An innovative set of four small spacecraft were launched early Thursday aboard a Rocket Lab Electron rocket from Wallops Island, Virginia.
The mission is designed to evaluate both the performance of the DiskSat spacecraft and the dispenser mechanism that sequentially deploys them into low Earth orbit. Four disk-shaped satellites, each approximately four inches thick and 40 inches wide, will be released and conduct on-orbit maneuvers. Each spacecraft is equipped with onboard computers, communications, and a small electric propulsion system that enables orbit adjustments.
Like their smaller CubeSat cousins, DiskSats offer a lower-cost path to space. Both form factors allow missions to share rides with larger spacecraft, providing greater flexibility in launch schedules and mission planning. DiskSats also make use of CubeSat components proven over decades of launches by universities like UNC Wilmington.
A team of engineers at The Aerospace Corporation’s facility in El Segundo, California, gather around two completed DiskSats as they conduct final checks before shipment.
The demonstration will showcase DiskSat’s maneuverability. The DiskSats in this technology demonstration have electric propulsion for orbit changing and orbit maintenance. After initially deploying all four satellites at the same altitude, one or more satellites will maneuver to lower altitudes.
DiskSats are built from a lightweight aluminum honeycomb core faced with carbon fiber.
This demonstration mission was funded by the U.S. Space Force’s Rocket Systems Launch Program and with ground operations funded by the Department of Defense’s Space Test Program.
