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Arkyd 6A, 6B (A6A, A6B)
Arkyd 6A (A6) [Planetary Resources]
Planetary Resources' Arkyd 6A or A6A is a technology demonstration nanosatellite based on the 6U CubeSat form factor for the planned Arkyd-100 asteroid prospecting astronomy satellites.
The satellite tested systems for the Arkyd-100 satellites, especially core technology to measure resources on water-rich asteroids. Included in the payload is a mid-wave infrared imaging system, able to precisely measure temperature differences of the objects it observes, as well as acquire key data related to the presence of water and water-bearing minerals. The system will first test targeted areas of the earth before being deployed to near-Earth asteroids on future missions.
It is unclear, if the second satellite will be launched. It likely has been cancelled.
| Nation: | USA |
|---|---|
| Type / Application: | Technology |
| Operator: | Planetary Resources |
| Contractors: | Planetary Resources |
| Equipment: | infrared imager |
| Configuration: | CubeSat (6U) |
| Propulsion: | None |
| Power: | Solar cells, batteries |
| Lifetime: | |
| Mass: | 10 kg |
| Orbit: | 493 km × 505 km, 97.56° |
| Satellite | COSPAR | Date | LS | Launch Vehicle | Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arkyd 6A (A6A) | 2018-004V | 12.01.2018 | Sr FLP | PSLV-XL | with Cartosat 2F, Microsat-TD, LEO Vantage 1, Carbonite 2, ICEYE X1, INS 1C, CICERO 7, Landmapper-BC 3 v2, Lemur-2 68, ..., 71, Flock-3p' 1, ..., 4, MicroMAS 2a, PicSat, CANYVAL-X 1, 2, CNUSail 1, KAUSAT 5, SIGMA, DemoSat 2, GeoStare, Fox 1D, STEP Cube Lab, SpaceBEE 1, ..., 4 | |
| Arkyd 6B (A6B) | - | cancelled | with ? |
References:
- Planetary Resources: Planetary Resources’ First Spacecraft Successfully Deployed, Testing Asteroid Prospecting Technology On Orbit, 16 July 2015
