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RANGE

Jump to: Mission Objectives, Mission Instrumentation, Mission Parameters, Additional Information

Mission Photos:

RANGE satellites
Courtesy of Georgia Institute of Technology

Mission Objectives:

RANGE (The Ranging And Nanosatellite Guidance Experiment) is a cubesat mission consisting of two satellites in a leader-follower formation. The primary objective of the mission is to improve the relative and absolute positioning capabilities of small satellites. This will be done through ground-based laser ranging, a dual-frequency GPS receiver, and an intersatellite laser ranging system (operating at 1550 nm). The goal is to achieve cm-level absolute positioning and mm-level relative positioning knowledge.

SLR will be used together with the positioning information gathered from the on-board GPS receivers and intersatellite ranging system for precise orbit determination. The nadir-pointing side of each RANGE spacecraft has four retroreflectors for increased field-of-view, in addition to a fifth pop-out retroreflector on one side for attitude determination experiments.

RANGE Mission Parameters:
Satellite RANGE (satellite A) RANGE (satellite B)
Sponsor: Georgia Institute of Technology Georgia Institute of Technology
Expected Life: 1 year 1 year
Primary Applications: Improve the relative and absolute positioning capabilities of small satellites Improve the relative and absolute positioning capabilities of small satellites
Primary SLR Application: Precision orbit determination Precision orbit determination
Launch Date: July/Aug 2018 July/Aug 2018
COSPAR ID:    
SIC: 1077 1078
Satellite Catalog (NORAD)
Number:		    
NP Bin Size: 15 seconds 15 seconds
RRA Diameter:    
RRA Shape: 4 Nadir Canted Pyramid and 1 Nadir Canted on Flip-Out Mount 4 Nadir Canted Pyramid and 1 Nadir Canted on Flip-Out Mount
Reflectors: 5 5
Orbit:    
Inclination: 97.7 degrees 97.7 degrees
Eccentricity: 0 degrees 0 degrees
Altitude: 575 km 575 km
Period: 5770 sec (96.2 min) 5770 sec (96.2 min)
Additional Information:

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