30 June 2003: Eurockot Launches the World’s First Six CubeSats (XI-IV, CUTE-1, AAU CubeSat, DTUsat-1, CanX-1 & QuakeSat) Into 820 km SSO
On 30 June 2003 at 14:15 UTC, a Rockot / Briz-KM vehicle from Plesetsk Cosmodrome ejected the first five 1U CubeSats and the first 3U CubeSat (QuakeSat).
Less than four years after Cal Poly and Stanford formulated the CubeSat Design Specification in 1999, the first orbital test of the P-POD (Poly Picosatellite Orbital Deployer) and the 10 cm CubeSat standard took place on 30 June 2003 aboard a Eurockot Rockot / Briz-KM launch from Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russia.
Injected into an 820 km Sun-synchronous orbit were six spacecraft from four nations: Japan’s University of Tokyo XI-IV (CO-57, 1U) and Tokyo Institute of Technology CUTE-1 (CO-55, 1U), Denmark’s Aalborg University AAU CubeSat (1U) and Technical University of Denmark DTUsat-1 (1U), Canada’s UTIAS CanX-1 (1U), and Stanford University / QuakeFinder’s 3U QuakeSat.
While several European/Canadian units experienced early-orbit power, tether, or RF anomalies that motivated stricter pre-flight thermal-vacuum and burn-wire screening, Japan’s XI-IV (CO-57) and CUTE-1 (CO-55) operated in orbit for more than two decades—proving that COTS lithium-ion batteries, microcontroller avionics, and tape-measure antennas could survive the LEO radiation and thermal environment for over 20 years.
CELESTRAK SATCAT & TELEMETRY RECORD
Verified Spacecraft Key Facts & Orbital Dossier
| Spacecraft | Class | Operator / Country | Launch & Vehicle | NORAD / COSPAR | Orbit & RF Downlink | Catalog Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
XI-IV | 1U | University of Tokyo (ISSL) JP | Rockot / Breeze-KM | NORAD 27848 2003-031J | LEO, Sun-synchronous 436.8475 MHz, 437.49 MHz (UHF) | Active |
CUTE-I (CO-55) | 1U | Tokyo Institute of Technology JP | Rockot-KM · CUTE-I Carrier | NORAD 27844 2003-031E | 436.8375 MHz, 437.47 MHz (UHF) | Active |
AAU CubeSat | 1U | Aalborg University DK | Rockot-KM · P-POD | NORAD 27846 2003-031G | 437.475 MHz (UHF) | Completed |
DTUsat-1 | 1U | Technical University of Denmark (DTU) DK | Rockot-KM · P-POD | NORAD 27842 2003-031C | 437.475 MHz (UHF) | Inactive (in orbit) |
CanX-1 | 1U | UTIAS Space Flight Laboratory CA | Rockot-KM · P-POD | NORAD 27847 2003-031H | 437.88 MHz (UHF) | Inactive (in orbit) |
QuakeSat | 3U | Stanford University / QuakeFinder US | Rockot-KM · P-POD | NORAD 27845 2003-031F | 436.675 MHz (UHF) | Completed |
Catalogued Mission Summaries & Flight Notes
- XI-IV (1U, 2003):
- Member of the first CubeSat launch group and one of the earliest proofs that a 1U can live for decades in orbit. Operational in SatNOGS DB; CW beacon observations reported up to October 2026.
- CUTE-I (CO-55) (1U, 2003):
- Japanese 1U pioneer launched on the historic June 2003 Eurockot cluster; continues transmitting CW and 1200 bps AFSK packet telemetry more than two decades after launch. In orbit; CW and 1200 bps AFSK packet beacon active per Tokyo Tech and SatNOGS DB observations.
- AAU CubeSat (1U, 2003):
- Student-built 1U CubeSat from Aalborg University launched on the June 2003 Eurockot flight with active 3-axis magnetorquers and a 1280×1024 CMOS Earth camera.
- DTUsat-1 (1U, 2003):
- Danish 1U CubeSat launched on the June 2003 Eurockot cluster carrying a 450 m bare electrodynamic tether payload. In orbit, non-operational (CelesTrak SATCAT operational status '-').
- CanX-1 (1U, 2003):
- Canada’s first CubeSat (1U, 1.0 kg), launched inside the first orbital P-POD on the June 2003 Eurockot mission carrying a CMOS star/horizon imager and magnetic coil testbed. In orbit, non-operational (CelesTrak SATCAT operational status '-').
- QuakeSat (3U, 2003):
- World’s first 3U CubeSat (4.5 kg) launched on the June 2003 Eurockot mission; deployed a 0.7 m telescoping boom with an induction magnetometer for ELF seismic precursors and operated for nearly two years.