CU Boulder CubeSats

Mission: Determine the presence or absence of exposed water ice on the Moon and map its concentration at the 1-2 kilometer scale

Launch Date: Dec. 11, 2022
Rocket Name: Hakuto-R Mission 1
Launch Location: Cape Canaveral
Service Dates: Dec. 11, 2022 - May 12, 2023
Deorbited: Still flying

Associated Teams: JPL, NASA Marshall
Principal Investigator: Dr. Barbara Cohen (NASA Marshall)
Co-Investigator:Paul Hayne (Dept. of Astrophysics, LASP)

INternational Satellite Program In Research and Education Satellite  

Mission: Ionospheric measurements, which will advance our understanding of ionosphere dynamics and plasma transport.

Launch Date: Feb. 14, 2022
Launch Location: Satish Dhawan Space Centre, India
Rocket Name: Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle C-52
Service Dates: Feb. 14, 2022 - Present
Deorbited: Still flying

Associated Teams: LASP    
Principal Investigator: Amal Chandran    

Notes: Multi-nation multi-university CubeSat project

Mission: Demonstrating atmospheric sounding and polar region sea ice/ice-free ocean detection and mapping. 

Launch Date: January 18, 2021
Rocket Name: LauncherOne (L1)
Launch Location: Mojave Air and Space Port
Deorbited: June 5, 2023

Associated Teams: Colorado Space Grant, Center for Environmental Technology (CET), National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC)
Principal Investigators: Brian Sanders, Albin Gasiewski, David Gallaher

Notes: Design integrates ALL-STAR CubeSat bus.

Compact Spectral Irradiance Monitor

Mission: Measure the solar spectral irradiance from 200-2600nm twice a day with a goal accuracy of <0.25%.

Launch Date: 12/3/2018    
Rocket Name: Spaceflight SSO-A: SmallSat Express
Launch Location: Vandenberg AFB
Service Dates: 12/3/2018 - 2/2022. Mission success.
Deorbited: Still flying  

Associated Teams: LASP      
Principal Investigator: Erik Richard    

Mininiature X-ray Solar Spectrometer II

Mission: Measure the intensity of the soft X-ray spectrum from 0.4 keV (30 Å) to 30 keV (0.4 Å) with a resolution better than 0.15 keV full-width half-max.

Launch Date: 12/3/2018
Rocket Name: Spaceflight SSO-A: SmallSat Express
Launch Location: Vandenberg AFB
Service Dates: 12/3/2018 - 1/7/2019 (See Notes)
Deorbited: Still flying

Associated Teams: Smead Aerospace, LASP, NCAR, Blue Canyon Technologies
Principal Investigator: Tom Woods
Co-Investigator:Scott Palo and Xinlin Li
Primary Funding: NASA

Notes: Communication ceased on 1/7/2019 following a single event latch-up, likely from a solar flare. Resumption of communication is possible, but the satellite is currently considered lost.

QB (Play on words of Cube/CubeSat)
50 (Multi-nation 50 CubeSat initiative)
US-01 (United States-built Cubesat #1)
Challenger (Named for the Space Shuttle)

Mission: Provide multi-point measurements of the mid-lower thermosphere.

Launch Date: 4/18/2017
Rocket Name: Orbital ATK CRS-7
Launched From: Cape Canaveral
Service Dates: 5/24/2017 - 8/12/2018. Mission success.
Deorbited: 8/12/2018

Associated Teams: Smead Aerospace, Von Karman Institute, Stanford University, University of Michigan
Principal Investigator: Scott Palo
Primary Funding: NSF

Notes: Multi-nation, multi-university 50 CubeSat initiative of the Von Karman Institute.

Agile Low cost Laboratory for Space Technology Acceleration and Research / Telescopic High-definition Earth Imaging Apparatus

Mission: Test new nano-sat bus and return color photos of Earth. 

Launch Date: 4/18/2014   
Rocket Name: SpaceX CRS-3    
Launch Location: Cape Canaveral   
Service Dates: Malfunctioned   
Deorbited: 5/26/2014    

Associated Teams: Colorado Space Grant
Principal Investigator: Chris Koehler
Primary Funding: Lockheed Martin, NASA

Drag and Atmospheric Neutral Density Explorer

Mission: Provide density, wind, and composition data for the calibration and validation of operational models and to improve understanding of the thermosphere

Launch Date: 9/29/2013 
Rocket Name: CASSIOPE
Launch Location: Vandenberg AFB
Service Dates: 9/29/2013 - 2/9/2014
Deorbited: Still flying, likely until ~2030.

Associated Teams: Colorado Space Grant, Smead Aerospace
Principal Investigator: Chris Koehler
Co-Investigators: Scott Palo,Jeff Forbes
Primary Funding: US Air Force, NASA

Notes: Winner, Air Force University Nanosatellite Program (UNP-5) competition. Lost contact following Minimum Mission Success.

Colorado Student Space Weather Experiment    

Mission: Address fundamental questions pertaining to the relationship between solar flares and energetic particles

Launch Date: 9/13/2012
Rocket Name: NASA ELaNa VI    
Launch Location: Vandenberg AFB   
Service Dates: 9/14/2012 - 12/22/2014. Mission success.
Deorbited: Still flying    

Associated Teams: CU Boulder Aerospace, LASP       
Principal Investigator:Xinlin Li 
Co-Investigator: Scott Palo and Shri Kanekal
Pimary Funding: NSF

Notes: 20 peer-reviewed publications generated, 3 PhD students received their PhD, program was highlighted in NAE report.

Named for Hermes, the Greek messenger God, due to the satellite's communications mission.

Mission: Improve CubeSat communications through in-orbit testing of a high data-rate communication system that will allow the downlink of large quantities of data.

Launch Date: 3/4/2011
Rocket Name: NASA ELaNa I
Launch Location: Vandenberg AFB   
Service Dates: Launch rocket failed to reach orbit

Associated Teams: Colorado Space Grant
Principal Investigator: Chris Koehler

ThreeCorner Satellite - Ralphie: Named for original plan of a three satellite constellation, with one each built by CU Boulder (Ralphie), Arizona State University (Sparkie), and New Mexico State University (Petey - Did not fly).

Mission: Demonstrate formation flying, provide stereoscopic imaging of cloud formations, and demonstrate distributed and autonomous operations

Launch Date: 12/21/2004
Rocket Name: Boeing Delta 4-Heavy
Launch Location: Cape Canaveral
Service Dates: Launch rocket failure prevented satellites from reaching orbit

Associated Teams: Colorado Space Grant
Principal Investigator: Elaine Hansen