Новости МКС

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Установка (пришвартовка) Лебедя-13 завершена в 14:16 ДМВ.

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Текущая конфигурация МКС по состоянию на 11:30 UTC 18.02.2020.

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https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2020/02/18/cygnus-cargo-craft-attached-to-station-for-three-month-stay/

Cygnus Cargo Craft Attached to Station for Three-Month Stay

Mark Garcia
Posted Feb 18, 2020 at 6:27 am


Feb. 18, 2020: International Space Station Configuration. Three spaceships are parked at the space station including the U.S. Northrop Grumman Cygnus cargo craft and Russia's Progress 74 resupply ship and Soyuz MS-15 crew ship.

After its capture this morning at 4:05 a.m. EST, the Northrop Grumman Cygnus spacecraft was bolted into place on the International Space Station's Earth-facing port of the Unity module at 6:16 a.m. At the time of installation, the space station was flying over south of New Zealand.

The spacecraft's arrival brings more than 7,500 pounds of research and supplies to space station. Here are some of the scientific investigations:

Better Tissue and Cell Culturing in Space

Mobile SpaceLab, a tissue and cell culturing facility, offers investigators a quick-turnaround platform to perform sophisticated microgravity biology experiments. Such experiments are critical for determining how microgravity affects human physiology and identifying ways to mitigate negative effects. The platform can work in multiple configurations, allowing investigators to tailor the facility to their needs.

Mochii

The Mochii investigation provides an initial demonstration of a new miniature scanning electron microscope (SEM) with spectroscopy. Mochii will demonstrate real-time, on-site imaging and measurements of micro- and nanostructures aboard the space station. This capability could accelerate answers to many scientific inquiries and mission decisions and serve the public as a powerful and unique microgravity research platform.

Examining Bone Loss in Microgravity

Crew members experience bone loss in orbit, stemming from the lack of gravity acting on their bones. OsteoOmics investigates the molecular mechanisms that dictate this bone loss by examining osteoblasts, cells in the body that form bone, and osteoclasts, which dissolve bone. A better understanding of these mechanisms could lead to more effective prevention of astronaut bone loss during space missions.

Fighting Bacteria with Phages

Phage Evolution examines the effects of microgravity and radiation exposure on phage and bacterial host interactions, including phage specificity for a bacterial host and host resistance to specific phages. A better understanding of the effects of microgravity and cosmic radiation on bacteriophages and hosts could result in significant developments for phage technology, ultimately helping protect the health of astronauts on future missions.

(Do Not) Light My Fire

The Spacecraft Fire Experiment-IV (Saffire-IV) investigation examines fire development and growth in different materials and environmental conditions, fire detection and monitoring, and post-fire cleanup capabilities. It is part of a series of fire investigations conducted in the Cygnus resupply vehicle after its departure from space station, eliminating exposure of humans or occupied spacecraft to fire danger.

The Cygnus NG CRS-13 spacecraft for this space station resupply mission is named in honor of U.S. Air Force Maj. Robert Lawrence, the first African American astronaut selected by any program, specifically chosen for the Air Force's Manned Orbital Laboratory Program in June 1967. Lawrence died in an F-104 Starfighter aircraft accident at Edwards Air Force Base, California six months later at the age of 32.

This is the second time two Cygnus spacecraft will be in flight at the same time, as the NG-12 vehicle remains in orbit after departing from the station on Jan. 31.

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NG-13: S.S. Robert H. Lawrence Cygnus berthing

SciNews

18 февр. 2020 г.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/I9sgck_cxLc (1:43)

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https://www.interfax.ru/world/695805

14:38, 18 февраля 2020
Американский грузовик Cygnus состыковался с МКС

Москва. 18 февраля. INTERFAX.RU - Американский грузовой космический корабль Cygnus во вторник успешно состыковался с Международной космической станцией (МКС). Об этом сообщило Национальное управление США по аэронавтике и исследованию космического пространства (НАСА).

Операция по присоединению грузовика к американскому сегменту станции - модулю Unity была завершена в 14:16 по Москве, отметили в Центре управления полетами НАСА в Хьюстоне (штат Техас).

Ранее сблизившийся с МКС корабль в 12:05 по Москве был захвачен с помощью 17-метровой руки-манипулятора Canadarm-2, которой управлял американский астронавт Эндрю Морган. Последующая подводка корабля Cygnus дистанционной рукой-манипулятором к станции и сам процесс пристыковки осуществлялся по командам с Центра управления полетами НАСА в Хьюстоне.

Cygnus доставил на МКС около 3,5 тонн груза, в том числе продовольствие, а также оборудование и материалы для проведения десятков научных исследований.

Корабль, в частности, привез на станцию мобильную космическую лабораторию для проведения экспериментов по выращиванию тканей и клеток в космосе, изучению последствий воздействия микрогравитации на потерю костной массы, а также бактерии кишечной палочки для опытов по производству биотоплива.

Cygnus также привез экипажу МКС различные лакомства, в том числе твердые сыры, шоколад и свежие фрукты.

Как сообщалось, запуск американского грузовика к МКС с помощью ракеты-носителя Antares был проведен 15 февраля с космодрома НАСА Уоллопс, который размещается на одноименном острове у атлантического побережья американского штата Вирджиния.
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https://blogs.nasa.gov/stationreport/2020/02/15/iss-daily-summary-report-2152020/

ISS Daily Summary Report – 2/15/2020

Cygnus NG-13 Mission:

Спойлер

The NG-13 Antares 230+ launch vehicle, carrying the Cygnus vehicle S.S. Robert Henry Lawrence Jr., was successfully launched from the Virginia Space Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport's NASA Wallops Flight Facility at 2:21 pm CT today. The Antares launch vehicle ascent was per the plan and a nominal orbital insertion of the Cygnus spacecraft was achieved. Once on-orbit, the Cygnus solar array deployment was completed nominally and the NG team is not tracking any issues. The Cygnus spacecraft is scheduled to rendezvous with the ISS on Tuesday, February 18th with an estimated capture time of 3:00 am CT. Joint ISS/Cygnus operations are planned to last until mid-May of this year.

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https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/02/18/cygnus-freighter-delivers-new-british-made-antenna-to-international-space-station/

Cygnus freighter delivers new British-made antenna to International Space Station
February 18, 2020 | Stephen Clark


A Northrop Grumman Cygnus supply ship was captured using the space station's robotic arm at 4:05 a.m. EST (0905 GMT) Tuesday. Credit: NASA TV / Spaceflight Now

A commercial Cygnus cargo freighter arrived at the International Space Station Tuesday two-and-a-half days after launching fr om Virginia's Eastern Shore, delivering a new British-made high-speed communications antenna and more than 7,000 pounds of other experiments and equipment.

Astronaut Drew Morgan, working at a control station aboard the space station, used the research outposts's Canadian-built robotic arm to capture the Cygnus spacecraft at 4:05 a.m. EST (0905 GMT) Tuesday while the cargo freighter hovered less than 40 feet (12 meters) below the complex.

Ground teams later took control of the robot arm to berth the Cygnus spacecraft to the Earth-facing port of the station's Unity module, wh ere it is scheduled to remain attached until May 11, then the ship will detach and depart. The freighter will perform a flame combustion experiment in orbit before re-entering the atmosphere and burning up, disposing of the space station's trash.

The Northrop Grumman-owned spacecraft is named the S.S. Robert H. Lawrence, Jr., in honor of the first African American selected as an astronaut in a U.S. space program.

"Congratulations to the entire NASA and Northrop Grumman teams on another successful vehicle capture," Morgan radioed from the space station. "The Cygnus NG-13 vehicle ... is named in honor of U.S. Air Force Maj. Robert H. Lawrence, Jr., and as the first African American to be selected as an astronaut by a national space program, Robert defined possible against the odds when he was selected for the Air Force's Manned Orbiting Laboratory project in 1967."

Lawrence died in a training accident in 1967 before he flew in space, and the MOL program was canceled by the military in 1969.

"It's our honor to welcome the S.S. Robert H. Lawrence, Jr., aboard the ISS," Morgan said.

The S.S. Robert H. Lawrence launched Saturday from Wallops Island, Virginia, on top of a Northrop Grumman Antares rocket. The mission marks the 13th resupply flight to the space station by Northrop Grumman under two multibillion-dollar commercial cargo transportation contracts with NASA.

Astronauts planned to open hatches and begin unpacking the 7.445 pounds (3,377 kilograms) of cargo inside the Cygnus freighter's pressurized module, made in Italy by Thales Alenia Space.

One of the items stowed inside is a new communications antenna developed by the European Space Agency to be installed on a spacewalk later this year outside the station's European Columbus lab module.

The new antenna will transmit and receive data in Ka-band, allowing data transfer speeds as fast 50 megabits per second for a downlink and 2 megabits per second for uplink, according to ESA.


The communications antenna for the Columbus module on the International Space Station undergoes testing prior to launch. Dubbed ColKa for 'Columbus Ka-band antenna', the upgraded system will allow astronauts and researchers to benefit from a direct link with Europe at home broadband speed. Credit: ESA

Called ColKa — short for Columbus Ka-band antenna — the new addition to the space station will allow European scientists higher data downlink and uplink speeds without relying in busy U.S. Tracking and Data Relay Satellites. The new system will also be able to transfer high-definition video between the space station and Earth.

ESA is building out its own satellite data relay network called EDRS. Two EDRS relay nodes launched into geostationary orbit more than 22,000 miles (nearly 36,000 kilometers) over the equator in 2016 and 2019, providing near-global coverage.

The EDRS satellites will beam the data relayed from the space station to a ground site in Harwell, England, for dissemination to the Columbus control center in Germany and science teams across Europe.

The antenna was built by MDA Space and Robotics Ltd. in the United Kingdom.

"This is the first major industrial contribution from the UK to the ISS, and it will revolutionize the ability of scientists in the UK and Europe to access the results of their experiments," said Graham Turnock, CEO of the UK Space Agency. "This is yet another example of the UK economy benefiting, through investment, jobs and new skills, from our continued collaboration with the European Space Agency."

Officials say the ColKa antenna is a pathfinder for further ESA space communications projects, such as a deep space data relay antenna that could be mounted on the NASA-led Gateway station in lunar orbit.

Other payloads delivered to the station Tuesday by the Cygnus spacecraft include biological experiments and three small satellites sponsored by the U.S. military and NASA.

Here's a breakdown of the cargo manifest provided by NASA:

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• 3,501 pounds (1,588 kilograms) of vehicle hardware
  
• 2,129 pounds (966 kilograms) of scientific investigations
  
• 1,570 pounds (712 kilograms) of crew supplies
  
• 179 pounds (81 kilograms) of spacewalk equipment
  
• 66 pounds (30 kilograms) of computer resources
  

A scanning electron microscope built by Voxa, a Seattle-area company that aims to miniaturize and reduce the cost of nano-imaging technology, was among the items packed aboard the Cygnus spacecraft.

Electron microscopes work by scanning electron beams over a target to create an image, telling scientists about the material's physical characteristics and composition. A conventional scanning electron microscope can cost $1 million.

Christopher Own, facility manager and CEO of Voxa, says his company's unit costs around $65,000, and the price could come down if it is mass-produced.

NASA wants to test the Mochii microscope, named for the Japanese dessert, in orbit to see if the device could help scientists analyze biological samples, perform materials science experiments, and take detailed pictures of contaminants and particles that could affect the performance of equipment aboard the space station.

It sometimes takes months to get a sample back to Earth for analysis in ground-based labs. SpaceX's Dragon capsule is the only vehicle capable of returning large amounts of cargo to the ground intact.

A microscope like the Mochii device on the space station could allow scientists to analyze samples soon after they are gathered. What's more, the microscope can be operated remotely by researchers on the ground.

"When we came up with the concept, we thought what about the dessert mochii," Own said. "It's small, cute and absolutely delicious. Everybody will want one."

Astronauts will install the microscope inside the Japanese Kibo laboratory module on the space station, and the device will go through testing to see if it meets specifications.

"The expectation, provided that the experiments are successful up there, is to leave it up there and give it to the wider community to use," Own said.

Fresh fruit, vegetables and cheese were also loaded into refrigerators on the Cygnus spacecraft for the trek to the space station.

Small satellites hitch ride to space on Cygnus

Three small satellites are hitched a ride to the International Space Station aboard the Cygnus supply ship.

Two of the miniature spacecraft are sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA. Another was developed at NASA's Ames Research Center in California.

The Red-Eye 2 microsatellite is the second in a series of Red-Eye satellites developed by DARPA. The Red-Eye satellites aim "to develop and demonstrate technologies that increase the utility of low-cost microsatellites," according to NASA.

The first Red-Eye satellite launched to the station aboard a SpaceX Dragon cargo ship last year, then was released from the NanoRacks Kaber deployer in June 2019.

"Red-Eye will demonstrate lightweight, low-power, gimballed inter-satellite communications links appropriate for the class of satellites approximately 100 kg (220 pounds) in size," NASA wrote in a summary of the experiment. "Red-Eye will also demonstrate new attitude control components, onboard processors, and software-defined radios."

Two CubeSat-class satellites are also aboard the Cygnus supply ship for release from the space station's smaller satellite deployer.

The Deformable Mirror, or DeMi, spacecraft is about the size of a small suitcase. Developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the deformable mirror instrument will demonstrate technologies that could be used on future space telescopes making high-contrast observations of exoplanets around bright stars. Such precision observations, which will use coronagraphs to blot out the light of the star, require the use of deformable mirrors inside the telescope that can be adjusted using internal actuators, according to MIT.

The deformable mirrors "can correct image plane aberrations and speckles caused by imperfections, thermal distortions, and diffraction in the telescope and optics that would otherwise corrupt the wavefront and allow leaking starlight to contaminate coronagraphic images," MIT scientists wrote in a summary of the demonstration.

DARPA is funding the DeMi experiment, and Aurora Flight Sciences is managing the mission.

NASA's TechEdSat 10 nanosatellite is the next in a line of experimental CubeSats developed at the Ames Research Center in California. According to NASA, the TechEdSat 10 spacecraft will function as a high temperature, accurate deorbit reentry nanosatellite.

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https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2019/04/Space_antenna

Space antenna
02/04/2019



Unlike traditional satellite dishes used to pick up television signals, this antenna has to work in space itself. Rather than being clamped to an apartment balcony, it will be installed on the exterior of Europe's Columbus laboratory, becoming part of the International Space Station.

What it does have in common is the direction it will face. Like almost all other satellite dishes, this antenna will point skyward to send and receive data. Although the International Space Station orbits Earth at 400 km altitude, the European Data Relay System communication satellites that it will link up with are orbiting our planet at more than 35 000 km higher still.

Called ColKa for 'Columbus Ka-band antenna', the system promises speeds of up to 50 mbit/s. This will allow astronauts and researchers to benefit fr om a direct link with Europe at home broadband speeds – delivering a whole family's worth of high data volume downlink and video streaming for science and communications.

But, before astronauts and scientists can enjoy such direct connection speeds, the hardware must be tested at ESA's technical heart in The Netherlands. Pictured here in the Hertz test chamber, ColKa's radio signals are being recorded. The blue spikes isolate the room from electromagnetic interference, recreating the radio frequencies of space.

This first step on its road to space enabled the recording of its initial working performance. From Hertz, the antenna was moved an ESTEC shaker facility wh ere it endured the vibrations of a rocket launch. Suitably shaken, ColKa returned to the Hertz chamber for follow-up testing, ensureing it still receives and emits radio waves as designed.

There is more to space than radio waves however, so ColKa's journey through the ESTEC Test Centre is far from over. in few days the hardware will be placed in a thermal vacuum chamber for a whole week. This will ensure it still works in vacuum as it is subjected to the same repeated temperature changes it will experience when bolted outside the Space Station.

Once it passes all the tests and is launched into space, ColKa will require a spacewalk to be installed on the Columbus laboratory. Astronauts will mount it on the Columbus MDPS (meteoroids protection panel) and connect wires between to the unit before it can be switched on. ColKa's high-speed radio link will transmit scientific data to researchers all over Europe and the world who are eager to get the latest results from their experiments. The European Data Relay System will transmit the data to a ground station at Harwell, UK, near ESA's European Centre for Space Applications and Telecommunications, and from there the data will be transferred to the Columbus Control Centre and user centres across Europe.

The know-how gained from designing, building and running ColKa could potentially be used in exploring farther from Earth in the Gateway around the Moon. ESA aims to supply the ESPRIT module for communications, scientific experiments, and refuelling for the international lunar outpost and will propose this at the agency's next Ministerial at Council level called Space19+.

Developed with Artes funding for some units, this fridge-sized telecom system was designed and built by UK and Italian companies as prime contractors, using products from Norway, Belgium, France, Canada and Germany.

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Nanoracks‏ @Nanoracks 11 мин. назад

It's time! The 17th Nanoracks @Space_Station #CubeSat mission is officially underway. #RadSat-u, developed by students at @montanastate, was deployed at 07:10:01 GMT. One down, eight more to go!

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Nanoracks‏ @Nanoracks 37 сек. назад

Let's go #SunDevils! The #Phoenix #CubeSat built by students at @ASU was deployed from the @Space_Station at 9:35:00 GMT. We'll be back in a few hours for the @vki_vonkarman #QARMAN deployment. #ISS

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Qarman CubeSat ()

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 Nanoracks‏ @Nanoracks 3 мин. назад

The #QARMAN #CubeSat has been deployed into #LEO! Released at 11:20:00 GMT, and built by @vki_vonkarman, QARMAN is going to burst into a fireball as it reenters the atmosphere – all on purpose. More here: https://www.vki.ac.be/index.php/news/702-uccessful-launch-of-the-nano-satellite-qarman-to-the-international-space-station ...

Add.

ESA Technology‏ @ESA_Tech 2 мин. назад

There it goes... ESA's Qarman #CubeSat successfully deployed from @Nanoracks on @Space_Station at 12:20 CET - as seen from #ESATech centre #ESTEC. Next @vki_vonkarman will attempt to uplink commands to the nanosat as it passes over Belgium around 13:30 CET https://www.esa.int/Enabling_Support/Space_Engineering_Technology/Qarman_CubeSat_falling_into_a_fireball ...

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 Nanoracks‏ @Nanoracks 51 сек. назад

More deployments, more history being made! @SierraLobo's #CryoCube and @AztechSat1 were deployed at 12:55:01 GMT. AztechSat-1 is the first #CubeSat collaboration between @NASA and @AEM_mx, and the first built by Mexican students. #ISS

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 Nanoracks‏ @Nanoracks 25 мин назад

Let's go #SOCRATES! This is the first #CubeSat developed by students at @UMNews. Deployed from @Space_Station at 14:30:00 GMT. Check out this #timelapse of the student team assembling their satellite: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZaxoBN1bnk&feature=emb_title ...

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 Nanoracks‏ @Nanoracks 3 мин. назад

#HARP from Space Dynamics Lab is the 100th #CubeSat from @NASA_LSP & @NASA #ELaNa! #ARGUS-02 was immediately behind HARP, doors opening at 16:00:00 GMT. This program based at @NASAKennedy has engaged so many university students around the #US and the world! #100CubeSats

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Andrew Morgan‏ @AstroDrewMorgan 21 мин. назад

Yesterday my crewmate  @Astro_Jessica and I captured #Cygnus NG-13 named in honor of Major Robert H. Lawrence, Jr., a @usairforce test pilot and the first African American selected for a national space program. Welcome to the @Space_Station, Major Lawrence. #BlackHistoryMonth

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https://blogs.nasa.gov/stationreport/2020/02/18/iss-daily-summary-report-2182020/

ISS Daily Summary Report – 2/18/2020

Double Cold Bag (DCB):

The crew transferred and unpacked three refrigerated Double Cold Bags (DCB) into the appropriate MELFI, GLACIER, MERLIN, and ambient locations. After the science items were removed from the DCBs, the ice bricks and DCBs were temporarily stowed to dry out. The DCBs are passive (non-powered) bags which are used to maintain temperatures at acceptable levels during the vehicle ascent or descent. The Minus Eighty Degree Celsius Laboratory Freezer for ISS (MELFIs), General Laboratory Active Cryogenic ISS Experiment Refrigerator (GLACIERs), and Microgravity Experiment Research Locker/Incubator (MERLINs) are the powered refrigerators, freezers, and incubators aboard the ISS.

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Northrop Grumman (NG)-13 Mission:

NG-13 Cygnus vehicle (S.S. Robert Henry Lawrence Jr.) rendezvoused with the ISS and was captured by the ISS Crew utilizing the Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS) at 3:05 am CT.  Following capture, the Cygnus spacecraft was maneuvered and berthed to the Node 1 nadir Common Berthing Mechanism (CBM) by Robotics Ground Controllers and fully integrated with the ISS. Once integrated, the crew ingressed the Pressurized Cargo Module (PCM) to transfer time critical payloads and cold bags from Cygnus to the ISS. The Cygnus NG-13 mission is part of the Commercial Resupply Services-2 (CRS-2) contract and is expected to be berthed to ISS until May 11, 2020.

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 Nanoracks‏ @Nanoracks 2 мин. назад

Last but certainly not least, Astra's #SORTIE #CubeSat has been deployed, completing our 17th mission from @Space_Station! Released at 17:40 GMT, SORTIE is the 263rd satellite deployed by Nanoracks. Thanks to all of our customers, @NASA, & everyone it took to make this possible!

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https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2020/02/19/cygnus-open-for-business-as-new-science-starts/

Cygnus Open for Business as New Science Starts

Mark Garcia
Posted Feb 19, 2020 at 3:47 pm


NASA astronaut Jessica Meir observes a floating sphere of water formed by microgravity.

The Cygnus space freighter is open for business at the Unity module where it will stay for the next three months. The Expedition 62 crew has begun unloading over three tons of science, supplies and station hardware delivered Tuesday to replenish the orbital lab.

NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Andrew Morgan opened Cygnus' hatch a few hours after its capture and installation Tuesday morning. Afterward, the duo entered the vehicle and began unpacking and setting up over a ton of new science new experiments. The critical research is being stowed in station science freezers, activated in research racks and readied for upcoming operations.

Meir removed science freezers containing research samples from Cygnus and installed them in EXPRESS racks aboard the station. She also began reviewing operations for the just-delivered OsteOmics-02 study to prevent bone loss on Earth and in space.

Morgan retrieved a variety of research hardware from Cygnus and began integrating and activating them in station systems. The new Mobile SpaceLab, a tissue and cell culturing facility, was installed and powered up on an EXPRESS rack.

In the afternoon, the NASA Flight Engineers joined Commander Oleg Skripochka of Roscosmos to review emergency procedures. The trio went over the steps they would take in the unlikely event of a fire, pressure leak or ammonia leak aboard the station. The veteran cosmonaut spent the majority of Wednesday on the upkeep of Russian lab systems.

During the crew's lunchtime a series of nine nanosatellites were deployed outside Japan's Kibo laboratory module. They will each study different phenomena such as X-rays from distant pulsars, atmospheric and natural events and the effects of space radiation on hardware.

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https://nanoracks.com/nanoracks-completes-17th-commercial-space-station-cubesat-deployment-mission/

Nanoracks Completes 17th Commercial Space Station CubeSat Deployment Mission
February 19, 2020



Feb 19, 2020 – Nanoracks, the world's leading provider of commercial access to space, has completed the Company's 17th CubeSat deployment mission from the International Space Station using commercially developed and operated hardware. Nanoracks was the first company to offer commercial hardware and services for small satellite deployment in low-Earth orbit.

Nanoracks' 17th CubeSat deployment mission included satellites launched to the International Space Station on both Northrop Grumman's NG-12 flight and the SpaceX CRS-19 mission. The deployer packs were then assembled together on orbit by the astronaut crew.

"The diversity of users on each CubeSat mission is growing with every flight," says Nanoracks Senior External Payloads Mission Manager, Tristan Prejean. "Our 17th CubeSat mission has satellites built by university students, international space agencies and research institutes, commercial companies reaching the ISS for the first time, and by our friends at NASA. Commercial access to low-Earth orbit is enabling an unprecedented cohort of users from around the world to make discoveries in space – and we are watching this grow year by year."

The satellites released on February 19, 2020 and their deployment times were:
– RadSat-u (Montana State University) – 07:10:01 GMT
– Phoenix (Arizona State University) – 09:35:00 GMT
– QARMAN (von Karman institute) – 11:20:00 GMT
– CryoCube (Sierra Lobo Incorporated/NASA Kennedy) and AzTechSat-1 (Collaborative
program between NASA Ames and Universidad Popular Autónoma del Estado de Puebla
[UPAEP] in Mexico) – 12:55:01 GMT
– SOCRATES (University of Minnesota) – 14:30:00 GMT
– HARP (University of Maryland, Baltimore County) and ARGUS-02 (Saint Louis University) – 16:00:00 GMT
– SORTIE (Astra LLC)- 17:40:00 GMT

QARMAN (Qubesat for Aerothermodynamic Research and Measurements on AblatioN) is the world's first CubeSat designed to survive atmospheric re-entry. The QARMAN project, funded by the European Space Agency, started in 2013 at the von Karman Institute for Fluid Dynamics (VKI).

Notably, AzTechSat-1 is the first satellite built by students in Mexico for deployment from the Space Station and is the first CubeSat built as a collaboration between the Mexican Space Agency and NASA. The investigation demonstrates communication within a satellite network in low-Earth orbit. Such Intra-satellite communication could reduce the need for ground stations, lowering the cost and increasing the number of data downloads possible for satellite applications.

Additionally, HARP marked the 100th CubeSat project for which launch and deployment was funded by NASA's CubeSat Launch Initiative (CSLI), which offers universities, high schools and non-profit organizations the opportunity to fly small satellites. Launches for CSLI selectees are provided through Educational Launch of Nanosatellites (ELaNa) missions facilitated by NASA's Launch Services Program (LSP). HARP, RadSat-u, Phoenix, SOCRATES, CryoCube, AzTechSat-1, SORTIE, and ARGUS-02 missions were all part of the ELaNa 25 mission managed by NASA LSP.

"Huge congratulations to the NASA ELaNa team on their 100th CubeSat milestone. Led by Scott Higginbotham out of Kennedy Space Center, this initiative has allowed so many students to experience building real in-space hardware and programs and has given our team at Nanoracks the opportunity to work with some of the most intelligent students around the country and the world. Thank you for allowing Nanoracks to play a key role in this inspiring and effective program!" concludes Prejean.

To date, Nanoracks has deployed 263 small satellites, including 3 MicroSats across multiple deployment platforms, including the International Space Station, the Cygnus spacecraft, India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, and soon, SpaceX's Falcon 9.

For additional updates, follow @nanoracks on Twitter, and for media inquiries, please email Abby Dickes, adickes@nanoracks.com