| Mission type | Technology |
|---|---|
| Operator | The Aerospace Corporation |
| COSPAR ID | 2009-028E |
| SATCAT no. | 35005 |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | CubeSat (1U) |
| Launch mass | 1 kilogram (2.2 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 19 May 2009, 23:55 UTC |
| Rocket | Minotaur I |
| Launch site | MARS LP-0B |
| Contractor | Orbital Sciences |
| End of mission | |
| Decay date | 6 January 2011 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Perigee altitude | 427 kilometers (265 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 465 kilometers (289 mi) |
| Inclination | 40.4 degrees |
| Period | 93.51 minutes |
| Epoch | 22 May 2009 [1] |
AeroCube 3 is a single-unit CubeSat which was built and is being operated by The Aerospace Corporation. It is the third AeroCube satellite, following on from AeroCube 1, which was lost in a launch failure in 2006, and AeroCube 2 which was successfully launched in 2007 but failed immediately after launch. Compared to its predecessors it contains several improvements in its infrastructure, including a redesigned power system, replacing the older system which was responsible for the loss of AeroCube 2. Its development was funded by the United States Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center.
AeroCube 3 carried technology development experiments. The primary systems demonstrated were a two-axis solar tracker and an Earth tracker, which could be used in the guidance systems of future satellites. It also carried a 0.6-meter (2 ft 0 in) balloon used for tracking tests and to increase drag, increasing the satellite's rate of orbital decay after its mission was completed.
After launch, AeroCube-3 will remain attached to the upper stage of its carrier rocket by means of a 61-meter (200 ft) tether. Experiments will be conducted to determine the satellite's flight dynamics. A wide-angle camera will be used to image the upper stage. The satellite will also reel in the tether, moving closer to the upper stage.
Once the tethered experiments are complete, the tether will be cut, and the spacecraft will begin free-flying experiments. It will align itself with the Earth's magnetic field by means of magnets and hysteresis systems. It carries a number of sensors which will be used to record information pertaining to the surface of the Earth, which will be returned using a store and dump communications system.
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