 2018 or later alongside NASA's InSight Mars lander mission. Mars Cube One is intended to provide a communications link to Earth for InSight during mission critical entry, descent, and landing when InSight will be out of sight from the Earth.[1] Mars Cube One is expected to be the first spacecraft built to the CubeSat form to operate beyond Earth orbit. CubeSats are small cubic components that are built up to create low cost, quickly developed, and easily developed satellites, perfect for operating under low earth orbit. They have many different purposes for research, including: biological endeavors, mapping missions, etc. CubeSat Technology was developed by California Polytechnic University and Stanford University, with the purpose of quick and easy projects that would allow students as make use of the technology. They are often packed as part of the payload for a larger mission, making them even more cost effective.[2]
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![]() Mechanical engineer Joel Steinkraus and systems engineer Farah Alibay, from JPL, holding a full scale model of Mars Cube One (MarCO) | |
Mission type | Communications relay |
---|---|
Operator | NASA |
Spacecraft properties | |
Spacecraft type | 6U CubeSat |
Manufacturer | JPL |
Start of mission | |
Launch date | to be announced |
Rocket | Atlas V 401 |
Launch site | Vandenberg Air Force Base SLC-3E |
Contractor | United Launch Alliance |
Orbital parameters | |
Reference system | Heliocentric |
Epoch | Planned |
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