Earth Escape Explorer (CU-E³) is a

nanosatellite A small satellite, miniaturized satellite, or smallsat is a satellite of low mass and size, usually under . While all such satellites can be referred to as "small", different classifications are used to categorize them based on mass. Satellites ca ...

of the 6U

CubeSat A CubeSat is a class of miniaturized satellite based around a form factor consisting of cubes. CubeSats have a mass of no more than per unit, and often use commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components for their electronics and structure. CubeSats ...

format that will demonstrate long-distance communications while in heliocentric orbit. The ''Earth Escape Explorer'' spacecraft is a student-driven effort at

University of Colorado Boulder The University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder, CU, or Colorado) is a public research university in Boulder, Colorado. Founded in 1876, five months before Colorado became a state, it is the flagship university of the University of Colorado sy ...

to design and build the spacecraft as part of the NASA CubeQuest Challenge. It was planned to be one of thirteen CubeSats carried with the Artemis 1 mission into a heliocentric orbit in

cislunar space Outer space, commonly shortened to space, is the expanse that exists beyond Earth and its atmosphere and between celestial bodies. Outer space is not completely empty—it is a near-perfect vacuum containing a low density of particles, pred ...

on the maiden flight of the

Space Launch System The Space Launch System (SLS) is an American super heavy-lift expendable launch vehicle developed by NASA. As of 2022, SLS has the highest payload capacity of any rocket in operational service, as well as the greatest liftoff thrust of any r ...

(SLS) and the Orion spacecraft, scheduled to launch in 2022. Delays caused the spacecraft to miss its integration window to be included on Artemis 1; a new launch provider has not yet been chosen.

Objectives

The CU-E³ team is pursuing four different CubeQuest prizes: largest aggregate data volume; most error-free data blocks; the most distant communications from

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...

; and spacecraft longevity.

Design

Once deployed in the vicinity of the

Moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It is the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System and the largest and most massive relative to its parent planet, with a diameter about one-quarter that of Earth (comparable to the width of ...

, CU-E³ will use a lunar

gravity assist In orbital mechanics and aerospace engineering, a gravitational slingshot, gravity assist maneuver, or swing-by is the use of the relative movement (e.g. orbit around the Sun) and gravity of a planet or other astronomical object to alter the p ...

to propel itself into heliocentric orbit, trailing the Earth and slowly distancing itself over time. By the end of its one-year mission, CU-E³ is planned to be as far as 27 million kilometers from Earth. The spacecraft will use a commercial 6U CubeSat satellite body (

bus A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for cha ...

) called XB1 of Blue Canyon Technologies (BCT), measuring about 10 cm × 20 cm × 30 cm. The mass is about . Electric power will be provided by solar panels and stored in rechargeable

lithium batteries Lithium battery may refer to: * Lithium metal battery, a non-rechargeable battery with lithium as an anode ** Rechargeable lithium metal battery, a rechargeable counterpart to the lithium metal battery * Lithium-ion battery, a rechargeable batte ...

. ;Communications The mission is focused upon advancing deep space CubeSat communication techniques using an innovative

reflective array antenna In telecommunications and radar, a reflective array antenna is a class of directive antennas in which multiple driven elements are mounted in front of a flat surface designed to reflect the radio waves in a desired direction. They are a type o ...

, an

X-band The X band is the designation for a band of frequencies in the microwave radio region of the electromagnetic spectrum. In some cases, such as in communication engineering, the frequency range of the X band is rather indefinitely set at approxi ...

transmitter for downlink and a C-band transmitter for uplink. The antenna array is "planar", meaning all of the elements are in one plane, yet provide a large aperture for beam steering and make possible high data rates. ATLAS Ground Networks will be the ground station for their uplink and downlink communications. Their telecomm package is called High-Rate CubeSat Communication System (HRCCS). ;Propulsion CU-E³ does not feature an onboard propulsion system, and will be using

solar radiation pressure Radiation pressure is the mechanical pressure exerted upon any surface due to the exchange of momentum between the object and the electromagnetic field. This includes the momentum of light or electromagnetic radiation of any wavelength that is a ...

for reaction wheel desaturation and

attitude control Attitude control is the process of controlling the orientation of an aerospace vehicle with respect to an inertial frame of reference or another entity such as the celestial sphere, certain fields, and nearby objects, etc. Controlling vehicle ...

(orientation).

References

{{Future spaceflights CubeSats Missions to the Moon Proposed space probes 2023 in spaceflight 2023 in the United States Secondary payloads

Objectives

Design

See also

References