| Mission type | Technology demonstration |
|---|---|
| Operator | The Aerospace Corporation / USAF |
| COSPAR ID | 2009-028E |
| SATCAT no. | 35005 |
| Mission duration | 1-3 years (planned) 1.5 years (achieved) |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | 1U CubeSat |
| Bus | CubeSat |
| Launch mass | 1 kg (2.2 lb) |
| Dimensions | 10 × 10 × 10 cm (3.9 × 3.9 × 3.9 in) |
| Power | Solar cells, batteries |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 19 May 2009, 23:55 UTC |
| Rocket | Minotaur I |
| Launch site | MARS, LP-0B |
| Contractor | Orbital Sciences Corporation |
| End of mission | |
| Decay date | 6 January 2011 [1] |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit[2] |
| Regime | Low Earth orbit |
| Perigee altitude | 427 km (265 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 466 km (290 mi) |
| Inclination | 40.48° |
| Period | 93.51 minutes |
AeroCube-3 is a single-unit CubeSat which was built and is being operated by The Aerospace Corporation, at El Segundo, California. It is the third AeroCube picosatellite, following on from AeroCube-1, which was lost in a launch failure in 2006, and AeroCube-2 which was successfully launched in 2007 but failed immediately after launch.[3] Compared to its predecessors it contains several improvements in its infrastructure, including a redesigned power system, replacing the older system which was responsible for the loss of AeroCube-2. Its development was funded by the United States Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center, at Los Angeles Air Force Base.[4]
- ^ "AeroCube-3". NASA. 28 October 2021. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ McDowell, Jonathan (29 August 2021). "Satellite Catalog". Jonathan's Space Report. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
- ^ Krebs, Gunter (26 June 2018). "AeroCube 1, 2, 3". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
- ^ "AeroCube-3". ESA eoPortal Directory. 2021. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
