12 June 2023: Transporter-8 Deploys BME Budapest’s 3P MRC-100, URESAT-1 (SO-120), ROM-2, Istanbul-1 and SATLLA-2I
SpaceX’s Transporter-8 rideshare mission injected six PocketQubes into Sun-synchronous orbit, led by BME Budapest’s 3P MRC-100 and URE/AMSAT-EA’s 1.5P URESAT-1.
Launched on 12 June 2023 aboard Falcon 9 Transporter-8, the June 2023 PocketQube cohort demonstrated the maturity of 1P, 1.5P, 2P, and 3P picosatellite buses deployed via D-Orbit ION.
BME Budapest’s 3P MRC-100 (named in honor of the 100th anniversary of the Muegyetem Radio Club) scaled up the 1P SMOG-P/SMOG-1 architecture to carry a wideband spectrum monitoring payload, active magnetic attitude stabilization, S-band downlink, and secondary experiments from three Hungarian universities.
The same flight deployed URESAT-1 (SO-120, 1.5P FM/digital repeater for Unión de Radioaficionados Españoles), Romania’s second PocketQube ROM-2 (1P), Hello Space’s 1P Istanbul (NORAD 56994), Ariel University’s SATLLA-2I (2P), and Alba Orbital’s Unicorn-2I (3P).
CELESTRAK SATCAT & TELEMETRY RECORD
Verified Spacecraft Key Facts & Orbital Dossier
| Spacecraft | Class | Operator / Country | Launch & Vehicle | NORAD / COSPAR | Orbit & RF Downlink | Catalog Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
MRC-100 | 3P | BME HU | Falcon 9 (Transporter-8) · D-Orbit ION | NORAD 56993 2023-084BV | 436.72 MHz, 2267.5 MHz (UHF/S) | Decayed |
URESAT-1 | 1.5P | AMSAT-EA ES | Falcon 9 (Transporter-8) · D-Orbit ION | NORAD 56992 2023-084BU | Decayed | |
ROM-2 | 1P | RomSpace / AMSAT-EA RO | Falcon 9 (Transporter-8) · D-Orbit ION | Unassigned | Unverified | |
Unicorn-2I | 3P | Alba Orbital GB | Falcon 9 (Transporter-8) · D-Orbit ION | Unassigned | Unverified | |
SATLLA-2I | 2P | Ariel Univ. IL | Falcon 9 (Transporter-8) · D-Orbit ION | Unassigned | Unverified | |
Istanbul | 1P | Hello Space TR | Falcon 9 (Transporter-8) · D-Orbit ION | NORAD 56230 2023-084BP | Decayed |
Catalogued Mission Summaries & Flight Notes
- MRC-100 (3P, 2023):
- Successor of SMOG-P, SMOG-1 and ATL-1: a student-built 3P that monitored the radio spectrum from 30 to 2600 MHz.
- Unicorn-2I (3P, 2023):
- Unit of Alba Orbital’s Unicorn-2 3P platform: three-axis ADCS (≈5° worst case) and imaging specified at about 24 m GSD.
- Istanbul (1P, 2023):
- Commercial 1P deployed from a D-Orbit ION carrier; the second PocketQube from Türkiye.