Research Summaries

Back GEMSat: NPS CubeSat Launcher (NPSCuL) Flight Structure, Flight Documentation and Integration Activities

Fiscal Year 2013
Division Graduate School of Engineering & Applied Science
Department Space Systems Academic Group
Investigator(s) Newman, James H.
Sponsor National Reconnaissance Office (DoD)
Summary The GEMSat (Government Experimental Multi-satellite) flight project is the follow-on to the successful OUTSat project and builds on several student theses to implement a CubeSat launch system in flight hardware as part of the SSAG Small Satellite hands-on laboratory work. This proposal documents the funding required and the statement of work needed to continue producing an NPSCuL (NPS CubeSat Launcher) flight unit and perform associated activities as part of the GEMSat mission, in collaboration with the Office of Space Launch (OSL) and their Auxiliary Payload Integrating Contractor. GEMSat is currently scheduled to launch in late 2013 as part of the NRO L-39 mission. GEMSat will fly on an Aft Bulkhead Carrier (ABC) and will utilize NPSCuL and eight Cal Poly P-PODs to launch a significant volume of CubeSats, enabling OSL to efficiently launch US government and other CubeSats. The operational nature of the project and the lessons learned generate student thesis topics, the results of which feed back into more advanced versions of NPSCuL.
Keywords
Publications Publications, theses (not shown) and data repositories will be added to the portal record when information is available in FAIRS and brought back to the portal
Data Publications, theses (not shown) and data repositories will be added to the portal record when information is available in FAIRS and brought back to the portal