AeroCube 8B satellite

AeroCube-8b (IMPACT B)

USA

Spacecraft nº:

US spacecraft nº:

Prime manufacturer	Aerospace Corporation, MIT and eSpace
Platform	CubeSat (1.5 U)
Operator	Aerospace Corporation
Mass at launch	3 kg
Dry Mass	kg
Basic shape
Dimension (m)
Equipment
Solar array	Solar cells
Stabilization
Propulsion	SiEPro
DC power
Design lifetime	3 months

The Aerospace Corporation, MIT and eSpace have teamed for two 1.5U CubeSats to demonstrate NRO-funded research and development of Carbon Nanotube and Scalable ion Electrospray Propulsion system.

On May 20, 2015 an Atlas V orbited an X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle into an unknown orbit.
After releasing the X-37B, the Centaur AV-054 rocket stage reignited to reach a 355 x 700 km x 55-57 deg orbit and at around 17:00 UTC released a set of 9 cubesats. Centaur then made a third burn to deorbit itself over the Indian Ocean.
Aerocube-8A and 8B, from the Aerospace Corporation, are two 1.5U cubesats testing an ion-electrospray propulsion system and carbon nanotube materials.

Ref.: #7(JR712), #12, #14 - update: 23.08.15