SkyCube (satellite)
SkyCube in undeployed state | |
| Mission type | Earth imaging |
|---|---|
| Operator | Southern Stars |
| COSPAR ID | 1998-067EN |
| SATCAT no. | 39569 |
| Mission duration | 60–90 days (planned) |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | 1U CubeSat |
| Manufacturer | Nanoracks |
| Launch mass | 1.3 kg (2.9 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 9 January 2014, 18:07:05 UTC |
| Rocket | Antares 120 |
| Launch site | MARS, LP-0A |
| Contractor | Orbital Sciences |
| Deployed from | International Space Station |
| Deployment date | 28 February 2014 |
| End of mission | |
| Last contact | 27 March 2014 |
| Decay date | 9 November 2014 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit |
| Regime | Low Earth orbit |
| Perigee altitude | 408 km (254 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 414 km (257 mi) |
| Inclination | 51.65° |
| Period | 92.79 minutes |
SkyCube was an American crowdsourced CubeSat. It was first announced on Kickstarter on 14 July 2012 and successfully funded on 12 September 2012, meeting its US$82,500 goal with a total of US$116,890. It was developed and built in 2012–2013, completed flight integration at Nanoracks in late 2013, and launched aboard the Cygnus CRS Orb-1 flight at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on Wallops Island, Virginia on 9 January 2014. SkyCube was deployed from the International Space Station on 28 February 2014. Contact with the satellite was last made on 27 March 2014. SkyCube re-entered the Earth's atmosphere on 9 November 2014. It is one of several crowdfunded satellites launched during the 2010s.