Nanosail banner with images of satellite dish, NanoSail satellite, and a rocket preparing to launch.

Mission Overview

Objectives

Primary

Establish ARC-MSFC collaborative relationship for future small satellite initiatives
Deploy solar sail leveraging work by MSFC approved under the SMD In-Space Propulsion Program

Secondary / Opportunity

Demo Orbital Debris Mitigation technology – drag sail
Ground Imaging to reduce spacecraft instrumentation
Add to flight experience – ARC Bus "light" experience

Relevance

Planetary & Heliophysics Science missions
Most small sats orbiting above 450 km struggle to meet < 25 year life MOD requirement

Details

Launch Date: no earlier than late July to early August, 2008
Launch site: Omelek Island, RTS (Kwaj)
Orbit: 685 X 330 km, 9° inclination
De-Orbit Period: Approximately 7 days

Deployed Configuration Specs

GeneSat heritage Bus
10 m², 3 micron CP-1 Sail
2.2 m metal tape booms
UHF & S-Band comm
Closeout Panels
Magnetic Passive Stabilization
E / PO outreach

Diagram of the various stages of the NanoSail: First, there is an image of the satellite itself, with the caption 'NanoSail-D (Stowed Configuration)(Aluminum Closeout Panels Not Shown). This diagram of the nanosail has the following labels pointing to their corresponding parts: Spacecraft Bus (Ames Research Center), Booms and Sails (Mantech-SRS), and Bus interfaces Actuation Electronics (MSFC/UAH). As with each consecutive image in this diagram, there is an arrow from this image to the image below it, which is an image of the PPOD Deployer (Cal Poly). Below that is a diagram of the Ride Share Adpater (Space Access Technology). The diagram points out where the PnPSat (AFRL), the NanoSail-D PPOD, and the PreSat (ARC) are located on the Ride Share Adapter. The image below that is of the Falcon-1 rocket, Third Launch (SpaceX). The final image in this diagram is of the NanoSail-D in its Deployed Configuration.