Mola Spacecraft

A terahertz imaging camera (TIC) and an LED on-orbit payload (LOOP).

Two payload experiments built by NPS – a terahertz imaging camera (TIC) and an LED on-orbit payload (LOOP) – and a radio transmitter built by New Zealand’s Defense Science and Technology unit.

The LOOP, built by Ph.D. candidate U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Dillon Pierce, is the first step towards an optical tracking and communications capability. The long-term effort seeks to advance NPS research into free-space optical communications for CubeSats and small satellites, using highly directional optical lasers to increase speed and security of low-earth orbit (LEO) communications while avoiding congested radio frequencies. The initial experiment with LOOP is to visually observe the ultra-bright LEDs on the satellite. Plans are to eventually track LOOP with a 70-centimeter optical terminal telescope based atop the roof of NPS’ Spanagel Hall.

• AeroCube-16A
• AeroCube-16B
• Mola
• CURTIS
• KASHIWA
• Killick-1
• MicroOrbiter
• QMSat
• CubeSat NBVIOLET
• Big Red Sat-1
• HyTI
• SNoOPI
• BurstCube