AeroCube-18 Spacecraft

Demonstrate a space hyperspectral imaging unit, a variety of nanotechnology payloads, and test the performance of advanced solar cells.

AeroCube-18 (AC18) program is a technology research demonstration in Low Earth Orbit, consisting of a pair of 6U CubeSats. The vehicles will demonstrate a space hyperspectral imaging unit, a variety of nanotechnology payloads, and test the performance of advanced solar cells.

Technical data from AeroCube-18, including results from these experiments, will be used to validate ground test data and inform future research. The AC18 program is planning for a five-year mission duration to fully characterize all experimental payloads, including long-term performance trending to help determine their suitability for future scientific and government missions.

Each of the two AeroCube-18 satellites has star trackers and other attitude control verification imagers. The cameras were designed by The Aerospace Corporation. The primary purpose of the cameras is for attitude control determination and verification.

The AeroCube-18 satellites each have two radios for redundancy. Only one radio is transmitting at a time.

1. The Innoflight SDR is S-band with 2225 MHz for downlink and 2075 MHz for uplink with a 1.6 MHz of necessary bandwidth (see “Innoflight SDR bandwidth” exhibit). The radio attaches to two patch antennas on the AeroCube‐18 body, each with a 7.1 dBi peak gain and 70 degrees full-width, half maximum beamwidth. The ground segment for the S-band radio is provided by Kongsberg Satellite Services (KSAT).
2. The AdvRadio is built by The Aerospace Corporation around a Texas Instruments CC1101 transceiver chip. It operates at a fixed 914.7 MHz frequency (see “AdvRadio bandwidth” Exhibit) and outputs 1.3 W. The radio attaches to an omnidirectional patch antenna on the AeroCube‐18 body with a 0 dBi gain.

The AdvRadio in only intended be used in the first three months of the mission as a backup radio to the Innoflight SDR. Aerospace will not pursue a renewal for the 914.7 MHz frequency for AeroCube-18.

The ground segment for the 914.7 MHz radio is the Aerospace Ground Network (AGN). Each AGN terminal is a portable 2-meter diameter dish with 22 dB gain, a 12 deg beamwidth and uses a complementary radio with a 9W amplifier. The AGN is distributed geographically and located in RF quiet areas.