. 24/7 Space News .
MICROSAT BLITZ
NASA's first image of Mars from a cubesat
by Staff Writers
Pasadena CA (JPL) Oct 23, 2018

One of NASA's twin MarCO spacecraft took this image of Mars on October 2 -- the first time a CubeSat, a kind of low-cost, briefcase-sized spacecraft -- has done so. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

NASA's MarCO mission was designed to find out if briefcase-sized spacecraft called CubeSats could survive the journey to deep space. Now, MarCO - which stands for Mars Cube One - has Mars in sight.

One of the twin MarCO CubeSats snapped this image of Mars on Oct. 3 - the first image of the Red Planet ever produced by this class of tiny, low-cost spacecraft. The two CubeSats are officially called MarCO-A and MarCO-B but nicknamed "EVE" and "Wall-E" by their engineering team.

A wide-angle camera on top of MarCO-B produced the image as a test of exposure settings. The MarCO mission, led by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, hopes to produce more images as the CubeSats approach Mars ahead of Nov. 26. That's when they'll demonstrate their communications capabilities while NASA's InSight spacecraft attempts to land on the Red Planet. (The InSight mission won't rely on them, however; NASA's Mars orbiters will be relaying the spacecraft's data back to Earth.)

This image was taken from a distance of roughly 8 million miles (12.8 million kilometers) from Mars. The MarCOs are "chasing" Mars, which is a moving target as it orbits the Sun. In order to be in place for InSight's landing, the CubeSats have to travel roughly 53 million miles (85 million kilometers). They have already traveled 248 million miles (399 million kilometers).

MarCO-B's wide-angle camera looks straight out from the deck of the CubeSat. Parts related to the spacecraft's high-gain antenna are visible on either side of the image. Mars appears as a small red dot at the right of the image.

To take the image, the MarCO team had to program the CubeSat to rotate in space so that the deck of its boxy "body" was pointing at Mars. After several test images, they were excited to see that clear, red pinprick.

"We've been waiting six months to get to Mars," said Cody Colley, MarCO's mission manager at JPL. "The cruise phase of the mission is always difficult, so you take all the small wins when they come. Finally seeing the planet is definitely a big win for the team."


Related Links
MarCO at JPL
Microsat News and Nanosat News at SpaceMart.com


Thanks for being there;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5+ Billed Monthly


paypal only
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal


MICROSAT BLITZ
Sky and Space Global (SAS) awarded EU grant, signs 5 agreements with telecom operators
London, UK (SPX) Oct 15, 2018
Sky and Space Global Ltd reports it has reached a significant operational landmark by winning a Research and Development grant from the Polish government and the EU, and also recently signed five new binding MoU agreements with global telecoms operators. The Company has been awarded a 1.25m Polish Zloti (~A$500k) R and D grant by the Polish Government to initiate a project into M2M device and smart grid innovation. This comes about as a result of an application submitted by SAS PL (Sky and S ... read more

Comment using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.



Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

MICROSAT BLITZ
Plant hormone makes space farming a possibility

Installing life support the hands-free way

US-Russia space cooperation to go on despite Soyuz launch mishap

Smell and stress sensors a smash at Tokyo tech fair

MICROSAT BLITZ
US astronaut Hague 'amazed' by Russian rescue team's work after Soyuz failure

Taxi tests for Paul Allen's Stratolaunch successfully reach 90 mph

Probe commission rules out sabotage as possible cause of Soyuz failure

Russian investigators identify responsible for failed Soyuz launch

MICROSAT BLITZ
Minerals of the world, unite

The claw game on Mars: NASA InSight plays to win

Scientists to debate landing site for next Mars rover

Efforts to communicate with Opportunity continue

MICROSAT BLITZ
China's commercial aerospace companies flourishing

China launches Centispace-1-s1 satellite

China tests propulsion system of space station's lab capsules

China unveils Chang'e-4 rover to explore Moon's far side

MICROSAT BLITZ
How Max Polyakov from Zaporozhie develops the Ukrainian space industry

European Space Talks: we need more space!

Source reveals timing of OneWeb satellites' debut launch on Soyuz

French Space Agency opens new office in the UAE

MICROSAT BLITZ
QuTech researchers put forward a roadmap for quantum internet development

Orbit Logic's scheduling software selected for NASA satellite servicing mission

Scientists discover first high-temperature single-molecule magnet

Bursting the clouds for better communication

MICROSAT BLITZ
Discovering a previously unknown role for a source of magnetic fields

Double dust ring test could spot migrating planets

Algorithm takes search for habitable planets to the next level

Scientific research will help to understand the origin of life in the universe

MICROSAT BLITZ
Icy moon of Jupiter, Ganymede, shows evidence of past strike-slip faulting

Icy warning for space missions to Jupiter's moon

New Horizons sets up for New Year's flyby of Ultima Thule

Hunt for Planet X reveals the Goblin, a faraway dwarf planet









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.