STARS-Me

STARS-Me [Shizuoka University]

Shizuoka University's STARS-Me (Space Tethered Autonomous Robotic Satellite - Miniature Elevator) consists of a Mother Satellite and a Daughter Satellite connected by a tether and a crawler.

This is the fourth mission of the STARS series and is constructed to the 2U CubeSat form factor. STARS-Me consists of two 1U CubeSats having basic functions independently, and each satellite communicates with the ground station independently. The two CubeSats are connected by a tether. One of them is called CV, and the other is called HT and are connected by a rigid tape tether. CV has a climber and approximately 3 meter tether, and HT has the tether deployment mechanism consisting of approximately 11 meter tether accounting to a total of 14 meter tether.

Receiving radio waves from multiple satellites from the same position on orbit enables the experimenters to grasp changes in receiving due to differences in satellite conditions. The receivers can get information depending on the rotation of the satellite and the orientation of the antenna mounted on the CubeSats such as strength of radio waves, acquisition rate of packet data, deviation of frequency, change of power, difference of propagation situation. STARS-Me is deployed with both satellites connected and followed by deployment of the tether resulting in the separation of the two satellites. Thereafter, a climber, nicknamed "Miniature Space Elevator", will traverse on the deployed tether. The climber having a Bluetooth connection will transmit data to a ground station via a CubeSat of STARS-Me. It will be the first time in the world that a climber traverses on a tether between two satellites, and it is planned to gather images of the climber.

The satellite was launched on board of HTV 7 on an H-2B-304 rocket to be delivered to the ISS, from where it was deployed via the JEM airlock.