Rincon 1 was a
CubeSat
A CubeSat is a class of miniaturized satellite based around a form factor consisting of cubes. CubeSats have a mass of no more than per unit, and often use commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components for their electronics and structure. CubeSats ...
built by the Student Satellite Program of the
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory.
T ...
. The primary payload was furnished by Rincon Research, hence the name. Rincon 1 was the product of the work of about 50 students, ranging from college freshmen to Ph.D. students, over the course of several years. It was launched, after being postponed several times, on board a
Dnepr Dnepr may refer to:
*Dnieper, a river flowing through Russia, Belarus and Ukraine to the Black Sea
* Dnepr (motorcycle), a Ukraininan motocycle brand
* Dnepr (rocket), a 1999 space launch vehicle
*Dnepr radar Dnepr may refer to:
*Dnieper, a river ...
on July 26, 2006, but the rocket failed and the satellite was destroyed.
Listening
If the launch had been successful, persons on the ground would have needed this information to be able to hear the beacons from the satellite.
# The
keplerian elements
Orbital elements are the parameters required to uniquely identify a specific orbit. In celestial mechanics these elements are considered in two-body systems using a Kepler orbit. There are many different ways to mathematically describe the same o ...
, in order to know where the satellite is pointed.
# A radio capable of operating on 436.870 MHz, which will change with
doppler shift
The Doppler effect or Doppler shift (or simply Doppler, when in context) is the change in frequency of a wave in relation to an observer who is moving relative to the wave source. It is named after the Austrian physicist Christian Doppler, who d ...
ing. There is also a beacon operating on 437.345 MHz. It is a very weak signal.
# A 1200 baud AFSK modem, preferably a very low-end, that does no modulation on its own. Cubesat Groundstation uses a custom-built hardware modem, and possibly a software modem (using the sound card as an Analog-to-Digital converter).
# The Cubesat GS software would help, however, it is not currently available to the public.
# A good antenna system, the design of the antennas is not optimal.
Components
Rincon 1 had the following components included:
*6
solar cell
A solar cell, or photovoltaic cell, is an electronic device that converts the energy of light directly into electricity by the photovoltaic effect, which is a physical and chemical phenomenon. s
*Aluminum frame - built to
spin-stabilize through sunlight
*Power board (used to hold batteries, maintain 5V and 3.3V charges, measure voltages and currents in several spots, and convert the power from the solar cells to usable power.)
*Microcontroller board, which is used to gather and transmit telemetry
*Radio board, which is used for 2 way communication
*Experiment - Contains a 10 mW beacon board, which is being used by Rincon Research to prove new technologies
Specifications
These specifications are without respect to the payload.
*Dimensions - 10 cm×10 cm×10 cm
*Mass - max 1 kg (Actual ~900 gram)
*Power Generation - Optimum ~2 W, average on sun side ~1.5 W
*Max power output - 3W when transmitting data
*Min power output - 400 mW when in quiet state
Current status
Rincon 1 was launched with UA's satellite,
SACRED
Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...
on a
Dnepr rocket
The Dnepr rocket (russian: Днепр, translit=Dnepr; uk, Дніпро, translit=Dnipró) was a space launch vehicle named after the Dnieper River. It was a converted ICBM used for launching artificial satellites into orbit, operated by launch ...
on July 26, 2006 at 19:43 UTC. The launch failed shortly after takeoff.
See also
*
List of CubeSats
The following is a list of CubeSats, nanosatellites used primarily by universities for research missions, typically in low Earth orbits. Some CubeSats became their country's first national satellite. The extensivNanosatellite and CubeSat Databas ...
External links
University of Arizona SSP website(Outdated)
University of Arizona Cubesat website (official)(Outdated)
Cubesat WikiMost up-to-date website
{{Orbital launches in 2006
Satellite launch failures
University of Arizona
Spacecraft launched in 2006
CubeSats
Spacecraft launched by Dnepr rockets
Space accidents and incidents in Kazakhstan