OPUSAT-II

OPUSAT-II (COSPAR 1998-067SG, SATCAT 47930) was a CubeSat developed by Osaka Prefecture University and Muroran Institute of Technology. OPUSAT-II was launched from Wallops Flight Facility on 20 February 2021,^[1][2] and was deployed from the International Space Station. The satellite was nicknamed HIROGARI, for a Japanese word meaning spread, or expand.^[3]

Spacecraft

The satellite's satellite bus was based on the design of Osaka Prefecture University's previous satellite, OPUSAT, which was launched in 2014.^[4] OPUSAT-II had a design life of five and a half months.^[3]

Mission

OPUSAT-II had two main missions. The first mission was to demonstrate high-speed data transmission in amateur radio band. According to the project's website, the satellite communication system's design and the results of the experiment would be made public.^[3]

The second mission was a deployment of a large folded structure. A deployable plastic plate was stored inside the satellite, based on Miura fold.^[5] The folding method that was tested in this mission took into account the thickness of the plate, unlike the traditional Miura fold. The satellite would optically measure the deployment using a pair of cameras.^[3] The team proposes applying this folding method on space-based solar power in the future.^[6][7]

OPUSAT-II decayed from orbit on 15 April 2022.^[8]

See also

• RSP-01
• STARS-EC
• WARP-01

References

1. "超小型衛星「ひろがり」の打上げ予定日が決定し、共同記者会見を行いました" (Press release) (in Japanese). Muroran Institute of Technology. February 3, 2021. Retrieved 2021-02-21.
2. "室工大開発の衛星打ち上げ成功". NHK NEWS WEB (in Japanese). February 21, 2021. Retrieved 2021-02-21.
3. "HIROGARI (English)". Archived from the original on 2021-02-21. Retrieved 2021-02-20.
4. Haru, Kyusen (October 21, 2020). "大阪府立大学と室蘭工大の超小型衛星「ひろがり」、JAXAへ引き渡し完了！". Mynavi news (in Japanese). Retrieved 2021-02-21.
5. "大学発衛星、宇宙へ必ず 室工大と大阪府立大がオンライン会見". The Hokkaido Shimbun Press (in Japanese). January 30, 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-01-30. Retrieved 2021-02-21.
6. "日本の伝統工学が未来をつくる技術に。宇宙工学の歴史的一歩へ！" (in Japanese). 2018. Retrieved 2021-02-21.
7. "学生開発の超小型衛星、宇宙へ 大阪府立大と室蘭工大、２月に". The Chunichi Shimbun (in Japanese). January 29, 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-02-21. Retrieved 2021-02-21.
8. "HIROGARI (OPUSAT II)". N2YO.com. 15 April 2022. Retrieved 27 April 2022.

External links

• HIROGARI Project Archived 2021-02-21 at the Wayback Machine