Re-Entry: DRAGONSAT

Patrick Blau 2827 Views
Photo: U.S. Naval Academy
Photo: U.S. Naval Academy

DRAGONSAT, a 1U University CubeSat operated by Drexel University, re-entered the atmosphere on August 31, 2013 after nearly three years in orbit. It carried a camera for aurora observations to look at the dissipation of radiation intensity during solar events. It was also equipped with a magnetometer, an accelerometer, and temperature sensors as well as a gravity-gradient boom that was deployed in space to evaluate the deployment systems and systems performance.

NORAD ID: 39383
Origin: USA
Object: DRAGONSAT
Type: 1U CubeSat
Mass: ~1kg
Inclination: 40.5°
Launched: November 20, 2013 – 01:15 UTC
Launch Vehicle: Minotaur I
Launch Site: Wallops, Virginia, USA

Re-Entry Prediction: August 31, 2016 – 06:17 UTC +/-60 Minutes
Re-Entry Zone: Unknown

Re-Entry Orbit
Image: Spaceflight101/Orbitron
Image: Spaceflight101/Orbitron
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