Alpha CubeSat
See our new mission website! alphacubesat.cornell.edu
Distance travel in space
Even with current technological advances, space travel has its limitations. For example, if we want to explore star systems, such as Alpha Centauri, with chemical propulsion it would take 75,000 years to reach this destination. There are other alternatives to current propulsion methods but they can be expensive and unfeasible.
The Solution
With the latest developments in nanotechnology and microelectronics, space travel can be achieved without the need carrying heavy payloads and the use of traditional propulsion technologies. Inspired by science fiction, the Alpha CubeSat seeks to deploy a solar-powered sail that will drive ChipSat spacecraft that weigh only 2.5 grams apiece.
What is Alpha?
Alpha is a rapidly developed, low-cost 1U CubeSat mission to verify the performance of a highly retroreflective material for light-sail propulsion. This 57.5cm x 57.5cm light sail, stowed within a 0.5U compartment, deploys as a free-flyer carrying four of the newest-generation ChipSats (gram scale spacecraft-on-a-chip technology) as a means of verifying the sail's orbit and attitude dynamics. Other innovations on the CubeSat bus include an entirely 3D-printed structure to enable quick and inexpensive prototyping, an onboard Iridium modem that bypasses the need for ground-station radio equipment, and an attitude-control subsystem that provides full attitude and angular-rate control using magnetorquers only.
Thanks to NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative, Alpha will launch with the help of NanoRacks onboard an ISS resupply mission in 2022. The CubeSat will be released into low Earth orbit from the space station, and will subsequently deploy the light sail. Software development and hardware integration and testing are fully underway. Flight unit assembly is also in progress.
Where we’re headed
The technology demonstrated by Alpha paves the way for the grand interstellar journey to Alpha Centauri. Light sails driven by gram-scale electronics and propelled by stronger artificial sources have the capability to reach near-relativistic velocities. If deployed in vast quantities, a number of these sails may survive this journey, and become the first interstellar probes in the search for life outside our solar system. Initiatives such as Breakthrough Starshot seek to bring this concept to reality, and have begun to address the primary technical challenges that lie ahead.
A message to the stars
In addition to these near-term technology demonstrations, Alpha also features one of the pioneering exhibitions of holography in space. Holographic films, created from the work of artist C Bangs, are mounted both to the walls of the CubeSat and the light sail. Drawing inspiration from Carl Sagan’s Pioneer Plaque and the Voyager Golden Record, the holograms serve as a message plaque, and are united by the common code for life of DNA. They are a reflection of humanity, and of all Earth-based life, as we venture out into the Cosmos.
While the Alpha mission will remain in orbit around Earth, holographic light sails have been proposed as a promising solution for sail stabilization on a laser-propelled interstellar journey. The Alpha holograms are a means of verifying the behavior of holograms in the space environment -a technology demonstration for future missions such as Breakthrough Starshot
Alpha selected for NASA's CubeSat Launch Initiative
NASA has announced the ninth round of candidates for CubeSat space missions, currently scheduled to fly in 2024. Alpha has been selected as a candidate, as well as fellow SSDS flight experiment, Pathfinder for Autonomous Navigation. Read more here.