| Satellite name | IT-SPINS (Spacebuoy, Ionospheric-Thermospheric Scanning Photometer for Ion-Neutral Studies ) |
|---|---|
| Type | CubeSat |
| Units or mass | 3U |
| Status | Semi-operational? (Some communications issues due to spin but telemetry packets being received as per official website and should get better in the future as per CDW2022 presentation) |
| Launched | 2021-02-20 |
| NORAD ID | 49017 |
| Deployer | NRCSD-E (External NanoRacks CubeSat Deployer) |
| Launcher | Antares (NG-15) (Cygnus) (ELaNa 33) |
| Deployment | Deployed from Cygnus on 2021-07-04 |
| Organization | Montana State University |
| Institution | University |
| Entity type | Academic / Education |
| Nation | US |
| Oneliner |
Provide the first two-dimensional (2D) tomographic imaging addressing the basic nature of the nocturnal ionosphere. |
| Description |
Provide the first two-dimensional (2D) tomographic imaging from a 3U research CubeSat, addressing the basic nature of the nocturnal ionosphere. Study how dominant O+ ions are lost to charge exchange with H and He atoms at the top of Earth’s ionosphere. This 6-month mission aims to strengthen our fundamental understanding for development of ion gradient structures in the topside of the Earth’s ionosphere and secondarily within regional phenomena such as equatorial plasma bubbles (EPBs) or polar patches. |
| Failure cause | Communications issues, 1 in 50 attempts is successful. ADCS issues caused high spin. |
| Sources | [1] |
| Photo sources | [1] [2] |
Last modified: 2023-11-04
