Science
STARS (KUKAI)
Japanese University CubeSat (Tethered Satellite Demonstrator) · Kagawa University (Japan)
Right now
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STARS (Kukai), a joint Japanese university CubeSat pair from Kagawa University launched in 2009 with a genuinely unusual mission: testing a miniature tethered satellite system, deploying a small connecting tether between two spacecraft — foundational research directly relevant to full-scale space elevator concepts, making this one of the more forward-looking university satellite missions of its era.
Its orbit
- Orbit
- Low Earth Orbitcan appear as a fast-moving star at dawn or dusk
- Altitude
- 359–365 mi (577–588 km)
- Inclination
- 98.2°
- One orbit
- 96.2 minutes15.0 orbits a day
- NORAD ID
- 33498
- Int’l designator
- 2009-002G
- Launched
- 2009
Orbital elements from CelesTrak, as of 22 Sep 2026.