The RAX-1 mission, launched in November 2010, was a demonstration of the team's technological capabilities – it made great strides in CubeSat design, and was able to execute bistatic radar measurements that had never before been performed on a satellite of its size.
[3] RAX-2 builds on this heritage by completing the scientific portion of the overall mission; it is a reflection of students learning from practical experience, and swiftly implementing new, more inventive technologies firsthand.
To study FAI, the RAX satellites utilize a large incoherent scatter radar located in Poker Flat, Alaska (known as PFISR).
Earth-based scientists have been unable to study these unique plasma formations from the ground, and RAX will serve as a key transition point between Earth and Space.
These sensors yielded data including temperature and voltage, GPS position and velocity, spacecraft attitude (for orientation determination),[6] and the general status of all of the RAX subsystems.
The scientific payload and the majority of the bus systems performed as expected, including the GPS-based position and time subsystem, attitude determination and control, communications, and on-board processing.
Unfortunately, the mission ended prematurely after approximately two months of operation due to a gradual degradation of the solar panels that ultimately resulted in a loss of power.