OPUSAT-II (COSPAR 1998-067SG, SATCAT 47930) was a CubeSat developed by Osaka Prefecture University and Muroran Institute of Technology. OPUSAT-II was launched from Wallops Flight Facility on 20 February 2021,[1][2] and was deployed from the International Space Station. The satellite was nicknamed HIROGARI, for a Japanese word meaning spread, or expand.[3]
The satellite's satellite bus was based on the design of Osaka Prefecture University's previous satellite, OPUSAT, which was launched in 2014.[4] OPUSAT-II had a design life of five and a half months.[3]
OPUSAT-II had two main missions. The first mission was to demonstrate high-speed data transmission in amateur radio band. According to the project's website, the satellite communication system's design and the results of the experiment would be made public.[3]
The second mission was a deployment of a large folded structure. A deployable plastic plate was stored inside the satellite, based on Miura fold.[5] The folding method that was tested in this mission took into account the thickness of the plate, unlike the traditional Miura fold. The satellite would optically measure the deployment using a pair of cameras.[3] The team proposes applying this folding method on space-based solar power in the future.[6][7]
OPUSAT-II decayed from orbit on 15 April 2022.[8]
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