Flock-1b 1-28

Spacecraft nº:

US spacecraft nº:

Launch data: Designation  1998-067 Launch date  13 Jul 2014 Launch site  WI, Pad 0A Launch vehicle  Antares-120 Mission  Technology, Imaging Launch platform  ISS Kibo, LEO

Spacecraft data:

Description:

• The Flock-1b earth observing constellation built and operated by Planet Labs (formerly Cosmogia Inc.) consists of 28 triple CubeSats.
• Leveraging on the Dove 1, 2, 3 and 4 prototypes, the 28 Flock-1b satellites are to be launched as piggy-back payloads on a single launch on an Antares-120 booster, which lofts the Cygnus CRS-2 transporter towards the ISS, where they will be deployed from the Kibo airlock by Nanoracks deployers.
• The satellites operate in a relative short-lived 400 km Orbit with an inclination of 52°.

Mission details:

• On Aug 19, 2014 the JEM RMS arm picked up the Nanoracks cubesat packages from the Kibo airlock and began deploying the PlanetLabs Flock-1b cubesats. Electrical problems with the deployer meant that deploys were suspended after Aug 21.
  Two pairs of cubesats were accidentally deployed on Aug 23 and Sep 5 without being commanded; PlanetLabs was able to contact and command them without problems.
• The NanoRacks cubesat deployer package remains attached to the JEM RMS robot arm while troubleshooting continues on electrical problems with the deployer.
  Four more 3U cubesats remain in the deployers while another package of 8 deployers with 16 x 3U equivialent of cubesats sits inside Kibo (more PlanetLabs Flock-1b satellites plus the LambdaSat, GEARRS and MicroMAS payloads).
• Six of the PlanetLabs Flock-1b cubesats (Nos. 3, 4, 13, 14, 19, 20) were returned to Earth aboard CRS-5 on Feb 11, 2015; without having been deployed, after 212 days in space.

External links:

• Spaceflight 101: Flock-1 Information