16U CubeSat
Blue Canyon Technologies
The 16U CubeSat is a reliable, high-performing, and flight-proven satellite bus from Blue Canyon Technologies' XB line, offering a turnkey solution for various space missions.
Key figurescomparable across the catalogue
- Payload capacity
- 23 kg
Normalised to common units so this product can be compared with others in its category. The supplier's own wording is below.
As published by the supplier
- Class
- 16U
- Available payload volume
- 12U (typical)
- Pointing accuracy
- ±0.002° (1-sigma), 3 axes, 2 Trackers
- Orbit altitude / orbit lifetime
- LEO (> 5 years), GEO (> 2 years), Deep Space (> 2 years)
- Real-world missions
- Proven Heritage
- Units launched
- 02
- Units in-work
- 02
About
The 16U CubeSat, part of Blue Canyon Technologies’ XB line, is a highly accurate, turnkey solution for space missions. With more than 60 CubeSats launched, this platform is described as reliable, high-performing, and flight-proven. It offers a typical available payload volume of 12U and boasts a pointing accuracy of ±0.002° (1-sigma) across 3 axes, utilizing 2 trackers. The CubeSat is designed for various orbits, including Low Earth Orbit (LEO) with an orbit lifetime of over 5 years, Geostationary Orbit (GEO) with over 2 years, and Deep Space missions with over 2 years. It has a proven heritage with 2 units launched and 2 units currently in-work. Notable missions include a Government CubeSat Program for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, where BCT provided two XB16 CubeSat buses, and POLSIR for Vanderbilt University and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, aimed at understanding Earth’s dynamic atmosphere by studying ice clouds, for which BCT provided a payload spin mechanism, two XB16 CubeSat spacecraft, and Mission Operations.
Documentation
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