NASA CubeQuest Challenge

This Challenge is sponsored by NASA鈥檚 Space Technology Mission Directorate Centennial Challenge Program and offers monetary incentive to teams that are innovative in meeting specific guidelines set by NASA's CubeQuest Challenge. 听This is not limited to university students. To learn more visit听.

Our Team

The University of Colorado - Earth Escape Explorer (CU-E3)听project is currently offered as a graduate student course at the University of Colorado. The course is offered to allow students to obtain hands-on experience in the field of astronautics.听CU-E3鈥檚 mission objective is to foster innovative CubeSat communication technologies. Our CubeSat will be attempting to communicate beyond Earth orbit at more than 10 times the distance to the Moon. This will require us to 鈥渆scape鈥� the sphere of influence of the 鈥淓arth鈥� and 鈥渆xplore鈥� deep space, thus we arrived at the name Earth Escape Explorer.

Spring 2019听Team Members听

  • Dr. Scott Palo听(Principal Investigator), PhD - CU-Boulder Aerospace EngineeringCU-E3 mission patch image
  • Dr. Marcin Pilinski听(Project Advisor), PhD - Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics
  • John Sobtzak听(Communication/RF, Technical Advisor/System Engineer) - National Center for Atmopsheric Research
  • Andrew Dahir听(Managerial/Technical Student Advisor) - CU-Boulder听Aerospace Engineering Graduate Student听
  • Charles Gillard听(Project Manager/Navigation)听-听CU-Boulder听Aerospace Engineering Graduate Student
  • 叠谤辞诲颈别听奥补濒濒补肠别听(厂测蝉迟别尘蝉听贰苍驳颈苍别别谤)听-听CU-Boulder听Aerospace Engineering Graduate Student
  • Sarah Withee听(Communications Lead)听-听CU-Boulder听Electrical Engineering Undergraduate Student
  • Chris Harnack听(Structures/Integration Lead/Thermal Lead)听-听CU-Boulder听Aerospace Engineering Graduate Student
  • Wes Caruso听(Communications Member)听-听CU-Boulder听Electrical Engineering Graduate Student
  • Gabe Altman听(颁辞尘尘耻苍颈肠补迟颈辞苍蝉听惭别尘产别谤)听-听CU-Boulder听Electrical Engineering Undergraduate Student
  • Tony Ly听(ADCS Lead)听-听CU-Boulder听Aerospace Engineering Graduate Student
  • Greg Vorontsov听(Safety Lead)听-听CU-Boulder听Aerospace Engineering Graduate Student
  • Lucas Zardini听(EPS Lead, PCB Design)听-听CU-Boulder听Aerospace Engineering Undergraduate Student
  • Vishwa Sheth听(Sructure Member, CAD Designer)听-听CU-Boulder听Mechanical Engineering Graduate Student
  • Andrew Oliver听(Structures Design, Machinist)听-听CU-Boulder听Mechanical听Engineering Undergraduate Student
  • Aaron Aboaf听(Structures Consultant) -听CU-Boulder听Aerospace Engineering Undergraduate Student
  • Kyle Wislinsky听(Communications Consultant) -听CU-Boulder听Electrical Engineering Undergraduate Student

The Satellite

Check out our听.

The University of Colorado - Earth Escape Explorer (CU-E3) team听has competed for and won a听launch spot on-board the SLS/EM-1 mission currently scheduled to launch in mid-2020. CU-E3 will听be competing听in the Deep Space Derby portion of the CubeQuest Challenge, which is focused upon advancing deep space CubeSat communication techniques. Using the wealth of communication knowledge and technology developed at the University of Colorado 鈥� Boulder, such as our reflectarray and X-Band transmitter, CU-E3听believes it has all of the critical components to be successful in this competition.听

CU-E3听will use a lunar gravity assist to propel itself into heliocentric orbit in order to distance itself from the Earth. Our CubeSat will enter a larger than 1 AU orbit and thus be trailing the Earth, slowly distancing itself over time. As CU-E3听travels further from Earth, our developed communication technology will be demonstrated by establishing contact with our ground station network beyond 4 million kilometers until the end of the one year mission lifetime, at which point CU-E3听is expected to achieve an Earth-Satellite distance of more than 10听million kilometers! Finally, CU-E3听will not be flying an on-board propulsion system, and will be using Solar Radiation Pressure (SRP) for reaction wheel desaturation, which will leverage innovative research being performed here at the 麻豆视频.

The team will be partnering with Blue Canyon Technologies, a local SmallSat company who will be donating an XB1 system and providing various test and integration services. 听

For more information, please see the "Partners" page.