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RAIKO (Japanese: 雷鼓, literally thunder drum) is a Japanese satellite which was built and operated by Tohoku and Wakayama Universities. A two-unit CubeSat, RAIKO was deployed from the International Space Station (ISS) on 4 October 2012, having been launched on 21 July 2012.
| Mission type | Technology demonstration |
|---|---|
| Operator | Tohoku University Wakayama University |
| COSPAR ID | 2012-038B (1998-067CN) |
| SATCAT no. | 38852 |
| Mission duration | 284 days (achieved) 100 days (planned) |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | CubeSat |
| Manufacturer | Tohoku University Wakayama University |
| Launch mass | 2 kg (4.4 lb) |
| Dimensions | 10 cm x 10 cm x 20 cm (2U) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 21 July 2012, 02:06:18 UTC[1] |
| Rocket | H-IIB F3 |
| Launch site | Tanegashima, Yoshinobu LC-Y2 |
| Contractor | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries |
| Deployed from | ISS Kibō Delivered by Kounotori 3 |
| Deployment date | 4 October 2012, 15:44:15.297 UTC |
| End of mission | |
| Last contact | 15 July 2013 |
| Decay date | 6 August 2013 [2] |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit[2] |
| Regime | Low Earth orbit |
| Inclination | 51.65° |
RAIKO was launched aboard the Kounotori 3 (HTV-3) spacecraft,[3] atop an H-IIB launch vehicle flying from pad LC-Y2 of the Yoshinobu Launch Complex at the Tanegashima Space Center. The launch occurred at 02:06:18 UTC on 21 July 2012.[1] Four other CubeSats were launched with RAIKO; WE WISH, FITSAT-1, TechEdSat-1 and F-1. The five CubeSats was delivered to the International Space Station for deployment. CubeSats were deployed from Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) Kibō via the J-SSOD system on 4 October 2012.[4][5]
Named after a Japanese god of thunder,[6] RAIKO is a 2 kg (4.4 lb) spacecraft, which was used for technology demonstration. It carries a camera with a fish-eye lens for Earth imaging,[7] a prototype star tracker, a deployable membrane to slow the satellite, lowering its orbit, a photographic system to measure the satellite's movement relative to the International Space Station, and a Ku-band antenna for communications and Doppler ranging experiments.[8]
WE WISH, RAIKO, FITSat 1, F-1, and TechEdSat-1 travelled to orbit aboard Kounotori 3 (HTV-3).[9]
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