NearSpace Launch Inc. (NSL) is celebrating their 3U smallsat launch by Virgin Orbit’s third operational mission, along with six other customers, on January 13, 2022.
GEARRS is the third cubesat to launch in partnership with AFRL (Air Force Research Laboratory) and SSC-STP (U.S. Space Systems Command—Space Test Program (STP)-3) to test experimental Satellite-to-Satellite (Sat2Sat)communication systems and tracking.
GEARRS cubesats are pioneering new EyeStar technology for space research. NSL’s EyeStar radios allow for 24/7 connectivity via Sat2Sat connection. GEARRS-3 has completed the commissioning phase and has now moved into full operational status.
Co-founder of NSL and Chief Engineer, Jeff Dailey, said, “It is always good to see first packets received one minute after transmitter scheduled to turn on. Preliminary data shows mission success, as both the Black Box Patch and Eyestar links connected and sending data.”