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Ascent
Ascent [Blue Canyon Tech]
Ascent is a mission to demonstrate various CubeSat operations in geostationary orbit (GEO).
AFRL awarded a second contract for BCT to build, test and deliver a 12U-CubeSat bus for the Ascent mission. AFRL provided and integrated the Ascent payload with BCT’s 12U spacecraft bus. Blue Canyon Technologies will perform bus-level testing of the complete spacecraft prior to delivery.
Ascent’s mission has been to evaluate the performance of COTS technology, in the GEO space environment, where satellites match the Earth’s rotation. Having a better understanding of how various components survive in this harsh environment, is critical to fielding robust satellites.
Ascent completed its mission in October 2022.
| Nation: | USA |
|---|---|
| Type / Application: | Technology |
| Operator: | Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) |
| Contractors: | Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) (payload); Blue Canyon Technologies (BCT) (bus) |
| Equipment: | |
| Configuration: | CubeSat (12U) |
| Propulsion: | ? |
| Power: | 2 deployable solar arrays, solar cells, batteries |
| Lifetime: | |
| Mass: | |
| Orbit: | GEO |
| Satellite | COSPAR | Date | LS | Launch Vehicle | Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ascent | 2021-118E | 07.12.2021 | CC SLC-41 | Atlas-5(551)² | with STPSat 6, LDPE 1 |
References:
- Blue Canyon Tech: Blue Canyon Technologies Selected by the Air Force Research Laboratory to Pursue GEO Missions, 9 September 2017
