Canadian Advanced Nanospace Experiment 2: On-Orbit Experiences with a Three-Kilogram Satellite

The objective of the Canadian Advanced Nanospace eXperiment (CanX) program is to develop highly capable “nanospacecraft,” or spacecraft under 10 kilograms, in short timeframes of 2-3 years. CanX missions offer low-cost and rapid access to space for scientists, technology developers, and operationally responsive missions. The Space Flight Laboratory (SFL) at the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies (UTIAS) has developed the Canadian Advanced Nanospace eXperiment 2 (CanX-2) nanosatellite that launched in April 2008. CanX-2, a 3.5-kg, 10 x 10 x 34 cm satellite, features a collection of scientific and engineering payloads that push the envelope of capability for this class of spacecraft. The primary mission of CanX-2 is to test and demonstrate several enabling technologies for precise formation flight. These technologies include a custom cold-gas propulsion system, a 30 mNms nanosatellite reaction wheel as part of a three-axis stabilized momentum-bias attitude control system, and a commercially available GPS receiver. The secondary objective of CanX-2 is to fly a number of university experiments including an atmospheric spectrometer. At the time of writing CanX-2 has been in orbit for three weeks and has performed very well during preliminary commissioning. The mission, the engineering and scientific payloads, and the preliminary on-orbit commissioning experiences of CanX-2 are presented in this paper