SkyCube is a 1U CubeSat, built using crowdsourcing for funds. It aims to 'Tweet' from space and provide Earth images on demand from users with this smartphone app. Near its end of life, it is intended to inflate a ballooon to make it more visible and to accelerate orbit decay.
SkyCube was launched from Wallops Island, Virginia on 9 January 2014 by an Antares rocket, on Orbital Sciences Corporation's first commercial resupply mission (ORB-1) to the International Space Station. The Cygnus spacecraft carrying SkyCube to the ISS docked on 12 January 2014. SkyCube was stored inside the Space Station for 6 weeks afterward. SkyCube was finally deployed from ISS on 28 Febrary 2014 at 07:30, along with four other CubeSats.
SkyCube is 10 centimeters on a side. It contains a main computer board, a radio and antenna, deployable solar panels, a rechargeable Li-ion battery pack, and a set of three wide-field, VGA-resolution cameras. The satellite has a passive magnetic stabilization system, consisting of permanent magnets attached to the 1U frame. These align the satellite into a stable orientation with respect to the Earth's magnetic field.
After its deployment from ISS, SkyCube's solar panels were designed to unfold, release radio antennas, and reveal three tiny cameras. SkyCube broadcasts from space at a frequency of 915 MHz, and listens for commands from the ground on 450 MHz.
At the end of its 90-day mission, SkyCube will inflate an onboard balloon, making itself visible to the unaided eye, and greatly increasing atmospheric drag and orbital decay. The satellite will de-orbit cleanly, preventing space debris.
SkyCube's first transmissions from orbit were received on March 27th, 2014. They indicated the solar panels had partially deployed. In its current state, the satellite should remain in orbit for up to a year. Efforts are underway now to free the partially-deployed solar panels.
Facts in Brief
Launch Date: 2014-01-09
Launch Vehicle: Antares
Launch Site: Wallops Island, Virginia, United States
Mass: 1.3 kg