AQT-D
First ISS-deployed satellite with water-based propulsion.
It was a 3U CubeSat designed to test water-fueled propulsion. The satellite was deployed from the International Space Station on 20 November 2019 using the JEMRMS robotic arm at the Kibō laboratory module.
Quick Facts
- Size
- 3U CubeSat
- Launch vehicle
- Kounotori 8
- Launched
- 24 September 2019
- Deployment date
- 20 November 2019
- Reentry date
- 20 April 2022
- Project lead
- Jun Asakawa
- Propellant mass
- less than 0.4 kg (0.882 lb) of water
Facts from the source article.
Did You Know?
- AQT-D's spacecraft bus was based on Tasuki (TRICOM-1R), a previous University of Tokyo satellite launched in 2017.
- The satellite was equipped with antennas for store and forward communication.
- 1U of the 3U CubeSat was occupied by the propulsion system, the remaining 2U by the spacecraft bus.
Propulsion
AQT-D used a water-based propulsion system called AQUARIUS-1U, which included five thrusters. One main thruster provided 4.0 mN of thrust for changing orbit, while four smaller thrusters each produced 1.0 mN for steering. The main thruster’s specific impulse was 70 seconds, and its maximum thrust depended on power levels. This design came from the planned EQUULEUS deep space probe.
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