Please make a donation to support Gunter's Space Page.
Thank you very much for visiting Gunter's Space Page. I hope that this site is useful and informative for you.
If you appreciate the information provided on this site, please consider supporting my work by making a simple and secure donation via PayPal. Please help to run the website and keep everything free of charge. Thank you very much.

OptiCube 1, 2, 3 (O/C 1, 2, 3)

OptiCube [CalPoly]

OptiCube [CalPoly]

The three OptiCube (O/C or Optical Cube) satellites, developed by Cal Poly, are 3U CubeSats to provide on-orbit targets for ground assets to calibrate sensors for orbital debris studies and small-object tracking improvements.

The OptiCube satellites are completely passive and the only differences between them are exterior coating materials.

These satellites were produced as a back-up on short notice on request of the NASA Orbital Debris Program Office and the Air Force's Starfire Optical Range, when it became clear, that not enough CubeSats would be ready to fill all the launch slots on the ULTRASAT mission.

The launch of the three satellites was sponsored by NRO. They have an expected orbital life of approximately six years.

Nation: USA
Type / Application: Calibration
Operator: NASA Orbital Debris Program Office, US Air Force Starfire Optical Range
Contractors: Cal Poly Picosatellite Project (PolySat)
Equipment: None
Configuration: CubeSat (3U)
Propulsion: None
Power: None
Lifetime: 6 years
Mass:
Orbit:
Satellite COSPAR Date LS Launch Vehicle Remarks
OptiCube 1 2015-025C 20.05.2015 CC SLC-41 Atlas-5(501) with X-37B OTV-4, GEARRS 2, LightSail 1, OptiCube 2, OptiCube 3, USS Langley, AeroCube 8A, AeroCube 8B, BRICSat-P, PSat A
OptiCube 2 2015-025F 20.05.2015 CC SLC-41 Atlas-5(501) with X-37B OTV-4, GEARRS 2, LightSail 1, OptiCube 1, OptiCube 3, USS Langley, AeroCube 8A, AeroCube 8B, BRICSat-P, PSat A
OptiCube 3 2015-025H 20.05.2015 CC SLC-41 Atlas-5(501) with X-37B OTV-4, GEARRS 2, LightSail 1, OptiCube 1, OptiCube 2, USS Langley, AeroCube 8A, AeroCube 8B, BRICSat-P, PSat A
Further OptiCube missions:

Cite this page: