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Arachne
Arachne [AFRL Space Vehicles Directorate]
Arachne is the keystone flight experiment in the SSPIDR (Space Solar Power Incremental Demonstrations and Research) project to demonstrate the solar-power converting sandwich tile and its ability to collect solar energy, convert it to RF, and beam it to a rectifying antenna on the ground from low earth orbit.
A panel of nine sandwich tiles, under development by Northrop Grumman, will be flying on Arachne. Arachne will use Northrop Grumman Innovation System’s ESPAStar bus, building on AFRL’s EAGLE spacecraft that launched in April 2018.
The satellite is expected to launch in 2025.
| Nation: | USA |
|---|---|
| Type / Application: | Technology |
| Operator: | AFRL Space Vehicles Directorate |
| Contractors: | Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems (NGIS) |
| Equipment: | |
| Configuration: | Eagle-Bus ESPA (ESPAStar-D) |
| Propulsion: | |
| Power: | Solar array, batteries |
| Lifetime: | 1 year |
| Mass: | 1250 kg |
| Orbit: | Geostationary |
| Satellite | COSPAR | Date | LS | Launch Vehicle | Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arachne | - | 2025 | with ? |
References:
- AFRL Space Vehicles Directorate: Arachne Fact Sheet
