space center – St Louis Rocketry

Want to go into space? NASA’s Artemis I mission delivers the next best thing

Chris G. Robinson — Sat, 12 Mar 2022 21:32:12 +0000

by: Heather Monahan, Nexstar Multimedia Cable

Job : March 12, 2022 / 4:32 p.m. EST
/ Update: March 12, 2022 / 4:32 p.m. EST

TAMPA, Florida (WFLA) – If you’ve ever wanted to launch into space, NASA offers what just might be the next best thing.

The agency announced on Friday that it was accepting names to fly around the moon on the next Artemis I mission. Artemis I is an uncrewed mission that will launch the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the Orion spacecraft into orbit . This will be the first flight test of the spacecraft and the rocket.

Once in space, the Orion spacecraft is put into orbit around the moon. And NASA is asking anyone interested to add their name to this trip.

A USB key will fly on board Artemis I and will carry all the names of those who register. All you have to do to add your name to the flash drive is visit the NASA website, enter your first and last name, and select a PIN. Once you do this, it automatically creates an account and generates a “boarding pass” for Artemis I.

Artemis I will take off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It doesn’t have an official launch date yet, but NASA is taking a big step towards it later this month. The Orion spacecraft and the SLS rocket – the most powerful rocket in the world – deployment of the vehicle assembly building in Kennedy for the first time on March 17. It will then arrive at Launch Complex 39B on March 18, where it will undergo heavy inspections.

“This is a mission that’s really going to do what hasn’t been done and learn what isn’t known,” said Artemis I mission manager Mike Sarafin. on the next Orion flight, pushing the boundaries of the envelope to prepare for this mission.”

Artemis I is just the first of the Artemis missions that will land the first woman and the first person of color on the moon.

NASA is preparing for the deployment of the Artemis 1 mission next week

Chris G. Robinson — Mon, 07 Mar 2022 23:16:47 +0000

Teams begin retracting the “kitchen drawer” platforms surrounding the first rocket that will launch a NASA Artemis mission to the moon.

Retracting the platforms surrounding the massive Space Launch System (SLS) rocket at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida is a key step in safely sending the rocket and spacecraft to the launch pad on March 17 before the launch of Artemis 1, which is expected to take place in May at the earliest.

The uncrewed Artemis 1 will send an Orion spacecraft around the moon, to ensure that SLS and Orion are ready for crewed missions. The first crewed Artemis mission, Artemis 2, will send astronauts around the moon in 2024, if all goes according to plan. Artemis 3 will land people on the lunar surface no sooner than 2025, although a 2026 liftoff is likely more likely given some issues identified by NASA’s Inspector General.

But for now, the focus is on Artemis 1, and preparations are underway to ready SLS and Orion for launch, NASA said in a March 2 statement. blog post. “Teams continue to install instrumentation on the two SLS solid rocket boosters inside the VAB,” the post read, referring to KSC’s cavernous vehicle assembly building.

Related: NASA’s Artemis 1 lunar mission explained in photos

Such sensors will allow engineers to virtually taxi with the rocket and spacecraft during their four-mile (6.5 kilometer) deployment to Launch Complex 39B and monitor the mission’s progress as it prepares for launch. launch.

Once on the pad, the SLS-Orion stack will return a plethora of systems data, including the rocket, spacecraft, and deployment ground gear. Thruster loading and other pad activity will also be captured.

The SLS-Orion stack still needs to pass a wet dress rehearsal — a test of most of the steps that will be completed on launch day — to be ready for liftoff. The launch of Artemis 1 has been repeatedly pushed back due to technical issues and other scheduling factors. The rehearsal in wetsuit is scheduled around two weeks after Artemis 1 arrives on the pad, which puts the procedure at the end of March at the earliest.

If successful, the Artemis program will be the first series of missions to send humans to the moon since the half-dozen Apollo flights that landed on the lunar surface between 1969 and 1972. The 50th anniversary of the last lunar mission with crew, Apollo 17, will be in December 2022.

Follow Elizabeth Howell on Twitter @howellspace. Follow us on twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.

Student rocket scientists win $10,000 pitch competition at UCF Technology Ventures Symposium

Chris G. Robinson — Tue, 22 Feb 2022 21:05:31 +0000

Breakthrough rocket engine technology developed by students at a University of Central Florida engineering lab won a grand prize of $10,000 at the UCF Technology Ventures Symposium, a one-day virtual event on Feb. 17 bringing together Orlando’s innovators, entrepreneurs and investors.

Hosted by UCF’s College of Engineering and Computer Science, UTVS 2022 was organized by faculty, staff, and alumni from across the university. The day featured inspirational speakers, engaging panelists, specialist tracks to encourage networking and tech discovery, and a startup pitch competition with seven early-stage tech companies vying for the top prize.

Aerospace engineering graduate student Adam Kotler won the pitch with his company Halo Engines LLC, amid strong competitors eager to grow their businesses with products as diverse as high-tech, eco-friendly fabric, video surveillance powered by artificial intelligence and a social network. commerce based menu ordering application.

Kotler, co-founder of Halo Engines, touted his company’s rotary detonation rocket engine as the future of space vehicle engines. As a student, Kotler and business partner Robert Burke ’19 ’20MSalso a graduate student in aerospace engineering, worked with academic advisor Kareem Ahmed at UCF’s Propulsion and Energy Research Laboratory to develop the technology into solutions for the growing space launch industry.

“Our solutions will reduce development and launch costs for military and commercial customers,” says Kotler, who is currently working on master’s and doctorate degrees in aerospace engineering. “Halo unlocks next-generation burn cycles that will reduce propellant usage and simplify design architecture, resulting in lower costs and expanded mission and payload capabilities.”

This pitch impressed the judges from UTVS, a group of experienced Central Florida-based entrepreneurs and technology investors.

“Halo Engines gave a compelling and informative presentation,” says symposium organizer Benjamin Patz ’85MS, former UCF engineer and co-founding partner of DeepWork Capital. “Recent, never-before-seen results with the engine technology were key to the judges awarding the top prize to the Halo team amid fierce competition. We hope the team will continue to advance this unique technology.

Kotler says the $10,000 award will be used to retain expert contract writers to maximize Halo Engines’ potential to land multimillion-dollar awards for the Small Business Administration with the Phase I and Phase II proposals. .

Two additional early-stage startups – Soarce, a high-tech fabric company pitched by UCF students Mason Mincey and Derek Saltzman; and TumYum, a menu-ordering mobile app company pitched by UCF student Alexander Damis and entrepreneur Rafe Monteiro — both won awards. Their price includes access to the UTVS Mentorship Network: a group of successful local entrepreneurs and technology investors who help start-up entrepreneurs grow their business.

“Soarce presented an impassioned plea to reduce carbon impact with a revolutionary fiber-waste fabric with truly impressive properties,” says Patz. “TumYum captured the imaginations (and appetites) of the judges with a presentation that had real personality.”

Visit the UTVS website to learn about the full list of presenters for the 2022 symposium, including the keynote speaker Eric Singleton ’86, co-founder, Strax Networks; main speaker Kathleen Loftin ’89 ’00MS ’09PhD, chief technologist of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center; featured speaker Christina Drake ’07PhD, Founder/CEO, Kismet Technologies; and featured speaker Tommy ’00 ’02MS razorsFounder/CEO, NESTRE Health & Performance.

Visitors to the UTVS website are encouraged to return often as recorded presentations from the symposium will be added to the 2022 UTVS Video Hall of Fame in the days and weeks ahead.

Watch the UTVS promotional video to learn more about the UCF Technology Ventures Symposium.

Musk ‘confident’ about Starship orbital launch this year

Chris G. Robinson — Sun, 20 Feb 2022 04:19:42 +0000

STARBASE, United States: Elon Musk provided an update on SpaceX’s efforts to develop its Starship interplanetary rocket on Thursday evening, but refrained from announcing a firm launch date for an orbital test or new missions, despite considerable buildup ahead of the rare presentation.

Speaking to an audience at the company’s Starbase facility near Boca Chica, South Texas, the tycoon simply said, “I’m very confident at this point that we’ll get to orbit this year,” while hinting at a potential pivot to launch from Florida if the company encounters regulatory hurdles.

Musk spoke against the impressive backdrop of the spacecraft in its fully stacked configuration, 120 meters (394 feet) high, with a matte black upper stage atop a shimmering silver Super Heavy first stage rocket.

Together they form the largest spacecraft ever built: larger than even the Saturn V rockets that took astronauts to the Moon in the Apollo era.

Made of stainless steel and designed to be fully reusable, Starship is also intended to be the most powerful rocket in the world and will be capable of lifting up to 100 metric tons into Earth orbit.

SpaceX envisions the ship carrying crew and cargo to the Moon, Mars and beyond, and last year NASA awarded the company a contract for a version of Starship to ferry astronauts for the Artemis program from the Moon. lunar orbit on the surface.

$10 million launches?

In his first detailed progress report on the project since 2019, Musk recapped his ultimate vision for colonizing Mars as “life insurance” in the event of disaster on Earth, and as the first step to expanding Mars’ footprint. humanity beyond the solar system.

The speech was peppered with dry humor, like his “sales pitch” for Mars: “It’s going to be cramped, dangerous, difficult, very harsh word, you could die”, although he hopes to eventually terraform the planet Red.

Musk also included a few updates for fans, like an illustration of how one spacecraft would be sent to refuel another on deep space travel, and the advantage of thrust and the neater design. of the latest generation of Raptor engines compared to the first iteration.

Each Starship booster is expected to have 33 Raptors, and a bottleneck in production is expected to ease in the coming weeks, with up to one engine manufactured per day by next month, Musk said.

He also revealed that within a few years the launch cost could be as low as $10 million, a price that could revolutionize the industry by making rockets attractive for commercial transport.

A flight to Singapore from the United States takes 20 hours “whereas in a rocket it would take less than an hour. So about 45 minutes or thereabouts.

Starship’s upper stage has already made several suborbital flights. After multiple tests that ended in impressive explosions, SpaceX finally managed to land the spacecraft last May.

Possible pivot to Florida

But a much more ambitious orbital test awaits environmental impact clearance from the Federal Aviation Administration. The FAA said in a December statement that it would submit a report by February 28.

Musk said that while he was optimistic about the approval, he was ready to move launch operations to the company’s launch site at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, if successful.

Former deep-sea oil rigs the company has acquired to convert into rocket and land launch sites could also come into play, he added.

Beyond exploration missions, Starship’s huge payload capacity could also be a boon for astronomers looking to place larger telescopes in space, while the US military has given SpaceX a contract five years to demonstrate its ability to transport cargo around the world in an ultra-fast way. time.

Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa has hired Starship for a trip around the moon with a team of artists, and Musk hinted that there will soon be “future announcements that I think people will be pretty excited about,” without saying disclose more.

SpaceX postpones weekend Falcon 9 rocket launch at Kennedy Space Center to Monday – WFTV

Chris G. Robinson — Sat, 19 Feb 2022 18:35:03 +0000

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — A rocket launch scheduled for this weekend has been moved to Monday, according to SpaceX.

READ: The billionaire who flew SpaceX last year returning to orbit

SpaceX announced Saturday afternoon that a Falcon 9 rocket launch scheduled for Sunday has been postponed to Monday.

The company said the delay was due to weather issues for the recovery of the rocket’s first stage.

Space X IN SPACE – FEBRUARY 8: In this photo provided by SpaceX, a Tesla roadster launched from the Falcon Heavy rocket with a dummy pilot named ‘Starman’ heads for Mars. (Photo by SpaceX via Getty Images) (Handout/Getty Images)

Launch is now scheduled for Monday at 9:44 a.m. from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

WATCH: Elon Musk says SpaceX’s Starship spacecraft will launch from Kennedy Space Center

This launch is part of SpaceX’s Starlink mission.

SpaceX said Starlink’s goal is to create a network of satellites that will help deliver internet services to those not yet connected and deliver reliable, affordable internet around the world.

READ: SpaceX satellites fall out of orbit after solar storm

If the Falcon 9 rocket is launched, Eyewitness News will be covered live on Channel 9.

Click here to download the free WFTV news and weather apps, and Click here to watch the latest news on your Smart TV.

End of Lockheed bid for Aerojet Rocketdyne could impact space and missile markets, experts say

Chris G. Robinson — Tue, 15 Feb 2022 17:34:31 +0000

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Aerojet Rocketdyne tested an RS-25 engine for NASA’s Space Launch System moon rocket at Stennis Space Center in Mississippi in 2017. Photo courtesy of Aerojet Rocketdyne

ORLANDO, Fla., Feb. 15 (UPI) — Lockheed Martin, the largest US defense contractor, has dropped its bid to buy rocket engine maker Aerojet Rocketdyne, but experts said another suitor could emerge.

The Sacramento-based Aerojet has produced engines for the Space Shuttle, is working on engines for NASA’s upcoming moon rockets and is also developing hypersonic missile systems for the US military.

Lockheed said Monday it was abandoning the proposed merger because the Federal Trade Commission filed a lawsuit to block the deal over concerns that Maryland-based Lockheed could gain a stranglehold on production of missiles.

But the end of Lockheed’s bid doesn’t mean someone else won’t come along to buy Aerojet, according to Cynthia Cook, director of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington, DC-based think tank.

“It wouldn’t be surprising if Aerojet ended up being taken over by another company – the fact that they agreed to be taken over by Lockheed Martin indicates that they are open to this, even though they issued a statement saying that they would continue as an independent company,” Cook, who leads the center’s defense industry initiatives group, told UPI.

And although the Biden administration has signaled it will oppose anti-competitive consolidation in the defense industry, Lockheed and other contractors may soon seek other acquisition targets, she said. .

“It’s too early for us to know how the Biden administration will handle similar deals in the defense sector. We need a few more examples before we can draw any conclusions,” Cook said.

Aerojet Rocketdyne is best known for producing RS-25 rocket engines that powered the Space Shuttle, while it modified those for use on NASA’s new SLS moon rocket. The space agency is preparing to launch an uncrewed SLS this spring.

Aerojet is also working on engines for hypersonic missile systems, a niche where it has only one other US competitor, Virginia-based Northrop Grumman.

Lockheed CEO James Taiclet said in a statement on Monday that the purchase of Aerojet “would have benefited the entire industry through greater efficiency, greater speed and significant cost reductions for the American government”. But he said the company doesn’t want to file a federal lawsuit against the FTC.

The FTC had argued that buying Aerojet would have allowed Lockheed to cut off other contractors from critical components needed to build missiles.

“Without competitive pressure, Lockheed can raise the price the U.S. government must pay, while delivering lower quality and less innovation. We cannot afford to allow additional focus on markets critical to our security and our national defenses,” said Holly, director of the FTC’s Competition Bureau. Vedova said in a press release.

But trying to block Lockheed’s deal makes no sense if the government wants to see Aerojet Rocketdyne thrive, Marco Cáceres, space analyst for Virginia-based Teal Group, told UPI in an interview.

It’s important to recognize that Aerojet faces stiff competition for Elon Musk’s SpaceX rocket engines, many small launch vehicles and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, Cáceres said.

SpaceX makes its own rocket engines, while Blue Origin is trying to develop a new engine for United Launch Alliance, which is jointly owned by Lockheed and Boeing.

These new space companies, however, have shown no interest in building missile engines, he noted.

“The only thing the government should do to promote competition and provide more diversity in terms of competitive launch is precisely to have authorized” the merger, he said.

“I think you stand to lose Boeing and Lockheed, two big historical companies in launch services, because they just can’t compete on price with SpaceX, they don’t have the reusable technology either,” said Caceres.

The International Space Station is pictured from the SpaceX Crew Dragon Endeavor during a flyby of the orbiting laboratory that took place after it undocked from the space-facing port of the Harmony module on November 8. Photo courtesy of NASA

Progress continues on NASA’s massive SLS rocket ahead of Artemis I launch

Chris G. Robinson — Sat, 12 Feb 2022 13:19:51 +0000

This artist’s rendering shows an aerial view of NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket liftoff. Credit: NASA/MSFC

Work continues inside the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at Nasa‘s Kennedy Space Center in Florida in preparation for the Artemis I wet dress rehearsal test, currently scheduled for next month. Teams installed the flight termination system on the rocket and worked on the first of a two-part test of the system.

For safety reasons, all rockets must have a flight termination system that the Space Launch Delta 45 can use to terminate the flight if necessary. After the rocket and spacecraft systems have been checked out during the rehearsal wetsuit tests, the 322-foot-tall rocket will return to the VAB for final inspections and checkouts, including the second part of the test of the flight termination system, before returning to the pad for launch.

Teams with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems and contractor Jacobs lower the Space Launch System‘s core stage – the largest part of the rocket – onto the mobile launcher, between the two solid rocket boosters, inside of High Bay 3 of the Kennedy Space Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA Center in Florida on June 12, 2021. Credit: NASA/Cory Huston

In addition to working on the flight termination system, the team is installing instrumentation on both solid rocket boosters and the core stage, as well as the instrumentation needed for the wet dress rehearsal deployment.

Artemis I is a flight test, and engineers will collect as much data as possible on the performance of all systems that are part of the Space Launch System (SLS) and the Orion spacecraft as well as Kennedy ground systems that support the vehicle during deployment, wetsuit rehearsal, and launch. Not only will this be the first integrated flight for SLS and Orion, but it will be the first use of many new ground systems.

Thousands of sensors and special instruments will monitor the rocket and spacecraft as they make the four-mile journey to Launch Complex 39B next month. The team is also working on inspecting and installing thermal blankets on the main stage motor section.

Next, the team plans to power up the Orion spacecraft as part of flight termination system testing, then close the spacecraft’s hatch after shutting it down.

Florida Astra rocket launch fails after failed second attempt

Chris G. Robinson — Mon, 07 Feb 2022 22:16:26 +0000

Astra on Monday canceled its second first-time launch attempt from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

The scrub followed a launchpad abort shortly after the company was ignited 40-foot rocket, which the company calls Rocket 3.3 LV0008, or simply “Rocket”.

The abort occurred 50 minutes into the available three-hour launch window, giving time to try again, but business civil servants ultimately decided to wait another day.

astra, did not immediately announce a new targeted launch opportunity. The company’s founder and CEO, Chris Kemp, said on Twitter: “While we considered another attempt today, out of an abundance of caution, we are giving the team time to conduct a more comprehensive review of the data. ”

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Astra completed its final countdown sequence and transfer to internal power at T-60 seconds. But after a successful ignition sequence of all engines, the computers automatically shut down the engines due to a “minor telemetry glitch”.

Rubbed attempt follows Saturday’s First Launch Opportunity which was canceled due to a failure of a range radar.

The mission, Educational Launch of Nanosatellites (ELaNa 41), is Astra’s first for NASA. It features a payload of four miniature satellites known as CubeSats. Three of the small payloads were designed and developed by universities, while the last was developed by NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

As well as being Astra’s first mission to NASA, it will also be the first satellite deployment for the company and its first launch from Cape Canaveral.

So far, Astra has only conducted launch operations from the Pacific Spaceport Complex in Kodiak, Alaska.

The California-based company’s first successful orbital test flight took place from Alaska in November 2021 aboard the previous iteration of its launch vehicle, Rocket 3.2 LV0007. Although the launcher was able to reach orbit, no payload was deployed.

Astra’s stated mission is to build cheap, easy-to-fly rockets using off-the-shelf parts and methods. At just 40 feet tall, Astra’s rocket is much smaller than those typically launched from Cape Town. SpaceX’s Falcon 9, for example, is 230 feet tall.

From start to finish, Astra’s Rocket 3.3 and its necessary supporting equipment are compact enough to be installed and shipped in standard shipping containers. “We can really get a pad up and running in days with a red team of about five people,” said Carolina Grossman, director of product management at Astra. “We really design our system to be as agile as possible,” she continued.

Having fun: Greenfield man experiences rocket launch for podcast – The Daily Reporter

Chris G. Robinson — Thu, 03 Feb 2022 04:00:00 +0000

Chuck Fields took this photo of a January 13 rocket launch in Florida.

Photo submitted

Editor’s note: The Daily Reporter will feature our “neighbours” every month, whether it’s someone with an interesting hobby or profession, or a non-profit group that does a difference in our community. Here, Greenfield resident Chuck Fields shares his podcast and the opportunity to witness a rocket launch at Kennedy Space Center on Jan. 13 that put 105 small satellites into orbit. Fields, a Cincinnati native, has lived in Greenfield for 10 years. If you know a person or group you would like to see featured in Neighbours, email [email protected]

Daily Reporter: Tell us about your podcast.

Chuck Fields: I created my “Your Space Journey” podcast a few years ago. It’s actually a spinoff of my “Online Coffee Break” podcast that I started in 2018. I had such a tremendous response to my space episodes that I created “Your Space Journey” to focus about the incredible current events in space exploration and the incredible people leading us. I’ve had the chance to cover multiple launches, some up close and some from afar, including interviews with current astronauts from SpaceX’s latest crewed missions. The podcast is available on all popular podcast apps; more information is available at YourSpaceJourney.com.

DR: How did you become interested in space exploration?

CF: My interest in astronomy and space exploration started at the age of 12 when I received my first telescope for Christmas (in 1979). It was actually quite a difficult time for my family. We lost my sister Traci (16) to leukemia on Christmas Eve. I turned to astronomy and space exploration to help me grieve, but I also developed a great passion for it, which I still have to this day.

DR: Why were you invited to attend the launch of SpaceX Transporter 3 on January 13?

CF: I applied to attend several weeks ago, using my podcast credentials. It certainly doesn’t guarantee an invite, but in this case, two days before launch, I found out that my invite had been accepted. I happened to be in Florida at the time, so I took a two-hour jaunt to Kennedy Space Center (and luckily was able to take the day off to attend!).

DR: How was the experience?

CF: I had the wonderful pleasure of watching this incredible launch from the US Space Force station about three miles from where SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket was. This Transporter 3 mission carried 105 satellites and was the first launch from Cape Canaveral that landed the Booster ashore, in Landing Zone 1 just one mile from the launch pad.

It was the third time I had the chance to witness a make-up landing. Watching a rocket take off is almost indescribable, feeling the incredible sound rumble through your bones as you watch the rocket soar higher and higher. But then to see the booster come apart and watch it “fall in style,” as Buzz Lightyear would say, is just amazing. As if that weren’t enough, we were treated to a sonic boom as the booster approached the landing pad, slowing enough to break the sound barrier.

This booster – B1058, flew for the tenth time, the third such booster from SpaceX to do so. This was the second time I saw this booster fly. I last saw it for the Starlink L20 mission in March 2021. Historically, this booster is famous for first flying on SpaceX Demo2, the company’s first crewed mission, with Bob and Doug.

DR: What do you do with the photos and the experience?

I like to share the experience with others and, of course, I like to take good photos. It’s not easy to do! I had the chance to cover the launch of SpaceX Inspiration 4, the first all-civilian space mission last September. I had two remote cameras on the launchpad and neither got a decent photo. I’m also a part-time coding teacher, and for Inspiration 4 I was able to livestream the Kennedy Space Center launch to my class.

DR: What’s next for you and your podcast?

I’m lining up some new guests and subjects for Season 3 of “Your Space Journey,” and hope to be looking forward to covering a few more launches this year. I would really love to help spread the excitement with others and hopefully help encourage children and adults to believe that we have a bright future ahead of us. We just need to allow ourselves to dream, think positive, and enjoy the ride, even if it’s through a camera.

Launch date set for NASA’s CubeSat mission aboard Astra Space’s 3.3 rocket – Parabolic Arc

Chris G. Robinson — Wed, 02 Feb 2022 02:44:20 +0000

Rocket 3 takes off from Kodiak Island. (Credit: Astra Space webcast)

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. (NASA PR) – NASA’s first mission under the agency’s Venture Class Launch Services (VCLS) Demonstration Contract 2 is scheduled to launch four CubeSats into space no earlier than February 5, 2022. The CubeSats, which make up the agency’s 41st Educational Nanosatellite Launch (ELaNa) mission will be the first VCLS launch from Space Launch Complex 46 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida and the first operational satellite launch of Astra Space Inc aboard its 3.3 rocket.

“As the first VCLS mission to lift off from the Florida Space Coast, this launch opens up new opportunities for CubeSat developers and small-class launch vehicle vendors,” said Hamilton Fernandez, Mission Manager supporting the program. launch services. “Through our commercial partners, NASA offers dedicated routes to space for CubeSats, which helps achieve the agency’s goals of carrying smaller payloads and science missions into orbit.”

Three universities and a NASA center have developed CubeSats, which are a type of small satellite. They are:

BAMA-1– University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa

BAMA-1 is a technology demonstration mission that will perform an in-flight demonstration of a drag sail module by rapidly de-orbiting the satellite. Spacecraft equipped with trailing sail technology will be able to deorbit reliably and quickly, reducing space debris and risk to operational satellites, space stations, and manned vehicles.

INCA – New Mexico State University, Las Cruces

INCA (Ionospheric Neutron Content Analyzer) is a scientific investigation mission that will for the first time investigate the latitude and time dependencies of the neutron spectrum in low Earth orbit in order to improve current space weather models and mitigate the threats to space and airborne assets. The measurements will come from a new directional neutron spectrometer, which is being developed in collaboration with NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center and the University of New Hampshire.

QubeSat – University of California, Berkeley

QubeSat is a technology demonstration mission. He will test and characterize the effects of space conditions on quantum gyroscopes using nitrogen vacancy centers in diamond. Nitrogen vacancy centers are nitrogen defect points in diamond with quantum properties that allow scientists to form gyroscopes that measure angular velocity. Technologies based on nitrogen vacancy centers are particularly well suited to space due to their high accuracy, small form factor, and radiation tolerance.

R5-S1 – NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston

R5-S1 is intended to demonstrate a fast and cost-effective way to build successful CubeSats in addition to demonstrating some technologies that are important for inspection in space, which could help make crewed space exploration safer and more efficient. R5-S1 could prove a cheaper way to demonstrate crucial technologies such as high-performance computers, cameras, algorithms and a new way for satellites to transmit images to the ground.

The CubeSats for the ELaNa 41 mission were selected through NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative (CSLI) and assigned to the mission by NASA’s Kennedy-based Launch Services Program. CSLI provides launch opportunities for small satellite payloads built by universities, high schools, NASA centers and non-profit organizations.

To date, NASA has selected more than 200 CubeSat missions, more than 100 of which have launched into space, with more than 30 missions scheduled for launch within the next 12 months. The selected CubeSats represent participants from 42 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and 102 unique organizations.

Stay connected with these CubeSat missions on social media by following NASA’s Launch Services Program on Facebook and Twitter.