Mission Design and Concept of Operations of a 6U CubeSat Mission for Proximity Operations and RSO Imaging

Abstract : ARAPAlMA is a proximity operations mission sponsored by the US Air ForceOffice of Scientific Research and the Air Force Research Laboratory, to perform the in-orbit demonstration of proximity operations for visible, infrared, and three dimensional imaging of resident space objects (RSOs) on a nanosat platform. The nanosat is of the 6U CubeSatclass, with overall dimensions of 11 X 26 X 34cm and a mass of 9kg. This paper details the goals and the conceptof operationsof the mission and presents the current status of the design.