Good day!
Is there any listing yet for what satellites are being deployed from D-Orbit’s ION SCV009 Eclectic Elena carrier that went up with today’s SpaceX Starlink launch?
Thanks!
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Well, that was timely… this was just posted moments after I created this topic:
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During the mission, ION SCV009, dubbed “Eclectic Elena”, will host onboard four third-party
payloads:
• ADEO-N3, an autonomous braking sail developed by Munich-based space company
HPS designed to help deorbit satellites in LEO (up to 900 km) faster than with natural
orbital decay. ADEO can be used on satellites with flight altitudes below 900
kilometers. D-Orbit has already performed a successful deployment of ADEO’s
smallest variant in December 2022. The smallest version of the ADEO family,
ADEO-N3 weighs less than one kilogram, with dimensions of only 10 x 10 x 10
centimeters (1U) and a sail area of 5.0 square meters.
• NEA® Payload Release Ring (PRR) by Ensign-Bickford Aerospace & Defense
Company (EBAD) for the deployment of payloads/spacecraft from a launch
vehicle or Orbital Transfer Vehicle (OTV). Available in 8”, 15”, and 24” diameters,
the NEA® Payload Release Ring consists of four NEA®
release mechanisms, two
ring halves, and separation springs with corresponding holders. The ring will be
used to release a spacecraft simulator from ION.
• Bunny, an onboard computer developed in-house by the students of the Spacecraft
Team of the Swiss Institute École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL).
This experiment is part of the CHESS project, which aims at launching a constellation
of two CubeSats to analyze the Earth’s atmosphere chemical composition and its
evolution over time and test a proof-of-concept for low-cost probes to investigate
extraterrestrial atmospheres in future planetary missions.
• SD-1, a memorial payload by StardustMe consisting of a batch of aluminum
machined capsules, each carrying a gram of human cremated ashes, contained in
an additive-manufactured frame and enclosure. The assembly, permanently fixed to
the main core of ION, will eventually re-enter the atmosphere with the host vehicle
during decommissioning, providing an ultimate form of space burial.
D-Orbit’s mission control team is now conducting the launch and early orbit phase (LEOP) in
preparation for the operational phase.
Source: SpaceX F9 : Starlink group 2-6 (R) : VSFB SLC-4E : 31 January 2023 (16:15 UTC)
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