PAN Spacecraft - Nanosats Database

Spacecraft name	PAN (Pathfinder for Autonomous Navigation)
Type	CubeSat
Units or mass	3U
Entity name	Cornell University
Institution	University
Entity type	Academic / Education
Nation	US
Launch brokerer	NASA CSLI / ELaNa
Oneliner	Technology demonstration to launch two 3U CubeSats that will autonomously rendezvous and dock in LEO.
Results	Outcome: minimal success No “infant mortality” Near-continuous communications (by implication, power positive) through atmospheric entry in May 2022 After separation from the LV, telemetry confirmed fundamental health, status, and performance of key subsystems. Anomaly A late, uninformed, and unapproved software change made the low-power safe- hold mode a very high-power state. Consequently, when the spacecraft began charging its batteries after separation in safe-hold mode, the power drain caused repeated reboots of the flight computer (a two-fault response scenario). Ultimately, the spacecraft never was able to enter normal mode to demonstrate rendezvous.
Sources	[1] [2] [3] [4]
Photo sources	[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
Keywords	Docking, Formation flying, Propulsion

Related Spacecraft

Spacecraft	Status	Rocket	Launch date	Orbit
PAN A (Pathfinder for Autonomous Navigation)	Reentry 2024-01-28? Was semi-operational until deorbiting, but power issues did not allow rendezvous demonstrations. (Presentation on 2023-05-10, but some questions about the reentry date)	LauncherOne, (ELaNa 29)	2022-01-13	490 km, 45 deg
PAN B (Pathfinder for Autonomous Navigation)	Reentry 2024-08-16? Was semi-operational until deorbiting, but power issues did not allow rendezvous demonstrations. (Presentation on 2023-05-10, but some questions about the reentry date)	LauncherOne, (ELaNa 29)	2022-01-13	490 km, 45 deg

Last modified: 2024-12-31