The more, the messier: ORS-3 lessons for multi-payload mission deployments

STP participated in the ORS-3 rideshare mission, which launched the STPSat-3 small satellite and 28 CubeSats on 19 November 2013. STP was responsible for analyzing the complex deployment sequence and coordinating the post-launch identification and orbit determination of 29 satellites and one rocket body. This paper will discuss the many lessons learned in this process. In particular, the paper will review compliance analysis and coordination activities leading up to the 2013 launch, and discuss the post-launch efforts to locate, identify, and contact the 29 satellites deployed by ORS-3. The paper will describe how STP used various tools, including orbit visualization, inter-project communication, and the properties of the two-line element sets themselves to help each CubeSat team pick its own satellite out from the crowd.