Cansat suborbital launch experiment-university educational space program using can sized pico-satellite

• Published in: Acta astronautica Vol. 48; no. 5; pp. 767 - 776
• Main Authors: Sako, Nobutada, Tsuda, Yuichi, Ota, Shuichiro, Eishima, Takashi, Yamamoto, Toru, Ikeda, Ichirou, Ii, Hiromitsu, Yamamoto, Hidenori, Tanaka, Hideyuki, Tanaka, Akira, Nakasuka, Shinichi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 2001
• Subjects: Education; Orbits; Rockets; Space research
• ISSN: 0094-5765; 1879-2030
• DOI: 10.1016/S0094-5765(01)00039-X

Our laboratory is proceeding with a project to design and fabricate a nano satellite named “Gekkabijin” as “CanSat” project. This project was agreed at USSS'98 as a Japan-U.S. joint venture to make satellites for educational purpose. CanSat is, as can be imaged from the name, a Coke can shaped and sized satellite. Our CanSat “Gekkabijin” was designed to deploy a thin flexible membrane using centrifugal force. Before we can launch a CanSat into space, we had a chance to put it into sub-orbit with a support from a U.S. amateur rocket group in the name of ARLISS Project. ARLISS Project has already taken place twice in 1999 and 2000 and we carried out 6 missions. This paper describes the objectives, satellite design, experiment results and lessons learned of University of Tokyo CanSat Project.