Tag Archive: ComSat Minmus III Transfer Stage

Apr 15 2015

#061: Buzzing Minmus

The third and final ComSat to orbit Minmus was successfully launched into LKO, where it transferred without issue to Minmus and detached from its transfer stage in orbit around the moon, leaving it to drift until we re-activate it for use as an impactor. In order to slot the satellite into position between the two existing ones, an aggressive maneuver was plotted to send the craft whipping past Minmus as low as 15km, after which it would rise up to complete the constellation of communication satellites.

Read the rest of this entry »