TechEdSat 15 (TES 15) [NASA]
The TechEdSat 15 (TES 15) is a 3U CubeSat from NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley, is a 3U CubeSat which will be used to test several technologies.
This three-unit CubeSat weighs 9.1 pounds and carries experiments that are being advanced in TechEdSat’s Nano-Orbital Workshop (NOW) rapid flight development series.
TechEdSat-15’s primary experiment is a version of an exo-brake intended to survive much higher temperature environments – several hundred degrees – than in previous flights. It will demonstrate the next step forward in nanosatellites’ ability to target an Earth entry point. The exo-brake is a device that applies drag in Earth’s exosphere – the uppermost reaches of the atmosphere – to slow the speed of a satellite’s descent and change its direction. This experiment will permit the satellite to survive closer-to-peak heating, maintain telemetry, and assess the dynamics as the system enters the top of the atmosphere.
Another experiment on TechEdSat-15 includes the Beacon And Memory Board Interface (BAMBI), which optimizes internal and external data transfer from the nanosatellite.
The TechEdSat-NOW series has multiple research goals including using the exo-brake to de-orbit high-altitude nanosatellites at end of mission to reduce issues related to orbital debris. Additionally, drag modulation has uses for sample return from low-Earth orbit as well as tailoring orbits during aero-pass maneuvers for future planetary applications. The TechEdSat-15 project is managed by Ames and funded by the Ames Engineering Directorate. TechEdSat-15 partners include San Jose State University.
TechEdSat-15 was launched on the second Firefly-Alpha rocket and reached orbit, although lower than planned.
Nation: | USA |
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Type / Application: | Technology, education |
Operator: | NASA Ames Research Center |
Contractors: | NASA Ames Research Center |
Equipment: | |
Configuration: | CubeSat (3U) |
Propulsion: | None |
Power: | Solar cells, batteries |
Lifetime: | |
Mass: | |
Orbit: |
Satellite | COSPAR | Date | LS | Launch Vehicle | Remarks | |
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TechEdSat 15 (TES 15) | 2022-122C ? | 01.10.2022 | Va SLC-2W | p | Firefly-Alpha | with Serenity (2), GENESIS G, GENESIS J, Qubik 3, Qubik 4, FossaSat 1b (2), Firefly Capsule 2 |