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Chimera GEO-1 [Epic Aerospace]
The Chimera LEO, developed by Epic Aerospace, is a free flying satellite deployer / orbital transfer vehicle (OTV) designed for high energy transfers.
Chimera GEO employs a chemical propulsion system for changing orbit with a capacity of 1.7 km/s of delta-v.
The Chimera GEO-1 mission was launched towards a lunar fly-by-trajectory. It uses an advanced version of the common supersynchronous transfer technique, taking advantage of the low velocity at apogee to perform an efficient inclination change to the equatorial plane. Once at GEO, Chimera GEO-1 is scheduled to deploy a classified 16U commercial cubesat for an undisclosed customer from an unidentified country.
Soon after deployment, telemetry was received. But Chimera was not able to receive commands. It performed a lunar flyby on 3 March 2025, but was not able to change trajectory and went to solar orbit. The board computer reseted and sporadical communication was possible.
| Nation: | Argentina, USA |
|---|---|
| Type / Application: | Satellite deployment |
| Operator: | Epic Aerospace |
| Contractors: | Epic Aerospace |
| Equipment: | CubeSat deployers |
| Configuration: | |
| Propulsion: | |
| Power: | Batteries, solar cells |
| Lifetime: | |
| Mass: | 301 kg (#1) |
| Orbit: |
| Satellite | COSPAR | Date | LS | Launch Vehicle | Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chimera GEO-1 | 2025-038B | 27.02.2025 | CCK LC-39A | Falcon-9 v1.2 (Block 5) | with Nova-C IM-2, (CubeSat), Lunar Trailblazer, Odin |
Launch Sites:
- CCK = NASA John F. Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA
References:
- Ashlee Vance: Exclusive: The Spacecraft That Wouldn't Die
- Chimera LEO-1
- Chimera GEO-1
