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
April 1, 2026
Launch Site
Launch Pad
LC39B
Launch Vehicle
SLS Block 1
NORAD ID
68540
International Designator
2026-069C
Epoch
Fri, 17 Apr 2026 12:14:33 GMT
Apogee
Calculating...
Perigee
Calculating...
Inclination
28.35°
Right Ascension
357.77°
Eccentricity
Calculating...
Argument of Perigee
80.99°
Period
1413.97 min
Mean Motion
1.02 rev/day
Latitude
Calculating...
Longitude
Calculating...
Altitude
Calculating...
Velocity
Calculating...
Name
SWC-1
Alternative Name
N/A
Type
Status
Owner
SAUDSA
Country
Saudi Arabia
Constellation
N/A
Related Satellites
Major Events
N/A
1 68540U 26069C 26107.51011483 -.00000351 00000-0 00000-0 0 9995
2 68540 28.3533 357.7706 8357664 80.9928 279.0715 1.01840683 168
Source: Celestrak
Apologies, there is no summary for this satellite yet. I am working to generate these for every object in the catalog, but it is going to take time.
Length
0.3
Diameter
0.2
Span
0.3
Dry Mass
20
Launch Mass
20
Shape
Box
Radar Cross Section
Unknown
Visual Magnitude
Unknown
Color
Unknown
Material Composition
Unknown
Payload
SWC-1
Purpose
Unknown
Mission
Unknown
Manufacturer
SAUDSA
Life Expectancy
Unknown
Bus
Cubesat 12U
Configuration
Unknown
Motor
Unknown
Equipment
Unknown
Power System
Unknown
ADCS
Unknown
Transmitter Frequency
Unknown
Learn more about satellites and other related topics.
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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