1. SOCEM: Sub-Orbital CubeSat Experimental Mission
SOCEM Overview
On the morning of 27 March 2010, launched aboard NASA Wallops Flight Facility’s Hall Terrier-Improved Malemute sounding rocket, SOCEM demonstrated, for the first time ever, sub-orbital space flight for CubeSats. Roughly 75 seconds after first stage ignition, a 2U CubeSat (ADAMASat) and a 1U CubeSat (Cal Poly 1U) were ejected into space. Both payloads performed nominally, transmitting data back to ground stations as far west as Kentucky. The mission effectively introduced and proved a new platform for sub-orbital access to space for pico-class CubeSat payloads, via Wallops’ 17” diameter sounding rocket form factor.
SOCEM Hardware
Mission Success Criteria
SOCEM satisfied all six minimum and comprehensive mission success criteria.
Minimum success criteria: Integration of PCL in Hall payload section, Delivery and integration of CubeSats into PCL, Acceptance testing of complete payload.
Comprehensive success criteria: Successful ejection of CubeSats, Reception of telemetry data from CubeSats on portable ground stations at Wallops and in Kentucky, Successful reception of experiment results from the monofilament cutter system.
ADAMASat, Kentucky Space’s 2U CubeSat payload on SOCEM, tested a component of an antenna deployment system which will fly on KySat-1, the program’s flagship orbital satellite set to launch November 2010.
The Cal Poly 1U, Cal Poly’s CubeSat payload on SOCEM, tested an attitude determination system.
Launch of SOCEM, aboard Hall , the maiden flight of NASA Wallops’ two-stage Terrier-Improved Malemute.
NASA Wallops Flight Facility conducted vibration and spin deployment testing of the Hall payload section, including mass models of the SOCEM hardware. Left: payload section undergoing vibration testing. Middle: payload section undergoing spin balancing, prior to deployment testing. Right: payload section in deployment bay.
Left: the Poly CubeSat Launcher (PCL), developed by Cal Poly, used a spring to propel the CubeSats out of the rocket. Middle: the pedestal interfaced between the PCL and the rocket’s payload deck. Right: the beanie interfaced between the CubeSats and the rocket’s skin.
At Wallops Flight Facility, Kentucky Space team members successfully closed links to both CubeSats.
SOCEM was a collaboration between the NASA Sounding Rocket Program Office (SRPO) at NASA Wallops, Kentucky Space, and California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly). More information on SOCEM is available at,
Benefits of Sub-Orbital Space Flight
Fast mission turnaround
Low cost
Can be used to increase TRLs
Left: an AGI STK simulation showing a sufficient link margin for ADAMASat packet receipt as far west as Kentucky. The model was successfully verified on 27 March Right: the ADAMASat FREE GUI, a freely released serial port terminal which allowed volunteers tracking ADAMASat to view the packet data parsed in real time as the data arrived.