Space Missions

Lunar ICECube's mission is one of several public-private partnerships chosen under NASA’s Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships (NextSTEP) Broad Agency Announcement for the development of advanced exploration systems. Among the first small satellites to explore deep space, Lunar IceCube will help lay a foundation for future small-scale planetary missions, mission scientists said.

CXBN is designed to increase the precision of measurements of the Cosmic X-ray Background in the 30-50 KeV range in an effort to constrain models that explain the underlying physics of the diffuse component of the X-ray background. Additional information can also be found on the CXBN Poster.

CXBN-2 is designed to continue the mission of CXBN to increase the precision of measurements of the cosmic X-ray background in the 30-50 KeV range in an effort to constrain models that explain the underlying physics of the diffuse component of the X-ray background.

DM-7 The Honeywell-Morehead-DM-7 validates dependable multiprocessing (DM), a new type of computer software system that uses several commercially available processors working together to increase computing speed and reduce computing errors in a space environment. It demonstrates that the technology can work in the harsh radiation environment of space, enabling its use on future space missions.

KySat-2 will carry out a number of technology validation experiments, including one exploring the effect of the space environment on a novel chemical solar cell coating.

Eagle-1 Students of the Space Science Center (SSC) at Morehead State University served as the principal engineers in the development of two of the first PocketQubs (Eagle-1 and Eagle-2) and the Morehead-Rome FemtoSat Orbital Deployers (FOD) designed to deploy the femtosats from Edusat (the mother ship). Eagle-1 and 2 will test deployable de-orbit systems and establish flight heritage for femtosat systems including power systems and transceivers.

TechSat-1 Morehead State University and Kentucky Space have partnered with Radiance Technologies, I-3, Tethers Unlimited and Honeywell to develop a demonstration of a nanosatellite aiming to increase the power available on Cubesat-like platforms and demonstrate the technology necessary to develop nanosats with significant and consistent power available to operate high-capacity payloads. The specific goal is to develop a CubeSat platform that generates 50 Watts of power and has the capacity to store and control 75w/min/orbit.

Glio-Lab is a joint project between GAUSS-Group of Astrodynamics at the" Sapienza” University of Roma and the Morehead State University (MSU) Space Science Center in Kentucky. The main goal of this project is the design and manufacturing of an autonomous space system to investigate the potential effects of space environment exposure on a human glioblastoma multiforme cell line derived from a 65-year-old male and on Normal Human Astrocytes (NHA).

EduSat is an innovative microsatellite weighing about 24 pounds and about the size of a small microwave oven that was launched in July 2011 from Yasny, Russia, on a Dnepr Rocket. EduSat began as a collaboration between the University of Rome and the Italian Space Agency and now includes the Morehead State University Space Science Center and Kentucky Space. During its first 30 days in orbit, EduSat tested an orbital deployer designed to release femto-class satellites. While the femtosats were not released on the first mission, the deployment system that will ultimately deploy them will be tested.

RAMPART is intended to certify warm gas propulsion subsystems and magnetic stabilization for Cubesat orbital altitude adjustment, as well as rapid prototyping methods of building one-piece satellite structures, propellant tanks, printed circuit board cages, erectable solar panels, antenna deployment mechanisms, etc. at a fraction of the cost of current methods.

UNISat 5 and 6 are two large-scale European-US microsatellite missions between the Space Science group at Morehead State University, the Sapienza group at the University of Rome, the Italian Space Agency and the European Space Agency led by the European Space Agency.