 | |
| Mission type | Technology |
|---|---|
| Operator | Vermont Technical College |
| COSPAR ID | 2013-064AD |
| SATCATno. | 39407 |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Manufacturer | Vermont Technical College |
| Launch mass | 1 kilogram (2.2 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | November 20, 2013, 01:15 (2013-11-20UTC01:15Z) UTC[1] |
| Rocket | Minotaur I |
| Launch site | MARSLP-0B |
| End of mission | |
| Disposal | Deorbited |
| Decay date | November 21, 2015 (2015-11-21) |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Inclined |
| Perigee altitude | 438 km (272 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 450 km (280 mi) |
| Inclination | 40.52 degrees |
| Period | 93.47 minutes |
| Epoch | July 4, 2014, 20:59:35 UTC[2] |
TheVermont Lunar CubeSat is aCubeSatsatellite byVermont Technical College and funded in part by grants fromNASA and the Vermont Space Grant Consortium and in part by voluntary donations. The satellite, costing about US$50,000 to build — with NASA offering a free launch as part of the ELaNa program — served as a testing model for guidance and navigation pending future launches.[3] The eventual goal of the project is to build a CubeSat capable of orbiting the Moon.[4]
It was launched on November 19, 2013, fromWallops Flight Facility inVirginia as part of a payload containing two NASA, 11 university, one high school, and 14 Air Force CubeSats. Vermont Lunar is the only non-NASA/USAF CubeSat from this ELaNa IV launch that is fully working. Eight were never heard from at all. SPARK/Ada 2005 was used, and this is the first spacecraft of any kind programmed inSPARK.[4] The control software contained about 10,000 lines of SPARK/Ada code. The Principal Investigator was Carl Brandon, the Software Supervisor was Peter Chapin, and Dan Turner served as the Principal Developer. This was the first satellite of any kind built by a college or university in New England[citation needed].
