The QuARCS (Quad Amateur Radio Communications Satellite) is a two-satellite 1U CubeSat technology demonstration mission by the University of California, Davis, to test the capabilities of the Iridium and Globalstar radio communication satellite arrays when using a transmitter at an altitude of approximately 550 km.
The QuARCS projects consists of two identical satellites called Up and Down. Both are to be launched together for redundancy. If both satellites should work, one will be dedicated for amateur radio duties.
It was selected in 2018 by NASA's CubeSat Launch Initiative (CSLI) to be launched as part of the ELaNa program, but was cancelled early during development due to FCC licencing issues. The mission was replaced by the REALOP mission.
| Nation: | USA |
|---|---|
| Type / Application: | Technology |
| Operator: | University of California, Davis |
| Contractors: | University of California, Davis |
| Equipment: | |
| Configuration: | CubeSat (1U) |
| Propulsion: | |
| Power: | Solar cells, batteries |
| Lifetime: | |
| Mass: | 1.3 kg |
| Orbit: |
| Satellite | COSPAR | Date | LS | Launch Vehicle | Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QuARCS Down | - | cancelled | (via NASA ELaNa program) | with QuARCS Up, ? | ||
| QuARCS Up | - | cancelled | (via NASA ELaNa program) | with QuARCS Down, ? |
