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Educational Launch of Nanosatellites

Overview[edit]

The ELaNa initiative has made partnerships with universities in the US to design and launch small research satellites called CubeSats (because of their cube shape). These low-cost CubeSat missions provide NASA with valuable opportunities to test emerging technologies that may be useful in future space missions, while university students get to be involved in all phases of the mission, from instrument and satellite design, to launch and monitoring.

A CubeSat has a cubic shape measuring 10 × 10 × 10 cm (1 unit or 1U), and can be fabricated of multiple cubic units such as 2U, 3U and 6U, and weighing 1.33 kg per unit. Because of the high cost incurred by launching them to orbit, ELaNa's satellites are launched as secondary payload on other missions that have mass and space to spare. Since the launch waiting list has grown considerably, another initiative was launched in 2015 in partnership with the private industry to develop launch vehicles dedicated to CubeSats exclusively. A new company is called Rocket Lab and their launch vehicle is the Electron rocket.^[2] This agreement with NASA, enables the company to use NASA resources such as personnel, facilities and equipment for commercial launch efforts.^[2][3] In 2015, NASA contracted two other companies for this purpose: Firefly Space Systems and Virgin Galactic.^[4] Nevertheless, NASA CubeSats will continue to hitch rides as secondary payloads in larger rockets whenever possible.

As of August 2017, NASA's ELaNa initiative has selected 151 CubeSat missions, 49 of which have been launched into space.^[5]

Missions[edit]

ELaNa mission numbers are based on the order they are manifested; due to the nature of launching, the actual launch order differs from the mission numbers.

Launched missions[edit]

Future missions[edit]

List of future missions:^[56][57]

References[edit]

^ Kathryn Hambleton; George H. Diller (14 October 2015). "NASA Awards Venture Class Launch Services Contracts for CubeSat Satellites". NASA. Retrieved 30 October 2015. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.

^ NASA's CubeSat Launch Initiative Broadens Access to Space for Educators, Nonprofits, NASA, 3 August 2017 This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.

^ "CubeSat ELaNa Launch on Glory Mission" (PDF). nasa.gov. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.

^ ELaNa-I NASA, This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.

^ "Factsheet" (PDF). nasa.gov. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.

^ "Factsheet" (PDF). nasa.gov. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.

^ CUBESAT ELaNa VI LAUNCH ON L-36 Mission, NASA This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.

^ "Factsheet" (PDF). nasa.gov. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.

^ "NASA Helps Launch Student-Built Satellites and latest PhoneSat as Part of CubeSat Launch Initiative". NASA. 13 April 2015. Retrieved 30 October 2015. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.

^ CubeSat ELaNa IV Launch on ORS-3, NASA This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.

^ "Factsheet" (PDF). nasa.gov. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.

^ "ELaNa II Mission Helps Launch Student-Built Satellites". NASA. 13 April 2015. Retrieved 30 October 2015. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.

^ "Factsheet" (PDF). nasa.gov. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.

^ "NASA Launches the Dreams of the Crowd on the ELaNa V Mission as part of CubeSat Launch Initiative". NASA. 13 April 2015. Retrieved 30 October 2015. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.

^ ELaNa V CubeSat Launch on SpaceX-3 Mission. March 2014. NASA. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.

^ "Factsheet" (PDF). nasa.gov. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.

^ "University Satellites Studying Space Weather and Climate Change Will Launch on NASA's ELaNa X Mission". NASA. 9 April 2015. Retrieved 30 October 2015. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.

^ ELaNa 10 CubeSat Launch on SMAP Mission, NASA January 2015 This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.

^ "Factsheet" (PDF). nasa.gov. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.

^ "Factsheet" (PDF). nasa.gov. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.

^ "ELaNa XII Launches 4 CubeSats into Orbit on NROL-55". NASA. 2 October 2015. Retrieved 30 October 2015. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.

^ ELaNa CubeSat Launches, NASA This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.

^ "Factsheet" (PDF). www.nasa.gov. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.

^ Erin Mahoney, ed. (30 October 2015). "ELaNa VII CubeSat Launch on ORS-4 Mission". NASA. Retrieved 30 October 2015. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.

^ ELaNa VII CubeSat Launch on ORS-4 Mission, NASA 4 November 2015 This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.

^ "Factsheet" (PDF). nasa.gov. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.

^ Mahoney, Erin (1 December 2015). "NASA ELaNa IX Mission Launches First CubeSat Built By Elementary School Students". CubeSat Launch Initiative. NASA. Retrieved 23 January 2017. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.

^ "Factsheet" (PDF). nasa.gov. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 June 2017. Retrieved 27 January 2018. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.

^ ELaNa XVII International Space Station CubeSat Deployment Archived 1 June 2017 at the Wayback Machine, NASA March 2017 This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.

^ ^{a b c} Past ElaNa CubeSat Launches, NASA This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.

^ ELaNa XV: Space Test Program-2 (STP-2) CubeSat Launch This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.

^ "Upcoming ElaNa CubeSat Launches". NASA. 3 July 2016. Retrieved 18 March 2022. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.

External links[edit]

• ELaNa Home page Archived 24 March 2019 at the Wayback Machine at NASA
• Past ELaNa missions at NASA
• Upcoming ELaNa missions at NASA
• CubeSat Launch Initiative at NASA