GEARRS 1, 2 (GEARRSAT 1, 2)
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GEARRS 1 [NearSpace Launch]
GEARRS or GEARRSAT (Globalstar Experiment And Risk Reduction Satellite) is a 3U CubeSat built by NearSpace Launch in collaboration with the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL).
The satellite is to investigate, if the use of the Globalstar satellite communications network is a feasible option for the command and control of a small satellite systems and cubesats.
The satellite is based on the recent technology demonstrated by the Taylor University and NSL TSAT experiment.
GEARRS was launched on board of Cygnus CRS-2 to the International Space Station to be deployed from the Japanese airlock. It was deployed on 4 March 2015. GEARRS reentered on 8 November 2015.
A second satellite, GEARRS 2 was launched in May 2015 as a piggy-back payload on an Atlas-5(501) rocket.
| Nation: | USA |
|---|---|
| Type / Application: | Technology |
| Operator: | NearSpace Launch, Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) |
| Contractors: | NearSpace Launch, Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) |
| Equipment: | |
| Configuration: | CubeSat (3U) |
| Propulsion: | None |
| Power: | Solar cells, batteries |
| Lifetime: | |
| Mass: | |
| Orbit: | 395 km × 404 km, 51.65° (#1); 356 km × 700 km, 55.01° (#2) |
| Satellite | COSPAR | Date | LS | Launch Vehicle | Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GEARRS 1 (GEARRSAT 1) | 1998-067FZ | 13.07.2014 | WI LC-0A | Antares-120 | with Cygnus CRS-2, Flock-1b 1, ..., 28, MicroMAS, TechEdSat 4, Lambdasat | |
| GEARRS 2 (GEARRSAT 2) | 2015-025G | 20.05.2015 | CC SLC-41 | Atlas-5(501) | with X-37B OTV-4, LightSail 1, OptiCube 1, OptiCube 2, OptiCube 3, USS Langley, AeroCube 8A, AeroCube 8B, BRICSat-P, PSat A |
References:
- NASA: Globalstar Experiment And Risk Reduction Satellite (GEARRSAT), 29 July 2014
- Hank D. Voss, Jeff F. Dailey et al.: TSAT Globalstar ELaNa-5 Extremely Low-Earth Orbit (ELEO) Satellite
- NanoRacks: Orbital Sciences Successfully Berthed Cygnus to ISS in Second Resupply Mission – Orb-2 Carries Over 40 NanoRacks Customer Payloads, 16 July 2014