NASA Works to Contact Scalable Small Satellite

Following a successful launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, NASA’s Athena EPIC (Economical Payload Integration Cost) satellite was deployed on July 23. However, the small satellite has yet to send an expected beacon signal to help track its orbit.

Mission partners are collaborating at the NovaWurks data operations center in California to link with the satellite on each orbital pass. Teams are investigating received signals to positively confirm the location of Athena EPIC and its operational status. The team is also working to determine the cause of the initial missed signal acquisition and any factors that may have contributed to the delayed communication downlinks.

Athena EPIC is a pathfinder launch for a scalable satellite design to support future missions through partnerships. The U.S. Space Force and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are government partners for the test launch along with Athena EPIC’s industry partner NovaWurks.

NASA will provide additional updates on the agency’s Small Satellite Mission Blog:

https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/smallsatellites