Small RTU MIREA1 spacecraft was assigned a NORAD catalog number

The small spacecraft (SSC) RTU MIREA1 of the Cubesat 3U form factor, created on the platform of the Geoscan company, launched from the Vostochny Cosmodrome on November 5, was assigned number 61785 in the NORAD system catalog.

 The SSC's inclusion in the NORAD catalog ensures the publication and regular updating of its orbital elements, presented in the Two Line Elements (TLE) format. Orbital elements are determined for tens of thousands of space objects from the NORAD catalog and are freely distributed for further use on the Internet. The TLE data format consists of two lines of formatted text. In addition, they can be preceded by a line with the name of the spacecraft. Currently, the SSC RTU MIREA1 has received the temporary designation OBJECT BC in the NORAD catalog. This is due to the large number of spacecrafts launched from the Vostochny Cosmodrome on November 5.

Regular TLE updates allow them to be used to calculate the motion of the small spacecraft, including using various software tools, such as Orbitron. In the near future, taking into account the received TLE, testing of the target load installed on board the small spacecraft will begin:

• Optical-electronic camera;
  
• Onboard navigation receiver;
  
• Transmitting and receiving module for providing inter-satellite communications.

The RTU MIREA1 small spacecraft is being developed within the framework of the Planet Duty Officer project (Agreement with FSI No. 94C2/MOL/73887 dated 25.03.2022)*.

 *The Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Education "MIREA - Russian Technological University" (RTU MIREA) is the winner of the competition of the Foundation for Assistance to Innovations (FSI) for financial assistance in organizational, technical and methodological support of projects of the On Duty for the Planet program (VIII stage).