RC-Sat

RC-Sat is a mission proposal projected for launch no later than 2030 after it was given the greenlight by MASA. RC-Sat was greenlighted in 2021 as part of the "Space Horizons" program by MASA to advance the U.D.O.M's position in space exploration. It was selected alongside the Xploration ground-based telescope and the Insectronaut program. The spacecraft is under construction at the Rocket Propulsion Lab (RPL) formerly the Rocket Propulsion Research Lab (RPRL).

Proposal

RC-Sat was proposed in 2021 under the name "Radio in a CubeSat" to be the first orbital mission by a micronation without help from other agencies. The CubeSat was proposed to be a "Cheap, Quick, and Easy way into orbit".

Launch Contract

After the greenlight, MASA scrambled to find a launch contractor. After considering Astra, it did not meet their success rate requirement. Neither did firefly. Rocket lab did, but they had a high price tag. After considering these 3, SpaceX was selected, the rocket would launch with ExoLaunch equipment.

Construction

RC-Sat began construction in 2022 after it was greenlighted. Construction was quite speedy as most of the components for the spacecraft were widely available and cheap. It was constructed with 4 small pieces of vacuum-optimized plastic materials, 2 non-rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, a radio transmitter, and a long piece of vacuum-optimized plastic lined with copper and electronics.

Transporation accident

The RC-Sat mission patch.

At 5:00 am in November 2022, RC-Sat was involved in an accident that could be the end of the mission. While transporting the CubeSat, an engineer who was holding the CubeSat tripped over what was determined to be a rock and threw the CubeSat so it wouldn't be crushed under his weight. That was a mistake, as the spacecraft went over a balcony ledge, and then fell 400 feet to the ground. A damage analysis reveals the spacecraft is unfit to fly, and if it is not cancelled, will be repaired in the coming months. The launch contract was cancelled until the satellite is fixed.