KickSat

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Zac Manchester and KickSat KickSat Auto7.jpeg
Zac Manchester and KickSat
KickSat Sprite prototype KickSprite sm.jpg
KickSat Sprite prototype

KickSat was a satellite dispenser for small-satellite (femtosatellite) project inaugurated in early October 2011, to launch many very small satellites from a 3U CubeSat. The satellites have been characterized as being the size of a large postage stamp. [1] [2] and also as "cracker size". [3] The mission launch was originally scheduled for late 2013 [4] and was launched April 18, 2014. [5] [6]

Contents

Kicksat reached its orbit and transmitted beacon signals that were received by radio amateurs. Telemetry data allowed the prediction of the orbit and the reentry on May 15, 2014, at about 01:30 UTC. Due to a non-redundant design, a timer reset while on-orbit and the femtosatellites were not deployed in time, and burned up inside the KickSat mothership when the undeployed satellite-deployment mechanism reentered Earth's atmosphere. It is one of several crowdfunded satellites launched during the 2010s. [7]

History

The project was crowdfunded through Kickstarter. [8] [9] [10] The project was advertised with the goal of reducing the cost of spaceflight so that it could be affordable on an individual basis. [11] [12] [13] [14]

Design

In its minimal configuration, each Sprite femtosatellite will be designed to send a very short message (a few bytes long) to a network of ground stations. [15] The chipset of use is a TI CC430F5137 (MCU + RF) with codebase from panStamp. Firmware developer kits were sent to donors who contributed enough to qualify for customizing their own Sprite. [16]

Sprites can be organized into fleets; one of them was to be named for the British Interplanetary Society. [17] London Hackspace had begun work on its own ground station. [18]

Inaugural mission

KickSat launched on an ISS commercial resupply mission, SpaceX CRS-3, originally scheduled for late 2013, [4] but ultimately delayed until April 18, 2014. [19] On April 30, 2014, the microcontroller managing the master clock was found to have reset due to a technical problem, an effect of space radiation. This reset added two weeks to the deployment schedule for the sprites, and started a race against time to charge KickSat's battery enough to power deployment of the sprites before KickSat began atmospheric reentry. On May 14, 2014, KickSat reentered the atmosphere and burned up; all sprites were lost. [20]

Other missions

Sprites were launched on board the Space Shuttle Endeavour during STS-134 in May 2011, and spent three years mounted to the outside of the ISS as part of the eighth Materials International Space Station Experiment. Upon their return to Earth, they were still functional. This verified the design could survive the space environment for far longer than the planned nominal mission length.

In 2016, the KickSat Sprite was discussed as an early-stage prototype of the interstellar probe proposed for Breakthrough Starshot. [21]

On June 23, 2017, the PSLV-C38 launch carried 31 satellites into low Earth orbit. Among them were Max Valier, built by OHB of (Germany) and Venta-1 which were carrying six sprite spacecraft as secondary payloads. [22] [23]

After being shortlisted in February 2015 by NASA under its CubeSat Launch Initiative, KickSat-2 was launched aboard Cygnus NG-10 SS John Glenn on November 17, 2018. [24] [25] After detaching from the ISS, the free-flying Cygnus spacecraft deployed KickSat-2 at an altitude of 300 km on February 13, 2019. [26] KickSat-2 established communication with ground controllers soon after, reporting good health despite a weaker than expected signal. [27] On March 18, 2019, KickSat-2 deployed 105 Sprites which successfully transmitted data before reentering the atmosphere. [28] [29] [30] [31]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CubeSat</span> Miniature satellite in 10 cm cube modules

A CubeSat is a class of small satellite with a form factor of 10 cm (3.9 in) cubes. CubeSats have a mass of no more than 2 kg (4.4 lb) per unit, and often use commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components for their electronics and structure. CubeSats are deployed into orbit from the International Space Station, or launched as secondary payloads on a launch vehicle. As of December 2023, more than 2,300 CubeSats have been launched.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Small satellite</span> Satellites of low mass and size, usually under 500 kg

A small satellite, miniaturized satellite, or smallsat is a satellite of low mass and size, usually under 1,200 kg (2,600 lb). While all such satellites can be referred to as "small", different classifications are used to categorize them based on mass. Satellites can be built small to reduce the large economic cost of launch vehicles and the costs associated with construction. Miniature satellites, especially in large numbers, may be more useful than fewer, larger ones for some purposes – for example, gathering of scientific data and radio relay. Technical challenges in the construction of small satellites may include the lack of sufficient power storage or of room for a propulsion system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SAR-Lupe</span> German military reconnaissance satellite system

SAR-Lupe is Germany's first reconnaissance satellite system and is used for military purposes. SAR is an abbreviation for synthetic-aperture radar, and "Lupe" is German for magnifying glass. The SAR-Lupe program consists of five identical (770 kg) satellites, developed by the German aeronautics company OHB-System, which are controlled by a ground station responsible for controlling the system and analysing the retrieved data. A large data archive of images will be kept in a former Cold War bunker belonging to the Kommando Strategische Aufklärung of the Bundeswehr. The total price of the satellites was over 250 million Euro.

Orbcomm is a family of low Earth orbit communications satellites, operated by the United States satellite communications company Orbcomm. As of July 2014, 51 such satellites have orbited Earth, with 50 still continuing to do so.

CP6, also known as CP6 CubeSat, CalPoly CP-6, PolySat-6 or PolySat CP6 is a single-unit CubeSat which was built and operated by the California Polytechnic State University (CalPoly). It was primarily intended to perform a technology demonstration mission. The main experiment consisted of sensors to determine the spacecraft's attitude. Cameras on the satellite will be used to verify the data returned by the attitude sensors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LightSail</span> LEO solar sailing demo project

LightSail is a project to demonstrate controlled solar sailing within low Earth orbit using a CubeSat. The project was developed by The Planetary Society, a global non-profit organization devoted to space exploration. It consists of two spacecraft — LightSail 1 and LightSail 2. LightSail 1 was an engineering demonstration mission designed to test its new sail deployment method in space, it did not perform solar sailing. LightSail 2 was a fully functional spacecraft intended to demonstrate true solar sailing and incorporated the lessons learned from LightSail 1. LightSail is a follow-on project to Cosmos 1 — a solar-sail spacecraft designed by The Planetary Society in the early 2000s, which was destroyed during a launch failure in 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Progress M-09M</span> Russian spacecraft

Progress M-09M, identified by NASA as Progress 41P, is a Progress spacecraft which was launched in 2011 to resupply the International Space Station. It was the ninth Progress-M 11F615A60 spacecraft to be launched, and has the serial number 409. The spacecraft was manufactured by RKK Energia, and is operated by the Russian Federal Space Agency. It arrived at the space station during Expedition 26, and undocked during Expedition 27.

The Mission Extension Vehicle (MEV) is a spacecraft that extends the functional lifetime of another spacecraft through on-orbit satellite servicing. They are 2010s-design small-scale in-space satellite-refueling spacecraft first launched in 2019. The MEV spacecraft grew out of a concept proposed in 2011 by ViviSat, a 50/50 joint venture of aerospace firms US Space and Alliant Techsystems (ATK). The joint venture was created in 2010 for the purpose of designing, producing and operating the MEV program.

KySat-1 was an American satellite which was to have been operated by Kentucky Space. Designed to operate for eighteen to twenty four months, it was lost in a launch failure in March 2011 after the Taurus launch vehicle carrying it failed to achieve orbit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 in spaceflight</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 in spaceflight</span>

Several new rockets and spaceports began operations in 2016.

LuxSpace is a European space systems contractor based in Betzdorf in Luxembourg. It was founded in November 2004 as a daughter company of OHB AG, and began operations in January 2005.

Technology Education Satellite (TechEdSat) is a successful nano-sat flight series conducted from the NASA Ames Research Center in collaboration with numerous universities. While one of the principal aims has been to introduce young professionals and university students to the practical realm of developing space flight hardware, considerable innovations have been introduced. In addition, this evolving flight platform has tested concepts for Low Earth Orbit (LEO) sample return, as well as planetary nano-sat class mission concepts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SpaceX CRS-3</span> 2014 American resupply spaceflight to the ISS

SpaceX CRS-3, also known as SpX-3, was a Commercial Resupply Service mission to the International Space Station (ISS), contracted to NASA, which was launched on 18 April 2014. It was the fifth flight for SpaceX's uncrewed Dragon cargo spacecraft and the third SpaceX operational mission contracted to NASA under a Commercial Resupply Services (CRS-1) contract.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nanoracks</span> Private space hardware and services company

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Planet Labs</span> American company specializing in satellite imaging of Earth

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Breakthrough Starshot</span> Interstellar probe project

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cygnus NG-11</span> Mid-2019 cargo mission to the ISS

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References

  1. Radu Tyrsina (October 11, 2011). "KickSat to Launch Postage Stamp-sized Satellites into Space for $300". Mobile Magazine . Archived from the original on October 14, 2011. Retrieved October 16, 2011.
  2. Fish, Elizabeth (November 14, 2011). "Explore Space with a Spacecraft The Size of a Postage Stamp". Geek Tech (blog). Retrieved November 15, 2011.
  3. Garling, Caleb (December 24, 2012). "Personal satellites that fly into space". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved December 26, 2012.
  4. 1 2 Bruce Dorminey (November 28, 2012). "First Kickstarter Funded Satellites To Launch in 2013". Forbes . Retrieved December 26, 2012.
  5. "KickSat Has Been Deployed in Low-Earth Orbit". arrl.org. April 19, 2014. Retrieved April 26, 2014.
  6. O'Neill, Ian (April 14, 2014). "Helium Leak Forces SpaceX Launch Scrub". news.discovery.com. Retrieved April 15, 2014.
  7. Reyes, Matthew (April 7, 2014). "DIY Satellites: Now and Near Future | Make". Make: DIY Projects and Ideas for Makers. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
  8. Zachary Manchester (October 4, 2011). "KickSat – Your personal spacecraft in space!". Kickstarter . Retrieved October 16, 2011.
  9. Mark Brown (October 10, 2011). "Kickstarter project will launch hundreds of personal satellites into space". Wired UK . Archived from the original on October 1, 2015. Retrieved October 16, 2011.
  10. Wayne Hall (November 17, 2011). "An orbit of your own, "KickSat" crowdsources spaceflight". Kentucky Science & Technology Corporation. Archived from the original on November 19, 2011. Retrieved November 20, 2011.
  11. Boonsri Dickinson (October 10, 2011). "Send your own satellite into space". CNET . Retrieved October 18, 2011.
  12. Michael Doornbos (October 21, 2011). "Evadot Podcast No. 86 – Would you like to have your own spacecraft in space? Kicksat.org says you can". Evadot.com. Retrieved November 20, 2011.
  13. Johnson, Michael; Manchester, Zachary; Peck, Mason (January 30, 2012). "KickSat.org – an open source ChipSat dispenser and citizen space exploration proof of concept mission" (PDF). Rhode-Saint-Genèse (Brussels), Belgium: Von Karman Institute for Fluid Dynamics. p. 91. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 3, 2016. Retrieved July 13, 2013.
  14. von Karman Institute for Fluid Dynamics. "Fourth European CubeSat Symposium". Archived from the original on July 13, 2013. Retrieved July 13, 2013.
  15. Peter Murray (October 15, 2011). "Sprites – The Computer Chip-Sized Spacecraft That Will Send You a Text Message (for $300)". Singularity Hub. Archived from the original on October 17, 2011. Retrieved October 16, 2011.
  16. John Biggs (October 9, 2011). "KickSat: Send Tiny DIY Satellites Into Space". Techcrunch . Retrieved October 16, 2011.
  17. Andrew Vaudin (October 24, 2011). "Join the BIS in space". bis-space.com: Featured Articles. British Interplanetary Society. Archived from the original on December 16, 2011. Retrieved October 25, 2011.
  18. AMSAT-UK (November 19, 2011). "London Hackspace work on HackSat1". AMSAT-UK. Retrieved November 20, 2011.
  19. "Worldwide Launch Schedule". Spaceflight Now . Retrieved December 3, 2012.
  20. "KickSat has reentered" . Retrieved May 18, 2014.
  21. Dave Gershgorn (April 13, 2016). "This Is The Tiny Spaceship That Could Take Us To Alpha Centauri". PopSci . Retrieved May 13, 2017.
  22. ""Max Valier" nano-satellite successfully launched – OHB System ENG". www.ohb-system.de. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
  23. "Ar Venta-1 palīdzību kosmosā nogādāts pasaulē mazākais satelīts KickSat | Ventspils Augstskola". July 1, 2017. Archived from the original on July 1, 2017. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
  24. "NASA Announces University CubeSat Space Mission Candidates". NASA. February 6, 2015.
  25. Alasdair Allan (April 13, 2015). "NASA Approves Kicksat's Tiny DIY Satellites for Second Attempt". Make . Retrieved April 17, 2015.
  26. "NG-10 Cygnus ends post-ISS mission after deploying satellites". SpaceFlight Insider. February 25, 2019. Archived from the original on March 27, 2019. Retrieved March 26, 2019.
  27. "KickSat-2 is Alive and Being Tracked". www.arrl.org. Retrieved March 26, 2019.
  28. University, Stanford (June 3, 2019). "Inexpensive chip-size satellites orbit Earth". Stanford News. Retrieved June 3, 2019.
  29. Tavares, Frank (May 30, 2019). "What is KickSat-2?". NASA. Retrieved June 5, 2019.
  30. "Cracker-sized satellites demonstrate new space tech". Cornell Chronicle. Retrieved June 5, 2019.
  31. "KickSat-2 project launches 105 cracker-sized satellites". TechCrunch. June 4, 2019. Retrieved June 5, 2019.

Further reading