FASTRAC

FASTRAC 1

USA

Spacecraft n°:

US spacecraft n°:

FASTRAC= Formation Autonomy Spacecraft with Thrust, Relnav, Attitude and Crosslink
Also called: USA 222, Sara-Lily, Nanosat 3A, FO 69 & Oscar 69

Launch data:

Designation	37227 / 10062F
Launch date	20 Nov 2010 - 01:25 UT
Launch site	Kodiak, LP-1
Launch vehicle	Minotaur-4 HAPS
Mission	Civil: Technology Development
Sun-Synchronous LEO Earth orbit on Dec 9.28:
Perigee / Apogee	627 x 654 km
Eccentricity	1,93E-03
Inclination	71.97 deg
Period	97.53 min

First flight version rocket

Spacecraft data:

Prime contractor	University of Texas at Austin
Platform
Operator	University of Texas - Austin
Mass at launch	28 kg
Dry Mass	kg
Basic shape	Hexagonal
Dimension (m)
Equipment
Solar array
Stabilization
Propulsion
DC power
Design lifetime	Still active

Description:

FASTRAC was developed by grad students and undergrads at the University of Texas, Austin. FASTRAC consists of two satellites launched together (Sara Lily and Emma), each about the size of two car tires, that will separate from each other in orbit to demonstrate communication and coordination capabilities.

Mission details:

FASTRAC 1 and 2 are 30 kg satellites developed by the University of Texas at Austin with USAF funding for formation flying experiments.
The command to separate the two FASTRAC satellites, launched on 2010 Nov 20, was sent on 2011 Mar 14, but separation did not occur.
The FASTRAC 1 and 2 satellites ("Sara Lily" and "Emma") were separated on Mar 22, 2011.

Ref.: #7(JR635,639,640), #14, #206, #226, #228, #245 - update: 28.05.11