NASA – Small Satellite Missions

NASA, Universities to Study Earth’s Soil, Use New Technology in Orbit

Image shows Arizona State University student Marco Lalonde stows the DORA solar panels in preparation for flight — Arizona State University student Marco Lalonde stows the DORA solar panels in preparation for flight. Photo credit: Danny Jacobs

NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative soon will send two CubeSats to the International Space Station as cargo on the 21st Northrop Grumman commercial resupply mission.

CySat-1, designed and built by students from Iowa State University, measures Earth’s soil moisture content from low Earth orbit. The measurements will be taken with a software-defined radiometer, a system that uses software to process analog radio signals. Students will create computer programs to analyze those signals to determine levels of moisture in the soil present on the Earth. As Iowa State University’s first CubeSat, CySat-1 will be a technology demonstrator for future CubeSat missions.

Students at Arizona State University and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California developed DORA (Deployable Optical Receiver Aperture), a new technology CubeSat.

In the past, small satellites required precision pointing and only achieved low data transmissions in gathering information. The technology will demonstrate new optical communications without precision pointing and use a solid-state photon detector to gather high data rates using wide-field optical receivers. To test the detector’s performance, DORA will measure the background light from reflected sunlight, moonlight, and city lights when deployed from the space station into low Earth orbit.

The two demonstrations, CySat-1 and DORA, are both 3U CubeSats, a class of small satellites. The cube-shaped spacecraft are sized in standardized units, or Us, typically up to 12U. One CubeSat unit is defined as a volume of about 10x10x10 cm in size and typically weighs less than 2 kilograms.

The satellites will be released from the International Space Station using the Nanoracks CubeSat Deployer. One of the space station’s arms grabs and points the deployer in the proper direction to release the CubeSats into orbit.

Launch of the Cygnus spacecraft is targeted at 11:28 a.m. EDT Saturday, Aug. 3, on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

NASA’s Space Weather CubeSat Rides on Ariane 6 Rocket

CURIE (CubeSat Radio Interferometry Experiment) will launch as a rideshare payload on the inaugural flight of ESA’s (European Space Agency) Arianespace Ariane 6 rocket to provide observations of solar radio waves critical for greater understanding of space weather. Photo credit: ESA

NASA will provide the CURIE (CubeSat Radio Interferometry Experiment) as a rideshare payload on the ESA (European Space Agency) inaugural flight of the Arianespace Ariane 6 rocket to provide a glimpse into the primary drivers of space weather. Launch is targeted for July 9 from Europe’s Spaceport, the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, in French Guiana.

Designed by Dr. David Sundkvist and a team from the University of California, Berkeley, CURIE is a radio interferometer comprising two 3U CubeSats that will launch bolted together as one before separating into two later in orbit. The experiment’s two CubeSats will provide two separate vantage points to measure the same radio waves coming from the Sun and other sources in the sky.

The CubeSats will study radio burst emissions from solar eruptive events such as flares and coronal mass ejections in the inner heliosphere – the region between the Sun and Jupiter. The ejections drive space weather often contributing to dramatic aurora events, and disrupting orbiting satellites, power grids, and communications on Earth.

The mission is the first of its kind to measure radio waves in the 0.1-19 MHz frequency range from space. It serves as an experimental platform and pathfinder in the development of new space-based radio observation techniques. NASA’s Science Mission Directorate funds and manages the mission through the Heliophysics Flight Opportunities for Research and Technology activity.

Earth’s ionosphere absorbs the particular radio waves CURIE will study – a region of charged gases 30 to 400 miles above the planet’s surface. The satellites will need an orbit around 360 miles above Earth to reduce radio wave blockage.

“NASA and ESA share a collaborative and mutually beneficial working relationship and are in constant communication about potential spacecraft and launch opportunities between the two agencies,” said Norman Phelps, mission manager with NASA’s Launch Services Program at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. “ESA notified NASA it could provide a slot on the Ariane 6 if there was a CubeSat compatible with the orbital parameters and launch window, and after a thorough search, CURIE was selected.”

NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative (CSLI) manifested CURIE on the Ariane 6 after the agency selected the small satellite during the 11th round of CSLI candidates in 2020.

Since its inception, NASA’s CSLI has launched more than 150 CubeSats on a myriad of rockets and worked with more than 200 institutions and organizations, providing a low-cost way to conduct scientific investigations and technology demonstrations in space.

Firefly Aerospace Reschedules CubeSat Launch After Scrub

Firefly Aerospace’s Alpha rocket carrying eight CubeSats as part of NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative’s (CSLI) ELaNa (Educational Launch of Nanosatellites) 43 mission rolls out of the company’s Payload Processing Facility to Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, on Sunday, June 30, 2024. Firefly Aerospace is one of three companies selected to fly small satellites to space under NASA’s Launch Services Program Venture-Class Launch Services Demonstration 2 (VCLS Demo 2) contract awarded in December 2020. — Firefly Aerospace’s Alpha rocket carrying eight CubeSats as part of NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative’s (CSLI) ELaNa (Educational Launch of Nanosatellites) 43 mission stands vertical at Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, on Monday, July 1, 2024. Photo credit: Firefly Aerospace

An issue with ground equipment caused a launch scrub at the last second for eight small satellite missions on a rideshare to space. NASA and Firefly Aerospace now are targeting 9:03 p.m. PDT, July 2 (12:03 a.m. EDT, July 3) for the launch of the CubeSats as part of NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative’s (CSLI) ELaNa (Educational Launch of Nanosatellites) 43.

Firefly Aerospace’s “Noise of Summer” will launch on an Alpha rocket from Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

Launch Update for NASA’s ELaNa 43 CubeSats

NASA and Firefly Aerospace are now targeting 9:03 p.m. PDT, July 1 (12:03 a.m. EDT, July 2) for the launch of eight CubeSats as part of NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative’s (CSLI) ELaNa (Educational Launch of Nanosatellites) 43.

Firefly Aerospace’s “Noise of Summer” will launch on an Alpha rocket from Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

NASA’s ELaNa 43 CubeSats to Launch on Firefly’s Alpha Rocket

Image of Technicians from the University of Maine prepare CubeSat MESAT-1 for integration at Firefly’s Payload Processing Facility at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California on Monday, April 22, 2024. MESAT-1, along with seven other payloads, will be integrated into a Firefly Aerospace Alpha rocket for NASA’s Educational Launch of Nanosatellites (ELaNa) 43 mission as part of the agency’s CubeSat Launch Initiative and Firefly’s Venture-Class Launch Services Demonstration 2 contract. — Technicians from the University of Maine prepare CubeSat MESAT-1 for integration at Firefly’s Payload Processing Facility at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California on Monday, April 22, 2024. MESAT-1, along with seven other payloads, will be integrated into a Firefly Aerospace Alpha rocket for NASA’s Educational Launch of Nanosatellites (ELaNa) 43 mission as part of the agency’s CubeSat Launch Initiative and Firefly’s Venture-Class Launch Services Demonstration 2 contract. Photo credit: NASA

NASA and Firefly Aerospace are targeting no earlier than Wednesday, June 26, for the launch of eight CubeSats as part of NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative’s (CSLI) ELaNa (Educational Launch of Nanosatellites) 43. The 30-minute launch window will open at 9 p.m. PDT on June 26 (12 a.m. EDT on June 27).

Firefly Aerospace’s “Noise of Summer” will launch on an Alpha rocket from Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

The CubeSats flying on ELaNa 43 are:

- - CatSat – University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona
  - KUbe-Sat-1 – University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas
  - MESAT1 – University of Maine, Orono, Maine
  - R5-S4 – NASA’s Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas
  - R5-S2-2.0 – NASA’s Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas
  - SOC-i – University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
  - TechEdSat-11 – NASA Ames Research Center
  - Serenity – Teachers in Space

Firefly Aerospace is one of three companies selected under NASA’s Launch Services Program Venture-Class Launch Services Demonstration 2 (VCLS Demo 2) contract awarded in December 2020. The venture-class contracts illustrate how NASA offers opportunities for new launch providers to grow the commercial industry at all levels, which will result in cost-effective competition for NASA missions in the future.

Follow NASA’s Small Satellite blog for launch updates.

Liftoff for PREFIRE and Ice!

A Rocket Lab Electron rocket lifts off from the pad amid an overcast sky. — Rocket Lab’s “PREFIRE and Ice” launches carrying NASA’s second PREFIRE CubeSat from New Zealand on Wednesday, June 5, 2024. Credit: Rocket Lab Broadcast

Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket lifted off from Launch Complex 1 at Māhia, New Zealand at 3:15 p.m. NZST Wednesday, June 5 (11:15 p.m. EDT Tuesday, June 4), on the second of two launches of NASA’s PREFIRE (Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-InfraRed Experiment) mission.

The PREFIRE mission will help close a gap in our understanding of how much of Earth’s heat is lost to space from the Arctic and Antarctica. Each PREFIRE satellite is equipped with an instrument called a thermal infrared spectrometer. The instrument contains specially shaped mirrors and detectors for splitting and measuring infrared light. Analysis of PREFIRE measurements will inform climate and ice models, providing better projections of how a warming world will affect sea ice loss, ice sheet melt, and sea level rise.

The mission consists of two 6U CubeSats with a baseline mission length of 10 months and is jointly developed by NASA and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California manages the mission for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate and provided the instruments. Blue Canyon Technologies built the CubeSats, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison will process the data collected by the instruments. The science team includes members from JPL and the Universities of Wisconsin, Michigan, and Colorado.

NASA’s Launch Services Program, based at agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, selected Rocket Lab to provide the launch service as part of the agency’s VADR (Venture-class Acquisition of Dedicated and Rideshare) launch services contract.

This concludes our coverage of the “PREFIRE and Ice” launch. The team is now working to establish communications with this PREFIRE CubeSat and will provide confirmation when signal is acquired. For updates, follow NASA’s small satellite missions blog or visit: https://science.jpl.nasa.gov/projects/prefire/.

Rocket Lab’s Electron Rocket ‘Go’ for Launch!

The mission team has called out “go for launch” for Rocket Lab’s PREFIRE and Ice launch, with the second of two launches of NASA’s PREFIRE mission now just minutes away!

The CubeSat – about the size of a bread loaf – is set to launch aboard the company’s Electron rocket, from Launch Complex 1 at Māhia, New Zealand.

The Electron is a vertically launched, two-stage rocket around 60 feet (18 meters) tall, with an exterior made of a carbon fiber composite, that can carry payloads weighing up to about 700 pounds (320 kilograms). Each Electron rocket uses nine Rutherford sea-level engines on its first stage, a single Rutherford vacuum engine on its second stage, and uses liquid oxygen and kerosene as propellants. The Rutherford engine is the world’s first 3D-printed, electric-pump-fed rocket engine.

The kick stage is a third stage of the Electron rocket used to circularize and raise orbits to deploy payloads to unique and precise orbital destinations, powered by Rocket Lab’s Curie engine.

Members of today’s launch team are located within Rocket Lab’s private control facilities at Launch Complex 1 on the North Island of New Zealand. From the launch site it is possible to reach orbital inclinations from sun-synchronous through to 30 degrees, enabling versatility for missions to low Earth orbit. NASA’s Launch Services Program team and spacecraft customer team will be on console at Rocket Lab Headquarters in Long Beach, California.

NASA’s Second PREFIRE Launch Coverage Now Underway

Live coverage of the second and final launch of NASA’s PREFIRE (Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-InfraRed Experiment) mission is underway. Rocket Lab is targeting Wednesday, June 5 at 3:15 p.m. NZST (11:15 p.m. EDT Tuesday, June 4) for launch of “PREFIRE and Ice,” which will send the agency’s CubeSat to low Earth orbit to measure the amount of heat Earth radiates into space from two of the coldest, most remote regions on the planet.

Watch Rocket Lab’s launch broadcast on the company’s website.

NASA’s Second PREFIRE Mission: Small Satellites, Big Science

NASA’s PREFIRE (Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-InfraRed Experiment) mission will fly a pair of shoebox-size cube satellites, or CubeSats, that will measure the amount of heat Earth radiates into space from two of the coldest, most remote regions on the planet – Earth’s polar regions.

At the heart of the PREFIRE mission is Earth’s energy budget – the balance between incoming heat energy from the Sun and the outgoing heat given off by the planet. The difference between the two is what determines the planet’s temperature and climate. A lot of the heat radiated from the Arctic and Antarctica is emitted as far-infrared radiation, but there is currently no detailed measurement of this type of energy.

The water vapor content of the atmosphere, along with the presence, structure, and composition of clouds, influences the amount of far-infrared radiation that escapes into space from Earth’s poles. Data collected from PREFIRE will give researchers information on where and when far-infrared energy radiates from the Arctic and Antarctic environments into space.

The PREFIRE mission features miniaturized thermal infrared spectrometers on both CubeSat satellites. Once deployed, the CubeSats will settle into a polar orbit to measure far-infrared emissions and how they change throughout the day and over seasons. The observations will allow scientists to assess how changes in thermal infrared emissions at the top of Earth’s atmosphere are related to changes in cloud cover and surface conditions below, such as the amount of sea ice and meltwater on the surface of the ice.

NASA’s PREFIRE mission will fill a gap in our understanding of how much of Earth’s heat is lost to space from the polar regions. By capturing measurements over the poles that can only be gathered from space, PREFIRE will enable researchers to systematically study the planet’s heat emissions in the far-infrared – with 10 times finer wavelength resolution than any previous sensor. 

To learn more about the PREFIRE mission, visit: 

https://www.nasa.gov/prefire/

NASA’s Second PREFIRE Mission: Weather 80% Favorable for Launch

Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket called "PREFIRE and Ice” is vertical on the pad in Mahia, New Zealand ahead of launching the second of two PREFIRE CubeSats for NASA on May 29, 2024. — Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket called “PREFIRE and Ice” is vertical on the pad in Mahia, New Zealand ahead of launching the second of two PREFIRE CubeSats for NASA on May 29, 2024. Photo Credit: Rocket Lab

Rocket Lab successfully conducted a Delta Launch Readiness Review yesterday for the second launch of NASA’s PREFIRE (Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-InfraRed Experiment) mission and is ready to proceed to launch.

The launch, named “PREFIRE and Ice” by Rocket Lab, is targeted for Wednesday, June 5, at 3:15 p.m. NZST (11:15 p.m. EDT, Tuesday, June 4).

Weather officials with Rocket Lab predict an 80% chance of favorable weather for launch of PREFIRE.

Continue checking NASA’s small satellites missions blog for updates or watch live coverage on Rocket Lab’s livestream. You can stay connected with the mission on social media.

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