NACHOS [LANL]
Official name NACHOS-1
Alternative name NACHOS 1
Cospar ID 2022-015D
Norad ID 52917
Launch date 2022-02-19
Launch site WLPIS
Launch vehicle Antares-230+
Country/Organization USA
Type application Technology
Operator Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL)
RCS size SMALL
Decay date 2023-02-03
Shape Box + 4 Pan
Mass (kg) 6
Height (m) 0.3
Width (m) 0.1
Depth (m) 0.1
Span (m^2) 0.3
Lifetime 3-5 years
Contractors Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL)
Propulsion None
Configuration CubeSat (3U)
Power 4 deployable fixed solar arrays, batteries

NACHOS (Nano-satellite Atmospheric Chemistry Hyperspectral Observation System) is an experimental 3U CubeSats designed by LANL for high-resolution hyperspectral imaging of trace gases.

The satellites consist of a LANL built Prometheus Block-2 1.5U CubeSat featuring the attached 1.5U NACHOS experiment module. Power and communications are handled via the Prometheus bus.

NACHOS is a technology demonstration of an ultra-compact, high-resolution, hyperspectral imager that is able to monitor fossil fuel burning and low-level passive degassing at volcanoes. If successful, it will be a paradigm shift in space-borne sensing?from expensive single-platform, large-satellite instruments, to agile constellations of relatively inexpensive instruments on small satellites.

The satellites have a unusual high mass for a 3U Cubesat due to 2 kg ballast to increase the orbital life time.

NACHOS 1 was launched in February 2022 on the Cygnus CRS-17 cargo craft. It will be deployed from Cygnus after departing the ISS.

The qualification model will be launched under the DoD Space Test Program on a NACHOS 2 on a LauncherOne in 2022.

Satellite COSPAR Date LS Launch Vehicle Remarks
NACHOS-1 2022-015D 2022-02-19 WLPIS Antares-230+ with Cygnus CRS-17, KITSUNE, IHI-Sat
NACHOS-2 2022-074B 2022-07-02 WRAS LauncherOne with Recurve, Slingshot 1, Gunsmoke-L 1, MISR-B 1, CTIM-FD, GPX 2