Astronomy:Team Miles

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Short description: US experimental communications and plasma propulsion spacecraft


Team Miles
Mission typeTechnology demonstration
Websiteteam.miles-space.com
Mission duration3 years, 11 months and 14 days (in orbit)
Spacecraft properties
SpacecraftTeam Miles
Spacecraft typeCubeSat
Bus6U CubeSat
ManufacturerFluid and Reason, LLC.
Launch mass14 kg (31 lb)
Dimensions10 cm × 20 cm × 30 cm
Start of mission
Launch date16 November 2022, 06:47:44 UTC[1]
RocketSLS Block 1
Launch siteKSC, LC-39B
ContractorNASA
Orbital parameters
Reference systemHeliocentric orbit
Flyby of Moon
Transponders
BandS-band
NASA CubeQuest Challenge
 

Team Miles was a 6U CubeSat that was to demonstrate navigation in deep space using innovative plasma thrusters. It was also to test a software-defined radio operating in the S-band for communications from about 4 million kilometers from Earth. Team Miles was one of ten CubeSats launched with the Artemis 1 mission into a heliocentric orbit in cislunar space on the maiden flight of the Space Launch System (SLS), that took place on 16 November 2022.[1][2] Team Miles was deployed but contact was not established with the spacecraft.[3]

Overview

Parameter Units/performance
Thrust 5 mN
Specific impulse (Isp) 760 seconds
Impulse 7456 N seconds
Power 22 watts
Wet mass 1.5 kg
Propellant mass 1 kg
Propellant Solid iodine
Thrust:Mass 3.3 mN/kg
Impulse:Power 338 N seconds/watt
Delta-V 12 kg craft 649 m/s

The spacecraft, a 6-Unit CubeSat — measuring 10 cm × 20 cm × 30 cm — was designed and is being developed by a non-profit group of fifteen citizen scientists and engineers (Fluid and Reason, LLC) based at Tampa, Florida.[4][5][6] Since the Team Miles won the first place at CubeQuest Challenge for the selection process,[7] Fluid and Reason, LLC stroke partnerships and became Miles Space, a commercial endeavor to further develop the technology and intellectual property that has come out of the design process.[4]

Propulsion

Wesley Faler, who leads Fluid and Reason, LLC., is the inventor of the ion thruster to be used, which he calls ConstantQ Model H.[8][4] It is a form of electric propulsion for spacecraft. The engine is a hybrid plasma and laser thruster that uses ionized iodine as propellant.[9][6] The Model H system includes 4 thruster heads which are canted, allowing for both primary propulsion and attitude control (orientation) without the use of moving parts.[8][10] The goal within the CubeQest Challenge is to travel 4 million kilometers, but the team will attempt to go as far as 96 million kilometers before the end of the mission.[4]

Radio

The spacecraft will use the USRP B200mini, a software-defined radio operating in the S band for communications from about 4 million kilometers from Earth.[11]

See also

The 10 CubeSats flying in the Artemis 1 mission
The 3 CubeSat missions removed from Artemis 1

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Roulette, Joey; Gorman, Steve (2022-11-16). "NASA's next-generation Artemis mission heads to moon on debut test flight" (in en). Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/science/nasas-artemis-moon-rocket-begins-fueling-debut-launch-2022-11-15/. 
  2. ↑ Clark, Stephen (12 October 2021). "Adapter structure with 10 CubeSats installed on top of Artemis moon rocket". Spaceflight Now. https://spaceflightnow.com/2021/10/12/adapter-structure-with-10-cubesats-installed-on-top-of-artemis-moon-rocket/. 
  3. ↑ "Team Miles". NASA Space Science Coordinated Archive. https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=TEAMMILES. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 "Cube Quest Challenge Spotlight: Team Miles". Space Daily. 19 May 2017. https://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Cube_Quest_Challenge_Spotlight_Team_Miles_999.html. 
  5. ↑ Jennifer Harbaugh (18 May 2017). "Cube Quest Challenge Spotlight: Team Miles". NASA. https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/spacetech/centennial_challenges/cubequest/team_miles.  Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Jeremy S. Cook (30 August 2017). "The Miles CubeSat Might Be the Next Satellite Sent to Mars". https://www.tampabay.com/news/humaninterest/self-taught-tampa-team-poised-to-send-winning-satellite-into-deep-space/2322213. 
  7. ↑ Roman, Monsi C.; Kim, Tony; Sudnik, Janet; Cylar, Rosalind; Porter, Molly; Sivak, Amy; Cavanaugh, Dominique; Krome, Kim (12-14 September 2017). "Centennial Challenges Program Overview: How NASA Successfully Involves the General Public in the Solving of Current Technology Gaps". AIAA SPACE and Astronautics Forum and Exposition. Orlando, Florida: AIAA Space and Astronautics Forum and Exposition. doi:10.2514/6.2017-5159. ISBN 978-1-62410-483-1. https://arc.aiaa.org/doi/pdf/10.2514/6.2017-5159. Retrieved 10 March 2021. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "ConstantQ Spacecraft Propulsion". Fluid and Reason, LLC.. 2017. https://fluidandreason.com/constantq/. 
  9. ↑ Lloyd Sowers (12 May 2017). "Tampa team enters new Space Race with cube satellite". FOX13 Tampa Bay. https://www.fox13news.com/news/local-news/tampa-team-in-new-space-race. 
  10. ↑ "ConstantQ™ Thruster". Miles Space. 2017. https://miles-space.com/thruster/. 
  11. ↑ Scott Schaire (2018). "Investigation into New Ground Based Communications Service Offerings in Response to SmallSat Trends". 32nd Annual AIAA/USU Conference on Small Satellites Document SSC18-SI-07. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4222&context=smallsat.