The VZLUSAT-2 mission is a 3U Cubesat
proof-of-concept mission for multiple instruments and supporting subsystems
including two small gamma-ray burst detectors which are
follow ons from GRBAlpha. It was launched
on January 13, 2022
on a Falcon 9 SpaceX rocket from Cape Canaveral into a sun-synchronous low
earth orbit at an altitude of 550 km. The primary instrument is an Earth observation
camera, but
secondary instruments include the Gamma Ray Burst Detectors, solar X-ray monitor,
and radiation dosimeter, and much of the instrumentation other than the
burt detectors are follow on test beds from the earlier VZLUSAT-1.
VZLUSAT-2 is Czech-led mission with partnerships including
the Czech Technical University, the University of West Bohemia,
Masaryk University, and the Konkoly Observatory in Hungary, and funded through the
Czech Ministry of Industry and Trade. The spacecraft bus and solar panels
were provided by Spacemaniac.
VZLUSAT-2 carries two small gamma-ray burst detectors (75 x 75 x 5 mm) similiar
to GRBAlpha, but with modifications to the mounting as required to conform to
3U cube configuration and providing opposing side fields-of-view. The bulk
of the 3U satellite
package is devoted to other instruments and sub-systems, with a total
satellite mass of roughly 3.9 kg.