MCubed Update – 14 Dec 2011

M-Cubed continues to beacon reliably albiet very weakly.  Our current theory is that M-Cubed is extremely close to E1P, potentially even docked.  Based on tracking telemetry, we think the conjuction happened within one hour of deployment.

We continue to receive beacons world-wide.  Testu san in Japan and his team are providing several beacons a day.  This is music to our ears.  The latest beacons showed full battery charge and strong solar panel operation.  This indicates M-Cubed is in good health.

We are planning a “Dish” campaign most likely to SRI in Menlo Park, CA.  We are partnering with the SRI CubeSat and RAX team there to track both MCubed and RAX with their 50 foot dish.  The goal is to command M-Cubed and assess satellite status, particularly the communication system.  Then, we’ll verify COVE operation, and run experiments with COVE.