CUSat 1, 2 (Nanosat 4)

CUSat (2 satellites) [Cornell University]

CUSat (Cornell University Satellite) project is a multi-year effort to design, build, and launch an end-to-end autonomous on orbit inspection system. The CUSat system will demonstrate a process through which one satellite can diagnose the structural health and configuration of another. CUSat is part of the University Nanosat-4 Program which aims to educate the future aerospace workforce and develop new space technologies.

The space segment consists of two functionally identical satellites that will launch together and separate on orbit in a target-inspector configuration. Once in orbit, CUSat will use microthrust Pulsed Plasma Thrusters (PPTs) and sub-centimeter level accurate Carrier-phase Differential GPS (CDGPS) to navigate the satellites to within ten meters of each other. The inspector satellite will use cameras to gather imagery of the target satellite while performing relative navigation. Target satellite imagery will be transferred to the ground segment where they will be used to reconstruct a three dimensional model for the end user.

CUSat was one of the three candidate payloads for the quick reaction "Jumpstart" launch in 2008 on a Falcon-1 launch vehicle. Which payload was to be launched was deceided only two weeks before the launch, but CUSat lost.

In late 2010, it was announced, that CUSat was manifested as a piggyback payload on a Falcon-9 v1.0 rocket launch for October 2011-January 2012.