| Mission type | Technology Demonstration |
|---|---|
| Operator | Brigham Young University |
| COSPAR ID | 2021-002 |
| Website | BYU Advanced Spacecraft Group |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | 1U CubeSat each |
| Manufacturer | Brigham Young University |
| Dry mass | 1.35 kg each |
| Power | Solar cells, batteries |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 17 Jan 2020 UTC |
| Rocket | LauncherOne |
| Launch site | Mojave Air and Space Port, California, United States |
| Contractor | Virgin Orbit |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Pericircular altitude | 500 km |
| Apocircular altitude | 500 km |
| Inclination | 60.69 |
Passive Inspection CubeSats, or PICS, is a technology demonstration spacecraft mission utilizing two CubeSat miniaturized satellites, identified as PIC-A and PIC-B. The project was developed by students at Brigham Young University (BYU) as part of NASA's Educational Launch of Nanosatellites (ELaNA) initiative beginning in 2016. [1] [2] The satellites are outfitted with cameras to be able to get a 360-degree view to visually assess the exterior of other spacecraft and detect possible damage. BYU professor David Long termed the project a "spacecraft selfie cam." [3] [4]
PIC-A and PIC-B were originally scheduled to be launched in 2018, but launch was delayed until 2021. PICs was successfully launched into orbit along with eight other CubeSats during Virgin Orbit's Launch Demo 2 on January 17, 2021. In Virgin Orbit's first successful air-launch-to-orbit, the Boeing 747-400 Cosmic Girl carried a LauncherOne orbital rocket from Mojave Air and Space Port to the Pacific Ocean, where LauncherOne separated from the aircraft and achieved orbit. [5]
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.
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SpaceX CRS-26, also known as SpX-26, was a Commercial Resupply Service mission to the International Space Station (ISS) launched on 26 November 2022. The mission was contracted by NASA and flown by SpaceX using a Cargo Dragon. This was the sixth flight for SpaceX under NASA's CRS Phase 2 contract awarded in January 2016.
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