| Acronym | RANGE |
| Full Name | The Ranging And Nanosatellite Guidance Experiment |
| Size | Two 1.5U |
| Status | In Orbit |
| Launch Date | December 3rd, 2018 |
| NORAD ID | 43773 |
| Downlink Frequency | 437.15 (MHz) |
| Principal Investigator | Brian Gunter |
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The RANGE mission involves two 1.5U satellites flying in a leader-follower formation. The goal of this mission is to improve the positioning (relative and absolute) capabilities of nanosatellites. Craft Overview: Each cubesat involved in the mission is a 4kg, 1.5U cubesat. Each cubesat is solar-powered, with 2 deployable solar arrays, solar cells, and batteries. The relative position of each satellite is measured using an on-board compact laser ranging system. This compact laser ranging system also doubles as a low-rate optical communication system. The satellites do not contain an active propulsion system so the distance between the two is controlled through differential drag techniques. Deployment: RANGE was successfully launched into orbit on December 3rd, 2018. RANGE was launched on board a SpaceX Falcon-9 rocket as part of Spaceflight’s SSO-A mission. RANGE is Georgia Tech’s first small satellite to reach orbit. Sources and Additional Information:
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