ION CubeSat Carrier
The ION CubeSat Carrier is a free flying CubeSat deployer and technology demonstrator, developed by Italian company D-Orbit. It is scheduled to be launched on Vega flight VV16 from the Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana in 2020. The CubeSat carrier will host multiple CubeSats to be deployed once in orbit.[2]
| Names | InOrbit NOW |
|---|---|
| Mission type | CubeSat deployer, Technology demonstration |
| Operator | D-Orbit |
| Website | inorbitnow.space/ion/ |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | ION CubeSat Carrier |
| Spacecraft type | ION CubeSat Carrier |
| Manufacturer | D-Orbit[1] |
| Launch mass | ~100kg |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | Planned: 2020 |
| Rocket | Vega VV16 |
| Launch site | Guiana Space Centre |
| Contractor | Arianespace |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Sun-synchronous orbit |
| Eccentricity | ~0 |
| Apogee altitude | 500 km |
InOrbit NOW | |
Mission overview
The carrier will deploy the CubeSats one by one using a spring release mechanism once positioned in a sun-synchronous orbit at 500 km. The 60 cm cubic dispenser allows for several combinations of 1U, 2U, 3U, 3U+, 6U, 6U+, 12U and 12U+ Cubesats along the vertical axis. After completion of the up to one month long deployment phase, ION CubeSat Carrier will initiate a validation phase of its payloads directly integrated on the platform.[3]
References
- "D-Orbit Signs Contract for Launch and Deployment Services with Planet Labs – Parabolic Arc". Retrieved 2019-03-19.
- "ION CubeSat Carrier". space.skyrocket.de. Retrieved 2019-03-19.
- "ION". InOrbit Now (in Italian). Retrieved 2019-03-19.