Ncube-2

Spacecraft n°:

Norwegian spacecraft n°: 4

Launch data: Designation  28897 / 05043H Launch date  27 Oct 2005 - 06:52 UT Launch site  Pl, LC-132/1 Launch vehicle  Cosmos-3M (11K65M) Mission  Comms/Technology? Earth orbit: Perigee / Apogee  683 x 706 km Inclination  98.17° Period  98.66 min

Ncube-1 satellite

Spacecraft data:

Description:

The Norwegian Student Satellite Project Ncube (Norwegian Cubesat) aims to design, build, integrate, test and launch a small satellite in order to provide students in Norwegian educational institutions with:

• hands-on experience with a real satellite mission
• multidisciplinary collaboration
• space project experience

To stimulate:

• Interest in science
• Increased competence in space technology among students and educational institutions
• Co-operation between educational institutions and industry
• Co-operation and exchange of knowledge between institutions in the north and in the south

By ensuring:

• Support and guidance from in-house expertise
• Support from expertise in related Norwegian industry and research establishments
• Testing by rocket launch or balloon mission, and in facilities available throughout Norway

Mission details:

• Ncube-2 was launched on 27.10.2005 on a Cosmos-3M> launch vehicle onboard of the SSETI-Express satellite, but was most likely not deployed.
• After a successful launch of SSETI Express and NCube-2, the groundstations in Narvik and at Svalbard did not receive any confirmed signal from NCUBE-2, 14 days into the mission. With no reports from radio amateurs establishing contact either, it seems that the satellite is not sending any signals or is somehow prevented from doing so.
• On 22 December 2006 SpaceTrack observed a new object near SSETI Express and assigned it the number 28897. It is assumed (but not confirmed) that this is NCube-2.