NASA is set to delve deeper into the planetary world with its proposed Planetary Entry Missions using CubeSat Applications (CAPE).

On Wednesday, NASA under its CubeSat Launch Initiative launched a probe aboard an Atlas V Rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, in an attempt to use small satellites to explore the solar system. Named the Materials Exposure and Technology Innovation in Space (METIS), the probe will expose about 100 different materials samples to the space environment for more than 200 days.

Since the inception of the CubeSat Initiative in 2010, as many as 110 CubeSats have been selected from educational and government institutions around the US. These 10cmx10cmx10cm crafts have already proved useful on the ground. Now, it is time to test their real capabilities in space missions.

The project basically entails packing a service module and an entry probe inside a Micro-Reentry Capsule (MIRCA). The module would drive the craft to its extraterrestrial target, whereas the probe would relay useful information to Earth.

As planned, the CAPE/MIRCA spacecraft, along with the service module and entry probe, would weigh less than 4.9 kilograms and measure about 4 inches on a side. It would be stationed on a ship, from where it would be launched into space. The spacecraft would draw its power either using its miniaturized solar panels, or operate on its internal battery.

On reaching its target, the probe would detach itself from the service module, starting its intended remote sensing job. It would communicate atmospheric pressure, temperature and composition data to its mother ship, which further would transmit the information to the Earth, thus helping gauge a deeper understanding of the interplanetary system.

Such a cost-effective reentry capsule would allow NASA to launch multiple spacecrafts for multi-point sampling, something that has not been possible until now, owing to NASA’s current fleet of single planetary probes.