Mars Cube One (MarCO)

Winston · Apr 30, 2018

Mars Cube One (MarCO)

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/cubesat/missions/marco.php

[video=youtube;P_8ZEAPrrHQ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_8ZEAPrrHQ[/video]

[video=youtube;dS_Q7BFGuu0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dS_Q7BFGuu0[/video]

K'Tesh · May 1, 2018

Follow that with the Polar Optical Laser Observer... POLO

Winston · May 5, 2018

Actually, I find this part of the mission - low cost, miniature interplanetary spacecraft - much more interesting than the main mission.

MarCO brochure:

https://mstl.atl.calpoly.edu/~bklofas/Presentations/DevelopersWorkshop2016/5_AndrewKlesh.pdf

MarCO – Mars Cube One

https://spaceflight101.com/insight/marco/

Attitude Determination and Control System (ADCS):

Reaction Wheel Assembly (RWA):

Spacecraft Pointing Accuracy: ±0.002 deg (1-sigma), 3 axes, 2 Trackers
Spacecraft Lifetime: 5 Years (LEO)
Mass: 0.85 kg
Volume: 10 x 10 x 5 cm (0.5U)
Electronics Voltage: 5V and 12-34V
Reaction Wheel Voltage: 28V (dependent upon RW size)
Data Interface: RS-422(SPI by request)

Cold gas Micro Propulsion System (MiPS):

https://www.cubesat-propulsion.com/...Micro-CubeSat-Propulsion-System-datasheet.pdf

Overview of VACCO's CubeSat micro propulsion systems:

https://www.cubesat-propulsion.com/...on-Systems-Overview-pdf-for-download-page.pdf

Iris V2 CubeSat Deep-Space Transponder (IRIS)

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/cubesat/missions/iris.php

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/cubesat/pdf/Brochure_IrisV2.1_201611-URS_Approved_CL16-5469.pdf

Features:

Deep-Space Network Compatible
Low Volume, Mass, and Cost
Configurable Software Defined Coherent Transponder
0.5 U Volume
1.2 kg Mass
35 W DC Power Consumption at 4 W Radio Frequency Output, Full Transpond mode
Deep Space Network Capability at X-Band Frequencies for Command, Telemetry, and Navigation
Ka-Band, S-Band, UHF Options
Passive (Conductive) Thermal Dissipation
Radiation Tolerant Parts for Extended Deep Space Missions up to three years
Configurable for Earth Orbit

Iris V2 Low Noise Amplifier (LNA):

Flat panel high gain X-band antenna acts as a parabolic reflector:

https://hackaday.com/2017/02/22/interview-nacer-chahat-designs-antennae-for-mars-cubesats/

[video=youtube;qv1j-VQUO_Y]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qv1j-VQUO_Y[/video]

https://www.researchgate.net/public...array_for_the_first_CubeSat_mission_t o_Mars

UHF antenna to receive data from InSight lander during its descent:

Possible next CubeSat Mars mission:

https://www.lcpm12.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/0850-0910-Arteaga.pdf

Winston · May 7, 2018

K'Tesh said:
Follow that with the Polar Optical Laser Observer... POLO

NASA's first deep-space CubeSats say: 'Polo!'
May 6, 2018

https://phys.org/news/2018-05-nasa-deep-space-cubesats-polo.html

"Both MarCO-A and B say 'Polo!' It's a sign that the little sats are alive and well," said Andy Klesh, chief engineer for the MarCO mission at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, which built the twin spacecraft.

The computers inside each MarCO CubeSat haven't been turned on since being tested at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, in mid-March, where they were prepared for launch by Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems of Irvine, California. Each spacecraft had to do a lot of things right by itself for the team to hear a signal: batteries had to retain enough charge for the spacecraft to deploy their solar arrays, stabilize their attitude, turn toward the Sun and turn on their radios.

A couple of weeks will be spent assessing how the MarCO CubeSats are performing. If they survive the radiation of space and function as planned, they'll fly over the Red Planet during InSight's entry, descent and landing in November. They each have a special antenna to relay InSight's vital signs during the infamous "Seven Minutes of Terror," the crucial phase which has claimed the majority of humanity's probes sent to land on the Red Planet.

Winston · May 18, 2018

A pale blue dot, as seen by a CubeSat

https://phys.org/news/2018-05-pale-blue-dot-cubesat.html

NASA's Voyager 1 took a classic portrait of Earth from several billion miles away in 1990. Now a class of tiny, boxy spacecraft, known as CubeSats, have just taken their own version of a "pale blue dot" image, capturing Earth and its moon in one shot.

NASA set a new distance record for CubeSats on May 8 when a pair of CubeSats called Mars Cube One (MarCO) reached 621,371 miles (1 million kilometers) from Earth. One of the CubeSats, called MarCO-B (and affectionately known as "Wall-E" to the MarCO team) used a fisheye camera to snap its first photo on May 9. That photo is part of the process used by the engineering team to confirm the spacecraft's high-gain antenna has properly unfolded.

The MarCO spacecraft are the first CubeSats ever launched to deep space. Most never go beyond Earth orbit; they generally stay below 497 miles (800 kilometers) above the planet. Though they were originally developed to teach university students about satellites, CubeSats are now a major commercial technology, providing data on everything from shipping routes to environmental changes.

Mars landings are notoriously challenging due to the Red Planet's thin atmosphere. The MarCO CubeSats will follow along behind InSight during its cruise to Mars. Should they make it all the way to Mars, they will radio back data about InSight while it enters the atmosphere and descends to the planet's surface. The high-gain antennas are key to that effort; the MarCO team have early confirmation that the antennas have successfully deployed, but will continue to test them in the weeks ahead.

InSight won't rely on the MarCO mission for data relay. That job will fall to NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. But the MarCOs could be a pathfinder so that future missions can "bring their own relay" to Mars. They could also demonstrate a number of experimental technologies, including their antennas, radios and propulsion systems, which will allow CubeSats to collect science in the future.

Later this month, the MarCOs will attempt the first trajectory correction maneuvers ever performed by CubeSats. This maneuver lets them steer towards Mars, blazing a trail for CubeSats to come.

Mars Cube One (MarCO)

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Mars Cube One (MarCO)

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