CP-6

CP-6

Operator	CalPoly
Bus	CubeSat (1U)
Mission type	Technology
Launch date	19 May 2009, 23:55 GMT
Carrier rocket	Minotaur I
Launch site	MARS LP-0B
Orbital elements
Regime	Low Earth

This article is about the satellite. For the operating system, see CP-6 operating system

CP-6, also known as PolySat-6, PolySat CP-6 or CalPoly 6 is a single-unit CubeSat which was built and is operated by the California Polytechnic State University. It is primarily intended to perform a technology demonstration mission. The main experiment consists of sensors to determine the spacecraft's attitude. Cameras on the satellite will be used to verify the data returned by the attitude sensors. Originally built as a backup to CP-3, which was launched in April 2007, CP-6 was modified after it was decided that it would no longer be needed for that role.

In addition to the attitude determination experiment, CP-6 will also test an a system to collect electrons for the United States Naval Research Laboratory as part of research into electrodynamic propulsion. The electron collector will be deployed once the primary mission, the attitude determination experiment, has been completed.

It was successfully launched on an Orbital Sciences Corporation Minotaur I rocket from Pad 0B at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport, at 23:55 GMT on 19 May. It will be a tertiary payload, with TacSat-3 as the primary payload and PharmaSat as the secondary. Two other CubeSats, AeroCube 3 and HawkSat I, were also launched on the same rocket, and together the three satellites were known as the CubeSat Technology Demonstration mission.

The satellite reentered earth atmospere on Oct 6th 2011.

See also

• List of CubeSats

References

• Krebs, Gunter. "CP 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6". Gunter's Space Page. http://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/cp-1.htm. Retrieved 2009-05-05. 
• "CubeSats". TacSat-3 launch. NASA. http://www.nasa.gov/centers/wallops/pdf/326337main_Cubesat%20backgrounder.pdf. Retrieved 2009-05-05. 
• Davis, Robert. "Cubesat Tech Demo P-POD". Hawk Institute of Space Sciences. http://atl.calpoly.edu/~bklofas/Presentations/SummerWorkshop2007/Davis_Robert.pdf. Retrieved 2009-05-05.