NASA Awards Private Mars Orbiter Contract for 2028 | KeepTrack X Report
A California firm wins NASA's Aeolus Mars orbiter contract, targeting 2028 launch for the first daily global Martian environment measurements.
Launch Date
October 6, 2020
Launch Site
Launch Pad
LC39A
Launch Vehicle
NORAD ID
46582
International Designator
2020-070BC
Epoch
Sat, 04 Jul 2026 08:00:03 GMT
Apogee
Calculating...
Perigee
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Inclination
53.03°
Right Ascension
271.76°
Eccentricity
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Argument of Perigee
354.14°
Period
90.96 min
Mean Motion
15.83 rev/day
Latitude
Calculating...
Longitude
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Altitude
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Velocity
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Name
STARLINK-1728
Alternative Name
Starlink 1728
Type
Status
Owner
SPXS
Country
United States
Constellation
N/A
Related Satellites
Major Events
N/A
1 46582U 20070BC 26185.33336806 .00225617 00000-0 10079-2 0 9990
2 46582 53.0313 271.7568 0007786 354.1401 151.0223 15.83045405 6009
Source: Celestrak
Length
0.2
Diameter
2.8
Span
9
Dry Mass
248
Launch Mass
260
Shape
Box + pan
Radar Cross Section
Unknown
Visual Magnitude
Unknown
Color
Unknown
Material Composition
Unknown
Payload
Starlink V1.0-L12-42
Purpose
Communication
Mission
Communication
Manufacturer
SPXS
Life Expectancy
Unknown
Bus
Starlink
Configuration
Unknown
Motor
Krypton ion thrusters
Equipment
Ku/Ka-band payload (all), optical inter-satellite links (a few prototypes)
Power System
Solar arrays, batteries
ADCS
Unknown
Transmitter Frequency
Unknown
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A California firm wins NASA's Aeolus Mars orbiter contract, targeting 2028 launch for the first daily global Martian environment measurements.
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