Satellites

Human Spaceflight

DRAGONSAT

DecayedHuman SpaceflightLEO

DRAGONSat was a 2000s pair of nanosatellites that were to demonstrate autonomous rendezvous and docking (ARD) in low Earth orbit (LEO) for NASA. It was intended to gather flight data with a global positioning system (GPS) receiver strictly designed for space applications to gather flight data in the space environment. ARD is the capability of two independent spacecraft to rendezvous in orbit and dock without crew intervention. The mission failed when the DRAGONSats failed to separate from their carrier spacecraft.

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Launch

Launch date
July 15, 2009 at 10:03 PM UTC
Launch site
Cape Canaveral SFS, USA
Operator
United Space Alliance
Mission
STS-127

Orbit

Orbit regime
LEO
Apoapsis
163 km
Periapsis
157 km
Inclination
51.62°
Orbital period
87.69 min

Spacecraft

Operator
United States
Launch mass
3 kg

Identity

COSPAR (Int'l)
2009-038B
NORAD catalog №
35690
Object type
Payload
Owner / operator
United StatesUnited States
Radar cross-section
0.023 m²
Status
Decayed
Decay / reentry
March 17, 2010

End of mission

Last active / ended
March 17, 2010
Time in service
245 days
Fate
Reentered Earth's atmosphere and was destroyed.
Final status
Decayed

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