COPPER

Spacecraft nº:

US spacecraft nº:

Launch data: Designation  39395 / 13064R Launch date  20 Nov 2013 - 01:15 UT Launch site  WI, LA-0B Launch vehicle  Minotaur-1 Mission  Technology Earth orbit: Perigee / Apogee  392 x 411 km Eccentricity   Inclination  40.5 ° Period  92.5 min

Spacecraft data:

End of live:

Description:

• The COPPER (Close Orbiting Propellant Plume and Elemental Recognition) mission is to perform a first flight of a commercially-available, compact microbolometer array, a tiny infrared camera developed by FLIR Systems, to evaluate the suitability of using this instrument for Earth observation and space situational awareness.
• COPPER is an 1U CubeSat designed to operate in Low Earth Orbit. It consists of the SCARAB bus and two plug-in payloads:
  • The FLIR Tau 320 Microbolometer Array, with a custom-built interface board (giving us greater control over the imager and allowing us to store 14-bit images at 30 frames per second).
  • A pathfinder payload provided by Vanderbilt University, in preparation for the Argus mission. The Commodore payload will demonstrate basic interfaces and functionality of their radiation-effects monitoring payload controller.