BioSentinel @ Nanosats Database

Name	BioSentinel
Type	CubeSat
Units or mass	6U
Status	Operational (Update on official NASA page from 2022-12-19 as of 2022-12-24)
Launched	2022-11-16
NORAD ID	? (Not yet catalogued and tracked?)
Deployer	CSD (Canisterized Satellite Dispenser) [Planetary Systems Corporation]
Launcher	SLS (Space Launch System) (Artemis-1)
Organisation	NASA Ames Research Center
Institution	Space agency
Entity	Government (Civil / Military)
Nation	US
Partners	NASA Johnson Space Center, Loma Linda University Medical Center, University of Saskatchewan, Canada
Oneliner	Developing deep space CubeSat technologies and radiation biosensor to gauge DNA damage and repair beyond LEO.
Description	Radiation Biosensor to Gauge DNA Damage and Repair Beyond Low Earth Orbit. Develop a deep space nanosat capability. Develop a radiation biosensor useful for other missions. Define & validate SLS secondary payload interfaces and accommodations for a biological payload. Linear Energy Transfer (LET) Spectrometer. Total Ionizing Dose (TID) Dosimeter. Quantify DNA damage from space radiation environment. Correlate biologic response with – Linear Energy Transfer (LET) and Total Ionizing Dose (TID) data. Yeast assay uses microfluidic arrays to monitor for DSBs.
Results	NASA’s BioSentinel cubesat was tumbling after deployment. Still, controllers were able to stabilize the spacecraft and maintain contact with it as it flew by the moon to study the effects of radiation on microorganisms. Over 100 successful comm passes and 3 experiments run to date as of May 2023 as per Interplanetary SmallSat Conference 2023.
Sources	[1] [2]
Photo sources	[1] [2] [3]
COTS subsystems	ADCS - Blue Canyon XACT
Subsystems sources	[1]
Keywords	Propulsion, Beyond Earth orbit

Last modified: 2023-06-08
Detailed BioSentinel entry in the Database
Full Nanosats Database (much more data)