JAXA TRICOM-1 Launch Jan 10

  Japan To Launch TRICOM-1 Cube Sat on Jan 10.2017

SS-520-4 •TRICOM-1

• Launch vehicle:SS-520-4
• Date:2017/01/10 22:20
• Payload:TRICOM-1
• Launch site:Uchinoura Space Center

Modified sounding rocket with 3 kg Cubesat on atop - well it should not be surprising in era of nanotechnologies ! JAXA decided to use sounding rocket with added third stage to deliver to 180 km  x 1500 km and inclined at 31° orbit 3U CubeSat created by  University of Tokyo. It is spin stabilized Cubesat equipped with five cameras and data transmitter.

SS-520-4 is fin stabilized rocket, version of SS-520 with third stage. It is utilizing spinning as method of stabilization; with length of 9.65 m (SS-520) and diameter of 520 mm it weighs over 2600 kg. Payload capacity is 140 kg. Rocket was launched for the first time in 1998 from Uchinoura and for the second time in 2000 from Norwegian Svalbard Satellite Station.

 Satellite Description:

TRICOM 1 is an experimental 3U Cubesat built at the University of Tokyo.

TRICOM 1 is a 3 kg spin stabilized satellite featuring a store and forward communication equipment and an earth imaging camera. The CubeSat is launched without the usual deployer and is base mounted on the launch vehicle without the usual guiding rails or tabs.

The Store and forward mission is to collect the data that is transmitted from the ground terminal while orbiting the Earth, transfer the data at the direction of the ground station.

The earth imaging mission is to use four main cameras and a sub-camera during the initial operation to allow imaging the ground even in an unstable state.

The satellite will be the payload of the experimental SS-520-4 nano-satellite launcher. It is to be put into a 180 km × 1500 km orbit with 31° inclination in 2017.