NanoSail-D

NanoSail-D
Artist concept of NanoSail-D in space
Mission typeTechnology demonstration
OperatorNASA
Mission durationFailed to orbit
7 days (planned)
Spacecraft properties
Bus3U CubeSat
ManufacturerNASA Ames Research Center
NASA Marshall Space Flight Center
Launch mass4 kg (8.8 lb)
Dimensions30 cm × 10 cm × 10 cm (11.8 in × 3.9 in × 3.9 in)
PowerBatteries
Start of mission
Launch date3 August 2008, 03:34 UTC
RocketFalcon 1 #3
Launch siteKwajalein Atoll, Omelek
ContractorSpaceX
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric orbit
RegimeLow Earth orbit
Perigee altitude330 km (210 mi)
Apogee altitude685 km (426 mi)
Inclination9.0°
Period90.0 minutes

NanoSail-D was a small satellite which was to have been used by NASA's Ames Research Center to study the deployment of a solar sail in space. It was a three-unit CubeSat measuring 30 cm × 10 cm × 10 cm (11.8 in × 3.9 in × 3.9 in), with a mass of 4 kg (8.8 lb).[1] The satellite was lost shortly after launch due to a problem with the launch vehicle carrying it; however, a replacement, NanoSail-D2, was launched in 2010 to complete its mission.

  1. ^ "NanoSail D". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 20 November 2010.