SMDC-ONE 2.4 (David)

Spacecraft nº:

US spacecraft nº:

Launch data: Designation  39472 / 13072L Launch date  06 Dec 2013 - 07:14 UT Launch site  Va, SLC-3E Launch vehicle  Atlas-5/501 Mission  Communication Earth orbit: Perigee / Apogee   km Eccentricity   Inclination   ° Period   min

Spacecraft data:

Description:

• SMDC-ONE (Space Missile Defense Command - Operational Nanosatellite Effect) is a program to develop a small experimental communications satellite constellation for the US Army Space and Missile Defense Command.
• The mission objectives are:
  • Demonstrate the ability to rapidly design and develop militarily relevant low cost spacecraft.
  • Receive packetized data from multiple Unattended Ground Sensors (UGS). Transmit that data to ground stations within the SMDC-ONE ground track.
  • Provide real time voice and text message data relay to and from field deployed tactical radio systems.
  • Demonstrate SMDC-ONE operational life time of 12 months or longer.

Mission details:

• The Atlas-5 was launched from Vandenberg on Dec 6, 2013 at 07:14 UT.
• Attached to AV-042 was GEMSAT, the second NPSCuL cubesat launcher, which ejected 12 cubesats between around 1022 and 1038 UTC.
  • FIREBIRD A and B, two 1.5U cubesats from the Montana Space Grant Consortium to study electron microbursts in the magnetosphere.
  • CUNYSAT, a 1U from the City University of New York's Medgar Evers College, with a GPS ionospheric receiver.
  • MCUBED-2, 1 1U from the University of Michigan with technology experiments. including a low resolution imager.
  • IPEX-CP8, a 1U built by Cal Poly to test systems and algorithms for JPL.
  • ALICE, a 1U from the Air Force Institute of Technology carrying technology experiments.
  • SMDC-ONE C and D (Charlie and David), 3U communications satellites for the US Army Space and Missile Defense Command.
  • Aerocube 5a and 5b, 1.5U technology cubesats for the Aerospace Corporation.
  • SNAP, a 3U cubesat for the SMDC Nanosatellite Program, with an unknown mission.
  • Tacsat-6, a 3U cubesat for SMDC with an unknown mission, probably tactical communications or imaging.