 Depiction of the satellite in opened position | |
| Mission type | Technology, science |
|---|---|
| Operator | JAXA University of Tokyo |
| COSPAR ID | 2022-156E |
| SATCAT no. | 55905 |
| Website | https://www.space.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp/equuleus |
| Mission duration | Cruise: 6 months (planned) [1] Science: 6 months (planned) Elapsed: 2 years and 11 days |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | EQUULEUS |
| Spacecraft type | CubeSat |
| Bus | 6U CubeSat |
| Manufacturer | JAXA / University of Tokyo |
| Launch mass | 14 kg (31 lb) |
| Dimensions | 10 cm × 20 cm × 30 cm (3.9 in × 7.9 in × 11.8 in) |
| Power | 15 watts |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 16 November 2022, 06:47:44 UTC[2] |
| Rocket | SLS Block 1 |
| Launch site | Kennedy, LC-39B |
| Contractor | NASA |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Selenocentric orbit |
| Transponders | |
| Band | X-band and Ka-band[1] |
| TWTA power | 13 W [1] |
| Instruments | |
| Plasmaspheric Helium ion Observation by Enhanced New Imager in eXtreme ultraviolet (PHOENIX) DEtection camera for Lunar impact PHenomena IN 6U Spacecraft (DELPHIUS)) Cis-Lunar Object Detector within Thermal Insulation (CLOTH) | |
| Flyby of Moon | |
| Closest approach | 21 November 2022, 16:25 UTC |
| Distance | 5,000 km (3,100 mi) |
EQUULEUS (EQUilibriUm Lunar-Earth point 6U Spacecraft) is a nanosatellite of the 6U CubeSat format that will measure the distribution of plasma that surrounds the Earth (plasmasphere) to help scientists understand the radiation environment in that region. It will also demonstrate low-thrust trajectory control techniques, such as multiple lunar flybys, within the Earth-Moon region using water steam as propellant.[3][1] The spacecraft was designed and developed jointly by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and the University of Tokyo.[3][4]
EQUULEUS was one of ten CubeSats launched with the Artemis 1 mission into a heliocentric orbit in cislunar space on the maiden flight of the Space Launch System that took place on 16 November 2022.[2][5] On 17 November 2022, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) reported that EQUULEUS separated successfully on 16 November 2022 and was confirmed to be operating normally on 16 November 2022 at 13:50 UTC.[6] EQUULEUS filmed the Green Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) in February 2023.[7]
Earth · Moon · EQUULEUS
- ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference
ASUwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b Roulette, Joey; Gorman, Steve (16 November 2022). "NASA's next-generation Artemis mission heads to moon on debut test flight". Reuters. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
- ^ a b "Space Launch System Highlights" (PDF). NASA. May 2016. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ Gunter Dirk Krebs (18 May 2020). "EQUULEUS". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
- ^ Clark, Stephen (12 October 2021). "Adapter structure with 10 CubeSats installed on top of Artemis moon rocket". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
- ^ "JAXA | Status of the JAXA CubeSats OMOTENASHI and EQUULEUS onboard NASA Artemis I". JAXA | Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
- ^ Pultarova, Tereza (21 February 2023). "Green comet seen from space by Artemis 1 moon mission cubesat (video)". Space.com. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
