| Spacecraft | ASCENT |
|---|---|
| Spacecraft type | CubeSat |
| Units or mass | 12U |
| Status | Operational (Official news on 2022-04-28) |
| Launched | 2021-12-07 |
| NORAD ID | 51287 |
| Deployer | ? |
| Launcher | Atlas V (LDPE-1) |
| Deployment | Deployed from LDPE-1 on 2022-01-31 |
| Organization | Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) |
| Institution | Military |
| Entity type | Government (Civil / Military) |
| Headquarters | US |
| Manufacturer | AIVT by Blue Canyon |
| Oneliner |
Demonstrate various CubeSat operations in geostationary orbit (GEO). AFRL will provide and integrate the ASCENT payload. |
| Description |
Demonstrate various CubeSat operations in geostationary orbit (GEO). AFRL will provide and integrate the ASCENT payload. Blue Canyon provided the 12U CubeSat bus, avionics, flight software, Guidance Navigation and Control actuators and sensors, batteries, solar panels, solar array drives, two propulsion systems, and RF communication hardware. BCT was on-site during commissioning and ensured the spacecraft was in a safe, stable power and thermal attitude before releasing operations to the lab to complete the mission objectives. The Ascent mission is evaluating the performance of commercial-off-the-shelf technology and capabilities in the GEO space environment, only previously seen in LEO flight experiments. Ascent comprises several demonstrations that include flying two propulsion systems and the first GEO application of the Georgia Tech cold gas propulsion system to provide momentum management. BCT contacted the spacecraft on the first acquisition and continues to support on-orbit questions as needed. |
| Sources | [1] [2] [3] |
| Photo sources | [1] [2] |
| COTS subsystems |
|
| Subsystems sources | [1] |
| Keywords | GTO or GEO orbit, Propulsion |
| On the same launch |
Last modified: 2023-06-03
