| Spacecraft name | CubeSail |
|---|---|
| Spacecraft type | CubeSat |
| Units or mass | 1.5U |
| Organisation | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign |
| Institution | University |
| Entity | Academic / Education |
| Nation | US |
| Launch brokerer | TriSept |
| Partners | CU Aerospace |
| Oneliner |
Low-cost demonstration of the UltraSail solar sailing concept using two CubeSats to deploy a 260 m-long reflecting film. |
| Description |
Low-cost demonstration of the UltraSail solar sailing concept, using two near-identical CubeSat satellites to deploy a 260 m-long, 20 m2 reflecting film. The two satellites are launched as a unit, detumbled, and separated, with the film unwinding symmetrically from motorized reels. Launch as a single 3U satellite and, once in orbit, separate into two 1.5U sections with a solar sail deployed between them. CubeSail will demonstrate satellite control and orbit raising using solar sail. |
| Sources | [1] |
| Photo sources | [1] [2] |
| Keywords | Solar sail, Propulsion |
Related Spacecraft
| Name | Status | Launcher | Launch date | Orbit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CubeSail 1 (CubeSail-A) | Was semi-operational until 2018-12-XX? (Tweet from Jonathan McDowell on 2019-03-04) | Electron | 2018-12-16 | 510 km, 85 deg |
| CubeSail 2 (CubeSail-B) | Was semi-operational until 2018-12-XX? (Tweet from Jonathan McDowell on 2019-03-04) | Electron | 2018-12-16 | 510 km, 85 deg |
Last modified: 2024-05-29
