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Technology and science demonstrations, supported by various NASA industry collaborations and agency developments, are set to launch to low Earth orbit aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket as part of the company\u2019s Transporter-16 commercial rideshare mission. These demonstrations will test thermal protection systems, advance in-space communications, deepen our understanding of Earth\u2019s atmosphere, and foster capabilities for NASA\u2019s exploration, innovation, and research goals.<\/p>\n
The 57-minute launch window opens at 6:20 a.m. EDT (3:20 a.m. PDT) on Monday, March 30, from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. SpaceX will provide live coverage of the launch on its website and at @SpaceX on X, beginning about 15 minutes prior to liftoff.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Several demonstrations aboard this mission leverage small spacecraft technology to maximize flexibility, delivering greater value to the agency and its partners at a lower cost.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The AEPEX (Atmosphere Effects of Precipitation through Energetic X-rays) CubeSat will study how high-energy particles from Earth\u2019s radiation belts transfer energy into the upper atmosphere through a process known as energetic particle precipitation. Currently, limited monitoring capabilities make it difficult to observe this phenomenon across large regions of Earth. The AEPEX CubeSat, supported by NASA\u2019s CubeSat Launch Initiative and integrated on the mission via Exotrail, aims to address this by imaging the X-rays produced during precipitation events, enabling scientists to study and map the process. A better understanding of this activity could improve space weather forecasting, which has direct implications for radio communications, satellites, and other critical technologies.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As part of the MagQuest challenge, CubeSats will demonstrate novel solutions for measuring Earth\u2019s magnetic field to inform the World Magnetic Model, which supports national security, commercial aviation, and everyday mobile devices. Launched in 2019 through NASA\u2019s Center of Excellence for Collaborative Innovation, the agency supported the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency in releasing the MagQuest challenge, which culminated in the development of three CubeSats built by three teams that advanced to the final phase of the competition. With testing done at NASA\u2019s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and additional support from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), this competition exemplifies successful cross-cutting agency collaboration.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Aboard the TechEdSat23 CubeSat, integrated via Maverick Space Systems, NASA will test three key technologies: a radiation sensor called Radiation Shielding Efficacy Testbed funded by NASA\u2019s Small Spacecraft and Distributed Systems (SSDS) office, a miniaturized NOAA Data Collection System radio, and a device called an exo-brake for rapid deorbiting of spacecraft. These technologies will advance critical capabilities for radiation shielding, satellite communications, and space weather monitoring to better equip small spacecraft for operations in low Earth orbit and deep space while acting as a test bed for potential larger scale applications.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
The R5-S10 (Realizing Rapid, Reduced-cost high-Risk Research project Spacecraft 10) CubeSat, also supported by the SSDS office, will demonstrate technologies designed to expand the capabilities of small spacecraft in low Earth orbit. Deploying from the Vigoride orbital service vehicle operated by Momentus Space, the R5-S10 CubeSat will test proximity operations and formation flying techniques that allow spacecraft to safely operate at close distances, capabilities that could support future in-space inspection and servicing missions.\u00a0The R5-S10 CubeSat will also carry a co-aligned event camera and star tracker proving a novel, high dynamic range, and high-rate tolerant star tracker, advancing technology to help spacecraft determine their orientation in space. \u00a0<\/p>\n
After deployment from\u00a0the\u00a0Vigoride\u00a0orbital service vehicle, the R5-S10 CubeSat will transfer data from its various demonstrations via\u00a0Wi-Fi\u00a0to an in-space router developed by the Solstar Space Company. In partnership with Momentus, Solstar\u2019s in-space\u00a0Wi-Fi\u00a0router enables the R5-S10 CubeSat data to be downlinked through the\u00a0Vigoride\u00a0orbital service vehicle and eventually transferred to NASA\u2019s Johnson Space Center in Houston.\u00a0Solstar advanced\u00a0its\u00a0Wi-Fi\u00a0technology for\u00a0in-space use through\u00a0suborbital testing\u00a0with NASA\u2019s Flight Opportunities\u00a0program\u00a0which is managed at\u00a0NASA\u2019s\u00a0Armstrong Flight Research Center\u00a0in Edwards, California.<\/p>\n
Also hosted aboard the\u00a0Vigoride\u00a0orbital service vehicle is a\u00a0power processing\u00a0system\u00a0from CisLunar Industries.\u00a0The company\u2019s Electric Power Intelligent Conversion technology is designed to transform power ranging from 1 to 100 kilowatts with greater than 95% efficiency in smaller, lighter designs\u00a0than\u00a0the\u00a0current state-of-the-art.\u00a0This\u00a0holds the\u00a0potential to advance\u00a0technology\u00a0for\u00a0in-space\u00a0servicing,\u00a0assembly, and\u00a0manufacturing\u00a0while\u00a0serving\u00a0government and\u00a0commercial markets for dynamic space operations, including\u00a0electric, dual-mode, and\u00a0other forms of\u00a0electric propulsion.\u00a0The demo also is the first hosted orbital flight test for\u00a0NASA\u2019s\u00a0Flight Opportunities program.<\/p>\n
NASA\u00a0also will\u00a0launch technology on this flight to\u00a0gather data about hypersonic atmospheric entry using sensors\u00a0on\u00a0a capsule from Varda Space Industries.\u00a0As the latest in\u00a0a series of flight tests,\u00a0Varda\u2019s W-6 capsule heat shield is equipped with a pair of instrumented tiles, made at NASA\u2019s Ames Research Center in California\u2019s Silicon Valley, that will collect data about the heat and pressure experienced as the capsule returns to Earth. The sensors also will capture performance data about the heat shield, which is made of C-PICA (Conformal Phenolic Impregnated Carbon Ablator),\u00a0a material originally developed at NASA Ames that provides stronger, more efficient, and less expensive thermal protection,\u00a0maximizing the safety and affordability of capsules returning to Earth.\u00a0<\/p>\n
By flying alongside commercial innovations, NASA continues leveraging cost-effective rideshare opportunities to accelerate technology development, innovations, and scientific discovery.<\/p>\n
NASA\u2019s Space Technology Mission Directorate manages the agency\u2019s\u00a0Small Spacecraft and Distributed Systems\u00a0office, Flight Opportunities program, and the\u00a0Center of Excellence for Collaborative Innovation.\u00a0NASA\u2019s CubeSat Launch Initiative is managed by the agency\u2019s Launch Services program based at\u00a0NASA\u2019s\u00a0Kennedy Space Center in Florida.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n