CUSat 1 & 2

Image: Cornell University
Image: Cornell University

CUSat 1 and CUSat2 are small hexagonal satellites that are similar in construction and launch as a joined pair of spacecraft. The project will serve as a demonstrator of an on-orbit inspection system. The project seeks to develop a system to have one satellite diagnose the structural health and configuration of another spacecraft.

One of the CU Sats will serve as a target while the other acts as inspector satellite looking at its target once the two satellites are separated. After separation of the two satellites, the two vehicles will use a Pulsed Plasma Micropropulsion system and Carrier-phase Differential GPS to stay within 10 meters of each other. The inspector satellite will use a set of cameras to collect imagery of the target to construct three-dimensional images of the target spacecraft.