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S-CUBE [PERC]
S-CUBE or S3 (Shootingstar Sensing Satellite) is Japanese 3U Cubesat project for observation of meteors from low earth orbit.
S-CUBE is a partnership between Planetary Exploration Research Center of Chiba Institute of Technology (PERC/Chitech) in Narashino and Tohoku University in Sendai.
The 3U satellite bus is developed on the base of the Raiko cubesat. It features 3-axis magnetic torquers and gravity-gradient stabilization by an extendible boom.
The scientific instruments consist of a CCD camera inherited from SpriteSat and a Photomultiplier tube (PMT) for detection at ultraviolet wavelengths.
The S-CUBE mission has following goals:
- Detect UV emission from a meteor by PMT, which is used as a trigger of a camera (minimum success)
- Take an image of meteor by a camera to estimate the meteoroid size from brightness (minimum success)
- Obtain the flux (i. e., size distribution) of meteors (full success)
- Estimate the compositions of meteors quantitatively from emission from species, such as sulfur (optional)
The satellite was delivered to the ISS by the HTV 5 cargo craft. It was deployed on 17 September 2015.
| Nation: | Japan |
|---|---|
| Type / Application: | Technology |
| Operator: | PERC/Chitech, Tohoku University |
| Contractors: | PERC/Chitech, Tohoku University |
| Equipment: | CCD camera, PMT |
| Configuration: | CubeSat (3U) |
| Propulsion: | None |
| Power: | Solar cells, batteries |
| Lifetime: | 6 months |
| Mass: | 4 kg |
| Orbit: | 397 km × 408 km, 51.64� |
| Satellite | COSPAR | Date | LS | Launch Vehicle | Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S-CUBE | 1998-067GY | 19.08.2015 | Ta YLP-2 | H-2B-304 | with HTV 5, CALET, Flock-2b 1, ..., 14, SERPENS, GOMX 3, AAUSAT 5 |
Launch Sites:
- Ta = Tanegashima Space Center, Tanegashima, Japan
