OCSD A, B, C (AeroCube 7A, 7B, 7C / IOCPS A, B, C) (original) (raw)
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OCSD A [Aerospace Corp.]
OCSD (Optical Communications and Sensor Demonstration), formerly known as IOCPS (Integrated Optical Communications and Proximity Sensors for Cubesats), is a cubesat mission by the Aerospace Corporation of El Segundo to demonstrate a laser communication system for sending large amounts of information from a satellite to Earth and also demonstrate low-cost radar and optical sensors for helping small spacecraft maneuver near each other.
IOCPS consists of a pair of 1.5-unit CubeSats, which are launched together as a piggy-back payload. The mission is expected to take two years and $3.6 million to develop and operate.
In February 2013, OCSD was down-selected for a launch opportunity through the NASA ELaNa program. Launch is planned in 2015.
OSCD A wath be launched as a pathfinder in mid 2015 with AeroCube 5C to demonstrate all the subsystems required for the primary OCSD mission, and will be used to evaluate the performance of the attitude-control system. In orbit, it suffered an attitude control problem that is preventing its laser communications payload from being tested.
OSCD B and OCSD C, featuring a simplified version of the laser flown on OCSD-A, as well as a new thruster system that uses steam for propulsion, was launched in 2016.
| Nation: | USA |
|---|---|
| Type / Application: | Technology |
| Operator: | Aerospace Corporation |
| Contractors: | Aerospace Corporation |
| Equipment: | |
| Configuration: | CubeSat (1.5U) |
| Propulsion: | Cold gas |
| Power: | 2 deployable fixed solar arrays, batteries |
| Lifetime: | 2 years |
| Mass: | 3 kg |
| Orbit: | 500 km × 802 km, 64.78� (#7A); 449 km × 457 km, 51.64� (#7B, C) |
| Satellite | COSPAR | Date | LS | Launch Vehicle | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OCSD A (AeroCube 7A, AC 7-A) (ex IOCPS A) | 2015-058C | 08.10.2015 | Va SLC-3E | Atlas-5(401) | with Intruder 13, Intruder 14, SNaP-3 ALICE, SNaP-3 EDDIE, SNaP-3 JIMI, LMRSTSat, SINOD-D 1, SINOD-D 3, AeroCube 5C, ARC 1, BisonSat, Fox 1A, PropCube 1, PropCube 3 |
| OCSD B (AeroCube 7B, AC 7-B) (ex IOCPS B) | 2017-071F | 12.11.2017 | WI LC-0A | Antares-230 | with Cygnus CRS-8, EcAMSat, TechEdSat 6, Lemur-2 50, ..., 57, ISARA, CHEFsat, Asgardia 1, OCSD C, PropCube 2 |
| OCSD C (AeroCube 7C, AC 7-C) (ex IOCPS C) | 2017-071G | 12.11.2017 | WI LC-0A | Antares-230 | with Cygnus CRS-8, EcAMSat, TechEdSat 6, Lemur-2 50, ..., 57, ISARA, CHEFsat, Asgardia 1, OCSD B, PropCube 2 |
References:
- NASA: Small Spacecraft Technology Program Selects New Projects
- Richard P. Welle, Siegfried Janson, Darren Rowen, Todd Rose: Cubesat-Scale Laser Communications