DUAL RF ASTRODYNAMIC GPS ORBITAL NAVIGATOR SATELLITE (DRAGONSAT)
Research Area: Small Satellites and Control Technologies
Expedition(s): 19- 20
Principal Investigator(s): ● David B. Kanipe, NASA’s Johnson Space Center, Houston,
Texas
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
Dual RF Astrodynamic GPS Orbital Navigator Satellite (DRAGONSat) demonstrates autonomous
rendezvous and docking (ARD) in low-Earth orbit and gathers flight data with a global
positioning system (GPS) receiver strictly designed for space applications. ARD is the capability
of 2 independent spacecraft to rendezvous in orbit and dock without crew intervention.
DRAGONSat consists of 2 picosatellites (1 built by the University of Texas and 1 built by Texas
A&M University) and the Space Shuttle Payload Launcher (SSPL) is the first mission in the 4-
mission Low Earth Orbiting Navigation Experiment for Spacecraft Testing Autonomous
Rendezvous and Docking (LONESTAR) program.
EARTH BENEFITS
This investigation enhances student education by
engaging the student in a real-world engineering scenario
that includes managing requirements, geographic
distance, system engineering, project management, and
diverse cultures. This project also develops critical skills
that are invaluable to NASA in the future as the aerospace
workforce continues to mature and retire and exposes
NASA to the best and brightest students.
SPACE BENEFITS
This investigation demonstrates ARD in space and
provides NASA with actual flight data that is directly
applicable to the Exploration Systems Architecture
Study’s Technology Assessment area under Avionics and
Software. Data from DRAGONSat has a direct impact on
the further development of ARD, which will be used in
future exploration missions.
RESULTS
Texas A&M University’s AggieSat2 and University of
Texas’ Bevo-1 launched together from shuttle flight STS-127/2JA on July 30, 2009. The 2
satellites failed to completely separate, which hindered communications through antennas that
were partially captive within Bevo-1. Despite this failure, AggieSat2 operated for 230 days in
low-Earth orbit until re-entry on March 17, 2010. While mission success requirements to
download 2 full orbits of GPS data were not achieved, the NASA-provided DRAGON GPS unit
was commanded to operate for one 90-minute period and data samples throughout this period
were downlinked that show the GPS unit was operational and tracking GPS satellites. Texas
DRAGONSat looks at independent
rendezvous of spacecraft in orbit using
Global Positioning Satellite data.