3Cat-8
| Mission type | Ionosphere research, technology demonstration, education |
|---|---|
| Operator |   UPC |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Bus | 6U CubeSat |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | NET 2026 |
| Rocket | RFA One |
| Launch site |   SaxaVord Spaceport |
| Contractor |  Rocket Factory Augsburg |
3Cat-8 is a future Spanish ionospheric research satellite under development by the NanoSat Lab at Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya. The 6U CubeSat-type small satellite features a deployable Fresnel zone plate antenna, a dual receiver for GNSS occultation and reflectometry, a hyperspectral imager for observing aurora, as well as a PocketQube deployer. The satellite is expected to launch no earlier than 2026 from SaxaVord Spaceport in Scotland, on the second test flight of the German rocket RFA One. The launch of the satellite is supported by the German government via DLR.
References
- ↑ Kulu, Erik. "3CAT-8". Nanosats Database. Retrieved 2026-09-08.
- ↑ Contreras-Benito, Luis; Osipova, Ksenia; Buitrago-Leiva, Jeimmy Nataly; Gracia-Sola, Guillem; Coppa, Francesco; Climent-Salazar, Pau; Sopena-Coello, Paula; Garcín, Diego; Ramos-Castro, Juan; Camps, Adriano (2024). "3Cat-8 Mission: A 6-Unit CubeSat for Ionospheric Multisensing and Technology Demonstration Test-Bed". Remote Sensing. 16 (22). doi:10.3390/r. ISSN 2072-4292. Archived from the original on 2026-01-30. Retrieved 2026-09-08.
- ↑ Coppa, Francesco (2024-07-25). Design and Analysis of a Fresnel Zone Plate Antenna for Nanosatellite Missions (laurea thesis) (in Italian). Politecnico di Torino.
- ↑ Aguiló Seguí, Sara (2024-09-10). Analysis of hyperspectral imaging in 3Cat-8 mission (Bachelor thesis thesis). Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya.
- ↑ Cruz Martinez, Alberto (2023-06-27). Analysis and design of the 3Cat-8 pointing control system for high-volume data downlink (Bachelor thesis thesis). Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya.
- ↑ Christiaens, Kris (2023-11-23). "RFA flies eight customers on second flight". FutureSpaceFlight. Retrieved 2026-09-08.
- ↑ Redaktion, Raumfahrer net (2023-11-23). "Kleinsatelliten – Gewinner von drei DLR-Wettbewerben gekürt - Raumfahrer.net" (in German). Retrieved 2026-09-08.
- ↑ "Rocket Factory Augsburg names eight customers on second flight". satnews.com. Retrieved 2026-09-08.
- ↑ Pons, Juan (2023-11-27). "These are the German, French and British competitors of Spanish startup PLD". Atalayar. Retrieved 2026-09-08.
- ↑ "Small satellites – winners of three DLR competitions selected". www.dlr.de. Retrieved 2026-09-08.
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