AeroCube 4 [The Aerospace Corporation]
AeroCube-4 was a CubeSat technology demonstration mission within the PicoSat Program of The Aerospace Corporation, El Segundo, CA, USA. The AeroCube-4 CubeSat series of 3 spacecraft was also designated as AC4-A, AC4-B and AC4-C. Two of the Aerospace-4 CubeSats were built for a national security agency. The third CubeSat was built for the for SMC/XR (Space and Missile Systems Center/Development Planning Directorate). The 3 satellite AeroCube-4 constellation was operated by The Aerospace Corporation.
The SMC/XR AeroCube-4 was a CubeSat with a 1U form factor and a mass of ~1.2 kg that contains various “first of a kind” mission technologies, including solar panel wings that close and open to tune the ballistic coefficient enabling efficient formation flying, three-axis attitude control to 1º absolute accuracy.
AeroCube 4A and 4B, also called the AeroCube 4.5 series, were successfully launched with AeroCube 4 and implement a smallsat communications tech demonstration.
AeroCube 4C consists a launch vehicle environment data logger, which measures launch vibration in-situ, and contains a deorbit drag device that will be mechanically deployed at the end of its primary mission (size of 0.3 m2).
All three satellites were successfully launched on an Atlas-5(401) rocket.
Nation: | USA |
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Type / Application: | Technology |
Operator: | The Aerospace Corporation |
Contractors: | The Aerospace Corporation |
Equipment: | |
Configuration: | CubeSat (1U) |
Propulsion: | None |
Power: | 2 deployable and retractable solar arrays, solar cells, batteries |
Lifetime: | |
Mass: | 1 kg |
Orbit: |
Satellite | COSPAR | Date | LS | Launch Vehicle | Remarks | |
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AeroCube 4A (AC 4-A) | 2012-048K | 13.09.2012 | Va SLC-3E | Atlas-5(401) | with Intruder 11, Intruder 12, CINEMA 1, CSSWE, Aeneas, SMDC-ONE 2.1, SMDC-ONE 2.2, STARE A, CXBN, AeroCube 4B, AeroCube 4C, CP 5, OUTSat | |
AeroCube 4B (AC 4-B) | 2012-048L | 13.09.2012 | Va SLC-3E | Atlas-5(401) | with Intruder 11, Intruder 12, CINEMA 1, CSSWE, Aeneas, SMDC-ONE 2.1, SMDC-ONE 2.2, STARE A, CXBN, AeroCube 4A, AeroCube 4C, CP 5, OUTSat | |
AeroCube 4C (AC 4-C) | 2012-048M | 13.09.2012 | Va SLC-3E | Atlas-5(401) | with Intruder 11, Intruder 12, CINEMA 1, CSSWE, Aeneas, SMDC-ONE 2.1, SMDC-ONE 2.2, STARE A, CXBN, AeroCube 4A, AeroCube 4B, CP 5, OUTSat |