| Names | Cu-PACE |
|---|---|
| Mission type | Astrophysics |
| Operator | University of Central Florida |
| COSPAR ID | 2021-002X |
| SATCATno. | 473XX |
| Website | sciences |
| Mission duration | planned: 3 years[1] |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | Q-PACE |
| Spacecraft type | CubeSat |
| Bus | 3UCubeSat |
| Manufacturer | University of Central Florida |
| Launch mass | 3 kg (6.6 lb)[1] |
| Dimensions | 10 × 10 × 37.6 cm |
| Power | Solar panels, rechargeable battery |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 17 January 2021, 19:39:00UTC[2] |
| Rocket | LauncherOne[3] (air launch to orbit) |
| Launch site | Mojave Air and Space Port |
| Contractor | Virgin Galactic |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit |
| Regime | Low Earth orbit |
| Altitude | 500 km[1] |
| Period | 100.0 minutes |
CubeSat Particle Aggregation and Collision Experiment (Q-PACE) orCu-PACE,[4] was an orbital spacecraft mission that would have studied the early stages ofproto-planetaryaccretion by observing particle dynamical aggregation for several years.[5]
Current hypotheses have trouble explaining how particles can grow larger than a few centimeters. This is called themeter size barrier. This mission was selected in 2015 as part of NASA'sELaNa program, and it was launched on 17 January 2021.[6] As of March 2021, however, contact has yet to be established with the satellite, and the mission was feared to be lost. The mission was eventually terminated.
Q-PACE was led by Joshua Colwell at theUniversity of Central Florida and was selected NASA'sCubeSat Launch Initiative (CSLI) which placed it onEducational Launch of Nanosatellites ELaNa XX.[7] The development of the mission was funded through NASA'sSmall Innovative Missions for Planetary Exploration (SIMPLEx) program.[5][8]
Observations of the collisional evolution and accretion of particles in amicrogravity environment are necessary to elucidate the processes that lead to the formation ofplanetesimals (the building blocks of planets), km-size, and larger bodies, within theprotoplanetary disk. The current hypotheses of planetesimal formation have difficulties in explaining how particles grow beyond one centimeter in size, so repeated experimentation in relevant conditions is necessary.[9]
Q-PACE was to explore the fundamental properties of low‐velocity (< 10 cm/s (3.9 in/s)) particle collisions in a microgravity environment in an effort to better understandaccretion in theprotoplanetary disk.[10] Several precursor tests and flight missions were performed in suborbital flights as well as in theInternational Space Station.[1][11] The small spacecraft does not need accurate pointing or propulsion, which simplified the design.
On 17 January 2021, Q-PACE launched on aVirgin OrbitLauncher One, anair launch to orbit rocket that was dropped from the Cosmic Girl airplane over thePacific Ocean.[12] As of March 2021, however, contact was not established with the satellite after it reached orbit,[13] and the spacecraft was declared lost and the mission ended.
The main objective of Q-PACE was to understandprotoplanetary growth from pebbles to boulders by performing long-duration microgravity collision experiments. The specific goals are:[1]
Q-PACE was a 3UCubeSat with a collision test chamber and several particle reservoirs that contain meteoriticchondrules, dust particles, dust aggregates, and larger spherical particles. Particles will be introduced into the test chamber for a series of separate experimental runs.
The scientists designed a series of experiments involving a broad range of particle size, density, surface properties, and collision velocities to observe collisional outcomes from bouncing to sticking as well as aggregate disruption in tens of thousands of collisions.[9][14] The test chamber will be mechanically agitated to induce collisions that will be recorded by on‐board video for downlink and analysis.[10] Long duration microgravity allows a very large number of collisions to be studied and produce statistically significant data.[1]
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.Q-PACE launched Jan. 17 as part of the Launch Demo 2 mission by Virgin Orbit's LauncherOne. However, Glaze said that, since launch, controllers have yet to make contact with Q-PACE. "There's dwindling hopes on Q-PACE," she said.
