MarCO: CubeSats to Mars in 2018

In May of 2018, the MarCO spacecraft are scheduled to launch with the Mars-bound InSight lander for a novel technology demonstration of interplanetary small spacecraft. Following InSight’s separation from the launch vehicle, the two MarCO, or Mars Cube One, vehicles will deploy from their canisters and begin their own independent flights to Mars. Six and a half months later, the MarCO craft will fly by Mars, providing a UHF-to-X-band relay service from the InSight lander to Earth during InSight’s entry, descent, and landing sequence. 

To read more:  https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/cubesat/missions/marco.php

Speaker:

 
Dr. Andy Klesh is currently chief engineer for interplanetary small spacecraft at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, where his team is about to launch the MarCO mission, consisting of the first two CubeSats headed beyond Earth. He previously served as PI for the INSPIRE interplanetary CubeSats, and was postdoc & chief engineer of U. Michigan’s Radio Aurora Explorer CubeSat project. He also serves as technical lead of the Buoyant Rover for Under-Ice Exploration team, working to explore the ice-water interface in arctic, antarctic, and glacial terrain. Prior to JPL, he served as a Postdoctoral Fellow at JAXA supporting the Hayabusa and Ikaros missions. He has multiple degrees from the University of Michigan (BSE EE, BSE Aero, MSE Aero, MEng Space Systems, PhD Aero).

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