The Elytra-1 spacecraft will be launched as a primary payload aboard Firefly’s Alpha rocket, from Vandenberg Space Force Base, no earlier than September 19, 2024. It will be inserted into a Sun-Synchronous Orbit (SSO) at 475 +/- 20 km apogee and 475 +/- 20 km perigee with an inclination of approximately 97.3 +/- 0.15 degrees with an LTAN of 00:00 +30/-0 mins.The Elytra bus is 65 cm tall with a diameter of 100 cm. When outfitted for this specific mission, the overall dimensions are 215 cm tall and 196 cm outer diameter. There are four radially-mounted 6U-equivalent CubeSat dispensers mounted directly to the bus, each of which has two spring-loaded doors which remain open once the dispenser is actuated. Each of these dispenser assemblies features a non-deployable solar panel. The bus has a 38-inch class separation system between itself and the launch vehicle. The end of the bus opposite this separation system has an aluminum adapter cone. A FANTM-RiDE CubeSat dispenser from Xtenti, LLC is attached to the adapter cone. This CubeSat dispenser has two actuated doors which can open or close upon command. Elytra-1 has no mechanical deployments (solar arrays, antennas, booms, etc.) other than CubeSat separation events and the dispenser doors. Elytra-1 is instrumented with two full HD color wide field of view cameras (mounted to FANTM-RiDE) and several temperature sensors.
We'll put Elytra, our orbiting spacecraft, it will go up on Flight 7, this year
The targeted launch date of the Elytra-1 mission is now October 15, 2024.
The overall goal of the AEPEX mission, image the Earth's upper atmosphere in X-rays from lowEarth orbit. The LASP ground station in Boulder will be used for both UHF and S-band communications.Primary mission objectives:1. Measure the X-ray flux emitted by the atmosphere and the precipitating electron distribution, and use these measurements to determine the precipitating flux and energy deposition2. Image the X-ray emitting region to measure the spatial extent of precipitation eventsThe satellite will be launched as a secondary payload aboard Firefly Flight 006 (FLT006), from Vandenberg AFB on August 01, 2024. It will be inserted into an orbit at 475 km circular orbit, on an inclination from the equator of 97.3 degrees. Transmission will begin thirty minutes after deployment, and cease at mission end of life or by command at end of useful life. Atmospheric friction will slow the satellite and reduce the altitude of the orbit, until de-orbiting occurs 8 years after launch. See the Orbital Debris Assessment Report for details.The spacecraft is a single unit with the dimensions of a standard 6U CubeSat stack consisting of six approximately 10 cm X 10 cm X 10 cm CubeSat modules (giving an overall dimension of 10.0 x 22.6 x 36.6 cm). The total mass is about 14.02 Kg.
IGOR Satellite Technical DescriptionPage 1 of 2The overall goals of the IGOR mission are to raise the TRL of Axient CubeSat subsystems, evaluate communication subsystem performance using the Iridium Short Burst Data service, and examine the boundaries of communication through the Iridium constellation via Iridium Short Burst Data service experimentation. IGOR is also hosting Orbotics’ Deorbit Drag Device (D3) to further demonstrate that technology’s ability to facilitate deorbit and provide compliance with the FCC’s ‘Five Year Deorbit Rule’ that goes into effect in September 2024.The satellite will be launched no earlier than 1 August 2024 as a secondary payload aboard the Firefly ELYTRA-1 mission from VSFB launch site. It will deploy from the FANTM-RiDE-1 deployer mounted on the ELYTRA-1 into a 475 km circular sun synchronous orbit, on an inclination from the equator of 97.3 degrees. Transmission will begin 60 seconds after deployment and cease 1 year later. The D3 will accelerate the deorbiting of IGOR using deployed surface area to increase the effects of atmospheric friction to slow the satellite and reduce the altitude of the orbit. Deorbiting occurs within 5 years after launch. See the Orbital Debris Assessment Report for details.
The satellite will be launched as a secondary payload aboard FireflyFLT-007 Elytra-1, from Firefly SLC-2, Vandenberg Space Force Base, CA, NET 15 October 2024
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (“NTIA”) is in the process of authorizing the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (“NASA”) to conduct experiments with the Technical Educational Satellite-16 (“TechEdSat-16”) low earth orbit nanosatellite. Iridium hereby requests experimental authority to be issued by September 1, 2024, for operation commencing on October 1, 2024, and continuing for a period of 18 months, to transmit from its space stations to TechEdSat-16 in the 1618.725–1626.5 MHz band.In connection with these experiments, NASA will operate up to three Iridium NAL 9602-I modems hosted on the TechEdSat-16 smallsat in a 12U form. TechEdSat-16 will transmit to space stations in Iridium’s “Big LEO” constellation and provide instrument command and control in the demonstration of a single Doppler Wind and Temperature Sounder (“DWTS”), demonstrate a de-orbit, compact exo-brake, and include advanced high powered neuromorphic processors.
Firefly Alpha flights 6 and 7 are coming up soon. Flight 6 is a commercial mission for Lockheed Martin, and Flight 7 is the first Elytra flight for the NRO. Elytra is a kind of space tug.
This team is on a roll. We’re not only launching and landing on the Moon, we’re gearing up for our first responsive on-orbit mission with Elytra. The vehicle is now fully assembled and starting environmental testing before lifting off on an upcoming Alpha flight. Stay tuned for more updates!
Our Elytra spacecraft aced environmental testing, bringing us one step closer to launch! The rigorous tests included vibration and thermal vacuum testing to replicate the harsh conditions during launch and subject the vehicle to extreme temperatures, confirming its resilience and reliability. Stay tuned for the next milestone and learn more on the mission here:
