Future Missions
| Satellite Name | Sponsor | Exp.Life Time | Purpose | Launch Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Approved by ILRS for Future SLR Tracking |
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| e-kagaku-1 | The e-kagaku Association of Global Science and Education, Japan | Up to 1 yr | Education of junior-high and high school students, fostering space engineers of next generation. Involving a wide range of age groups in project-based learning. Establishing learning methods for satellite systems. Another objective is demonstrating SLR using mini-Mt. FUJI retroreflectors. Conducting orbit analysis by laser ranging, and publishing high-precision orbit information for the first time as a CubeSat. |
Early-Mid 2025 |
| HTV-X | JAXA, Japan | 1 yr | HTV-X is the new unmanned spacecraft as the successor to the "Kounotori" (HTV). The main mission of the HTV-X is transporting cargoes to the International Space Stations (ISS). After departure of the ISS, there is technical demonstration phases to verify three different missions in orbit. Mt.FUJI mission is one of the missions and it is related to the Satellite Laser Ranging (SLR). The goals of Mt.FUJI mission are: (1) to verify JAXA developed SLR reflector (named, Mt.FUJI) in orbit, (2) to evaluate the accuracy of SLR-based attitude estimation using true data (telemetry of HTV-X), (3) to evaluate the accuracy of GPS receiver positioning by comparing with SLR data. SLR will be used to verify JAXA developed SLR reflector by detecting return light. Then, SLR will be used to obtain sufficient data to perform orbit determination and SLR-based attitude estimation, to evaluate the accuracy of the GPS receiver on HTV-X and quantitatively evaluation of SLR-based attitude estimation by comparing true attitude data (HTV-X telemetry). |
2025 |
| MSS-1A | Macau University of Science and Technology, China | 5 yrs | Survey the Earth’s geomagnetic and space environment | May 21, 2023 |
| NANO-FF 1/2 | Technical University of Berlin, Germany | 2 yrs | Formation Flight Mission of two 2U-CubeSats. Ground controlled Helix formation, Autonomously controlled Helix, In-Track, Along-Track and PCO, 300 m closest approach. Technology Demonstration: Deployable solar panels, Star Tracker, S-Band Downlink. Payload: Camera system with four spectral channels. SLR tracking requested to compare the relative distances using SLR with those from GNSS raw measurements. |
November 29, 2023 |
| NXD-1 (SLAG) | Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology | 3 yrs | Positioning, geodesy | March 2023 |
| RANGE | Georgia Institute of Technology | 1 yr | Positioning information, precise orbit determination | December 03, 2018 |
Future Satellites with Retroreflectors |
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| ALOS-4 (Advanced Land Observing Satellite-4) | JAXA | ≥ 7 yrs | Observe the Earth's surface using its onboard phased array type L-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR). | 2024 |
| CRISTAL (Copernicus polaR Ice and Snow Topography ALtimeter) | EU/Copernicus, ESA | 2035 | Measure and monitor sea-ice thickness and overlying snow depth | ≥ 2027 |
| ETS-9 | MEXT, JAXA, MIC, and NICT | 16 yrs | Engineering Test Satellite. Achieve next generation geostationary satellite communication. | 2025 |
| Galileo (2nd Generation) | ESA | ≥ 10 yrs | Second generation satellites for the Galileo GNSS system. | Starting in 2024 |
| GENESIS | ESA | Colocation of the four space geodesy techniques (GNSS, SLR, VLBI, DORIS) in space. | 2028-2029 | |
| GPS IIIF | DoD, DoT | 15 yrs | Provide improved positioning, navigation & timing. Colocation in space (SLR & GNSS). | TBD 2026+ |
| GRITSS (Geodetic Reference Instrument Transponder for Small Satellites) | NASA | ∼ 1 yr | Accurately tie collocated VLBI, SLR and GNSS systems to improve the Terrestrial Reference Frame.. | ≥ 2024 |
| HY-2E, 2F | National Satellite Ocean Application Service (NSOAS), China | ≥ 3 yrs | Oceanographic remote sensing satellite with a radar altimeter and other instrumentation | 2027-2030 |
| Lunar Pathfinder | ESA/NASA | Navigation support in lunar orbit with a lunar laser retroreflector | 2026 | |
| GRACE-C | NASA/DLR | ≥ 7 yrs | Monitor mass change in the Earth system. Continue GRACE, GRACE-FO time series of data. | 2028 |
| MAGIC (Mass change And Geosciences International Constellation) | ESA, NASA | ≥ 4 yrs | Form a Bender constellation with the Mass Change mission (NASA/DLR) to monitor mass change with higher temporal & spatial resolution. | 2031-2032 |
| NASA CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) Lander TO19D | NASA | Lunar Lander to Mare Crisium, with Next Generation. Lunar Retroreflector (NGLR PI. Prof. Douglas Currie, University of Maryland, USA) | ≥2024 | |
| NASA CLPS (PRISM) CP-11 | NASA, ESA | MoonLIGHT Pointing Actuator (MPAc), a Next Generation Lunar Retroreflector (PI. Marco Muccino). onboard the Intuitive Machines Lunar Lander to Reiner Gammer | ≥ 2024 | |
| Sentinel-3C | EU/Copernicus, ESA, EUMETSAT | ≥ 2031 | Ocean surface topography measurement & ocean observation | 2024 |
| Sentinel-3D | EU/Copernicus, ESA, EUMETSAT | ≥ 2035 | Ocean surface topography measurement & ocean observation | 2028 |
| Sentinel-6B | Multi-agency | ≥ 2030 | Sea level monitoring & ocean surface topography | 2025 |
Related information
- Proposed but not implemented missions
