Noise of Summer mission will launch eight
educational payloads for NASA's CubeSat Launch Services
Initiative
VANDENBERG
SPACE FORCE BASE, Calif., June 21,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Firefly Aerospace, Inc., an
end-to-end space transportation company, today announced its
Alpha Flight 5 (FLTA005) mission,
called Noise of Summer, is scheduled to launch no earlier than
June 26. The 30-minute launch window
will open at 9 p.m. PST.
"The Firefly team has rapidly matured our Alpha
rocket and our responsive launch operations to deliver the
dependable one-metric-ton rocket the market is demanding," said
Bill Weber, CEO of Firefly
Aerospace. "We're proud to support this NASA mission that will not
only prove out the capabilities of Alpha as a repeatable, reliable
launch vehicle, but also advance our mission of making space for
everyone by supporting some incredible student-led CubeSat
initiatives."
Launching from Firefly's SLC-2 complex at the
Vandenberg Space Force Base, Alpha FLTA005 supports Firefly's
Venture-Class Launch Services Demo 2 contract with NASA that serves
to validate the capabilities of launch vehicles that support a new
launch class and provide more access to space for small satellites
and spacecraft. The mission will deploy the following eight
payloads selected through NASA's CubeSat Launch Services
Initiative, providing U.S. educational institutions and nonprofits
with low-cost access to space.
- CatSat – University of
Arizona: CatSat is a technology demonstration of an
inflatable antenna for high-speed communications. After reaching
low Earth orbit, CatSat's antenna will deploy and inflate to a
diameter of just over one-and-a-half feet to transmit
high-definition Earth photos to X-band ground stations at
approximately 50 megabits per second, more than 5 times faster than
typical home internet speeds.
- KUbeSat-1 - University of
Kansas: KUbeSat-1 will demonstrate a new method to
measure the energy and species of primary cosmic rays hitting Earth
utilizing a Cosmic Ray Detector. The payload will also utilize
High-Altitude Calibration technology to research very high
frequency signals generated by cosmic ray interactions with the
atmosphere.
- MESAT1 – University of Maine: MESAT1 is a climate
focused payload that will identify urban heat islands, determine
concentration of phytoplankton in water bodies, and help
predict harmful algal blooms. Four multispectral cameras on
board will relay the data down to University
of Maine's ground station for further processing.
- R5-S4 and R5-S2-2.0 – NASA's Johnson
Space Center: R5-S4 and R5-S2 will be the first in a line of R5
spacecrafts launched to orbit, featuring Rendezvous and Proximity
Operations Fiducial AprilTags to solve the problem of relative
navigation between spacecraft. R5-S4 will also demonstrate a
"spacecraft license plate" with a small blinking light that
continuously flashes a unique number that can be read with a small
telescope on the ground to identify and better track satellites
among tens of thousands of objects currently in orbit.
- Serenity 3 – Teachers in Space: Licensed as an amateur
radio broadcaster, Serenity 3 includes a suite of data sensors and
a camera that will send data back to Earth and communicate with
radios on the ground, allowing anyone with a ham radio to "talk" to
Serenity. For details on communicating with and requesting photos
from Serenity, visit www.TIS.org/Serenity-satellite.
- SOC-i - University of
Washington: Satellite for Optimal Control and Imaging
(SOC-i) will test an algorithm aimed at supporting autonomous
operations with constrained attitude guidance maneuvers computed in
real-time aboard the spacecraft. The payload utilizes uses
optimization-based attitude guidance methods to compute
trajectories in real-time that meet a set of five constraints
throughout the maneuvers.
- TechEdSat-11 (TES-11) – NASA Ames Research Center:
TES-11 will conduct several technology demonstrations, including an
exo-brake with a deployable parachute-like device aimed at reducing
CubeSat de-orbit times, and BrainStack-3, a graphics processing
unit and neuromorphic processors that allow for artificial
intelligence experiments in low Earth orbit. TES-11 is part of a
series of collaborative missions called TechEdSat that pair
university students with NASA researchers to evaluate new
technologies for use in small satellites while providing student
mentorship opportunities with engineers at NASA's Ames Research
Center.
"Through innovative technology partnerships, NASA
provides these CubeSat developers a low-cost pathway to conduct
scientific investigations and technology demonstrations in space,"
said Hamilton Fernandez, mission manager with NASA's Launch
Services Program. "NASA benefits by having a mechanism for
low-cost technology development and scientific research to help
bridge strategic knowledge gaps and accelerate flight-qualified
technology. The students benefit through hands on experience,
which develops the future workforce of the U.S. space
industry."
Alpha FLTA005 and Firefly's future Alpha launches
will continue to be performed as responsive space operations that
are observed by members of the U.S. Space Force Tactically
Responsive Space team to further define the training,
infrastructure, and operational requirements for repeatable,
on-demand launch capabilities. During the final launch operations,
Firefly will transport the payload fairing to the launch pad and
mate it to Firefly's Alpha rocket within hours of the scheduled
liftoff, compared to weeks in a typical operation.
For more details on the Alpha FLTA005 Noise of
Summer mission and livestream, visit
fireflyspace.com/missions/noise-of-summer/.
About Firefly Aerospace
Firefly
Aerospace is an end-to-end space transportation company with
launch, lunar, and on-orbit services. Headquartered in central
Texas, Firefly is a portfolio
company of AE Industrial Partners ("AEI") focused on delivering
responsive, reliable, and affordable space access for government
and commercial customers. Firefly's small- to medium-lift launch
vehicles, lunar landers, and orbital vehicles provide the space
industry with a single source for missions from low Earth orbit to
the surface of the Moon and beyond. For more information,
visit www.fireflyspace.com.
Contact
press@fireflyspace.com
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SOURCE Firefly Aerospace, Inc.