EQUULEUS @ Nanosats Database

Name	EQUULEUS (Equilibrium Lunar-Earth point 6U Spacecraft)
Type	CubeSat
Units or mass	6U
Status	Operational (Press release on 2022-11-26, successful orbit maneuver, and active Twitter feed as of 2022-12-23)
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	JAXA
Institution	Space agency
Entity	Government (Civil / Military)
Nation	Japan
Oneliner	Lunar L2 (libration-point) orbiter to demonstrate technologies and characterize environment.
Description	Lunar L2 (libration-point) orbiter. Demonstrate trajectory design and control techniques and the associated technologies in the Sun-Earth-Moon perturbed region by a nano-spacecraft; To study the radiation environment in the geospace; To characterize the flux of impacting meteors at the far side of the Moon. Water propulsion system. The scientific payload consists of PHOENIX, an extreme ultra violet imager to observe the Earth plasmasphere; DELPHINUS, a camera to detect lunar impacts on the dark side of the Moon; and CLOTH, a thin-film within the CubeSat's MLI (Multi-Layer Insulation) to detect small objects in the cis-lunar space. ArkEdge Space was commissioned by the University of Tokyo, to participate in the initial operations of EQUULEUS in space, and contributed greatly to the completion of the initial operations and the transition to regular operations.
Results	EQUULEUS, a Nano-Explorer Heading for the Moon, Successfully Maneuvers Beyond Low Earth Orbit for the First Time in the World With a Water Thruster on Board.
Sources	[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
Photo Sources	[1] [2]
Keywords	Propulsion, Ka-band, Beyond Earth orbit
Space photos	Link

Last modified: 2022-12-31
Detailed EQUULEUS entry in the Database
Full Nanosats Database (much more data)

EQUULEUS (Equilibrium Lunar-Earth point 6U Spacecraft)