FASTRAC
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|
| Names |
Sara-Lilly Nanosat 3A USA 222 FO 69 FASTRAC-OSCAR 69 |
|---|---|
| Mission type | Technology |
| Operator | UT-Austin, AFRL, STP |
| COSPAR ID | 2010-062F |
| SATCAT no. | 37227 |
| Website | Official Page |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Manufacturer | UT-Austin |
| Launch mass | 127 lb (58 kg) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 01:25:00, November 20, 2010 |
| Rocket | Minotaur IV |
| Launch site | Kodiak Launch Complex |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Perigee | 641 km |
| Apogee | 652 km |
| Inclination | 72° |
Sara-Lilly Nanosat 3A USA 222 FO 69
Formation Autonomy Spacecraft with Thrust, Relnav, Attitude and Crosslink (or FASTRAC) is a pair of nanosatellites (respectively named Sara-Lily and Emma) developed and built by students at The University of Texas at Austin. The project is part of a program sponsored by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), whose goal is to lead the development of affordable space technology. The FASTRAC mission will specifically investigate technologies that facilitate the operation of multiple satellites in formation. These enabling technologies include relative navigation, cross-link communications, attitude determination, and thrust. Due to the high cost of lifting mass into orbit, there is a strong initiative to miniaturize the overall weight of spacecraft. The utilization of formations of satellites, in place of large single satellites, reduces the risk of single point failure and allows for the use of low-cost hardware.
In January 2005, the University of Texas won the University Nanosat-3 Program, a grant-based competition that included 12 other participating universities. As a winner, FASTRAC was given the opportunity to launch its satellites into space. The student-led team received $100,000 from AFRL for the competition portion of the project, and another $100,000 for the implementation phase. FASTRAC is the first student-developed satellite mission incorporating on-orbit real-time relative navigation, on-orbit real-time attitude determination using a single GPS antenna, and a micro-discharge plasma thruster.
FASTRAC launched on 19 November 2010 aboard a Minotaur IV rocket from the Kodiak Launch Complex in Kodiak, Alaska. Separation of the satellites from each other and cross-link communication were successfully carried out.
FASTRAC was developed under the US Air Force Research Laboratory University Nanosatellite Program, and was ranked number 32 in the Space Experiments Review Board's list of priortised spacecraft experiments in 2006. The spacecraft were expected to demonstrate Global Positioning System relative navigation and micro-charge thruster performance.
The main mission sequence is composed of six distinct phases: Launch, Launch Vehicle Separation, Initial Acquisition, GPS Onboard Relative Navigation, Onboard Single Antenna GPS Attitude Determination and Micro-discharge Plasma Thruster Operation, and Amateur Radio Operations. In the first phase, the two nanosatellites will be launched on the Department of Defense Space Test Program STP-S26 Mission from Kodiak Launch Complex (KLC) in Kodiak, Alaska. They will be transported to a 72 degree inclination circular low Earth orbit with an altitude of 650 km by a Minotaur IV rocket. Initially, the two nanosatellites will be in a stacked configuration. Once the rocket reaches the desired orbit, the satellites will be powered on by the launch vehicle before finally separating from the launch vehicle.
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