HawkSat-1

HawkSat-1
Mission typeTechnology demonstration
OperatorHawk Institute for Space Sciences
COSPAR ID2009-028D Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.35004
Mission durationFailed on orbit
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft typeCubeSat
Bus1U CubeSat
ManufacturerHawk Institute for Space Sciences
Pumpkin Inc. (bus)
Launch mass1 kg (2.2 lb)
Dimensions10 × 10 × 10 cm (3.9 × 3.9 × 3.9 in)
PowerSolar cells, batteries
Start of mission
Launch date19 May 2009, 23:55 UTC
RocketMinotaur I
Launch siteMARS, LP-0B
ContractorOrbital Sciences Corporation
Entered serviceFailed on orbit
End of mission
Decay date4 September 2011 [1]
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric orbit[2]
RegimeLow Earth orbit
Perigee altitude426 km (265 mi)
Apogee altitude466 km (290 mi)
Inclination40.46°
Period93.50 minutes

HawkSat-1 was a single-unit CubeSat which was built and is being operated by the Hawk Institute for Space Sciences (HISS), Pocomoke City, Maryland. It is based on a Pumpkin Inc. CubeSat kit, and carries a technology demonstration payload, primarily as a proof of concept mission, testing command, data and power subsystems, as well as solar panels and communications.

It carries a commercial material exposure research payload for an undisclosed "major aerospace company",[3] which exposes a number of material samples to space, and records the effects of exposure on the materials. The data was to be sent to Earth by means of a storage and dump communication system.

Launch

It was successfully launched on an Orbital Sciences Corporation Minotaur I launch vehicle from Pad 0B at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport, at 23:55 UTC on 19 May 2009. It was a tertiary payload, with TacSat-3 as the primary payload and PharmaSat as the secondary. Two other CubeSats, AeroCube-3 and CP6, were launched on the same launch vehicle, and together the three satellites are known as the CubeSat Technology Demonstration mission.

Mission

The satellite was successfully deployed in orbit, but no signals were received.[4]

Atmospheric entry

The satellite reentered in the atmosphere of Earth on 4 September 2011.[1]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "HawkSat-1". NASA. 28 October 2021. Retrieved 31 October 2021. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  2. ^ "SATCAT Log". Jonathan's Space Report. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
  3. ^ "CubeSats" (PDF). HawkSat-1. NASA. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 July 2009. Retrieved 31 October 2021. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  4. ^ Krebs, Gunter (18 November 2019). "HawkSat-1". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 31 October 2021.


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