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 OPAL (Opal
Oscar 38) 2000-04B  - SQUIRT-2 (OPAL), the Satellite
Quick Research Test Bed micro-satellite Orbiting PicoSat Launcher
project by Stanford University
Space Systems Development Lab. The spacecraft
was launched on the 26th January 2000 on the first orbital flight of the OSPSLV (formerly
MSLS or Minataur) from VBAFB. It carries 6 small picosatellites which
were deployed on the 8th, 11th and 12th February. Two were tethered and built by the
Aerospace corp. for ARPA research, three by Santa Clara college (Thelma, Louise and JAK),
and the final one by radio amateurs (Stensat). The spacecraft has a 1.7W downlink on
437.1MHz. It carries a 10-cell NiCd battery with 5Ah capacity. The spacecraft weighs
23.1kg and measures approximately 0.2x0.2x0.2m. The satellite was reported to be
operational after 1 year in orbit. More...
[Opal sub-satellites][OPAL at Stanford]
References
[1] A rocky road to outer space, K.S.Miller, Stanford Report,
31jan 2001. (http://www.stanford.edu/dept/news/report/news/january31/opal-131.html).
Artist impression courtesy of SSDL
- OCS 2000-04B
(26062)
- A 17.7kg, 3.5m diameter Optical Calibration Sphere developed by l'Garde for the
AFRL was launched on the 26th January on an OSPSLV. It was placed into a 750 x 807km
inclined at 100.23 degrees.
More...
[OCS homepage]
- Falconsat-1, 2000-04D
(26063)
- A 47.2kg research satellite project by the US Air Force Academy, launched with OPAL
(above) into a 748x809km orbit inclined at 100.24degrees. It will investigate spacecraft
charging and perform spacecraft wake experiments with the CHAWS--LD payload
(Charging
Hazards and Wake Studies-Long Duration). The spacecraft measures 0.46x0.46x0.43m, and
carries two 7W RF telemetry beacons at 400.457MHz and 400.680MHz. More...
[Falconsat at
USAFA]
- Hangtian-Tsinghua-1,
2000-033B
- Tsinghua-1 is a 50kg microsatellite measuring 0.69x0.36x0.36m for the Chinese Tsinghua University, built by a team of Chinese and
SSTL engineers in the UK. The satellite is similar in appearance to earlier SSTL
satellites, and carries an experimental disaster monitoring payload, comprising a 39m GSD
multispectral (3-band:NIR, R, G) camera. The spacecraft was launched with primary payload
NADEZHDA 06, and together with the other piggyback nanosatellite SNAP-1 at 1037UTC on the 28th June 2000 on a COSMOS-3M
launcher from Plesetsk, and was placed into a 700km circular orbit. The spacecraft also
carries a wideband scanning receiver with a TMS320c31 Digital Signal Processor. The
spacecraft carries 3 reaction wheels for 3-axis Zero bias experiments, and a momentum bias
gravity gradient mode for routine operations. The On Board processors are based on the
Intel 80C186 and the 80386EX microprocessors. The spacecraft is reported to be
operational.
References
[1] Tsinghua-1. - SSTL, 2000. (http://www.sstl.co.uk/missions/mn_tsinghua_1.html).
[2] Tsinghua University News ISSUE NO:179 - Beijing : Xinhua University, :07/10/2000. (http://www.tsinghua.edu.cn/docsn/xcb/emain1.htm).
[3] Cosmos-3M set to launch three satellites from Russia / S. Clark 2000. - Spaceflight
Now, 2000-06-27. (http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n0006/27cosmos3m/).
[4] Kosmos-3M launches three small satellites / P. Klanowski. - Sat-ND, 2000-06-29. (http://sat-nd.com/news/news.asp?d=20000629&n=00).
[5] SSTL gets ready to launch two new satellites / [SSTL]. - Florida Today. - 2000-06-28.
(http://www.flatoday.com/space/explore/stories/2000a/062800b.htm).
[6] Russian Cosmos-3M launches 3 satellites / [Interfax]. - Florida Today. - 2000-06-28. (http://www.flatoday.com/space/explore/stories/2000a/062800e.htm).
[7] Russia launches three satellites / [AP]. - Florida
Today. - 2000-06-28. (http://www.flatoday.com/space/explore/stories/2000a/062800f.htm).
[8] Cosmos-3M rocket launches with three satellites / S.
Clark. - Spaceflight Now, 2000-06-29. (http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0006/27cosmos3m/).
[9] China Eyes Microsat Market, Spacedaily, June 2000, (http://www.spacedaily.com/news/china-00zi.html)
[10] "China's first microsat operational", SpaceDaily, 11 July
2000, (http://www.spacedaily.com/news/microsat-00k.html)
[11] "China microsat performs well; Nanosat is next", SpaceDaily, 22
August 2000, (http://www.spacedaily.com/news/microsat-00u.html)
Photos courtesy of SSTL
- MegSat-1, 2000
- MegSat-1 is the second microsatellite in the Italian Meggiorin Group, and aims to offer
64kbps Store and Forward communications. The 56kg microsatellite was launched on a DNEPR
from Baikonur Cosmodrome with UNISAT, Tiungsat and Saudisat-1a and -1b on the 26th
September 2000. The spacecraft was placed into a 650x650 km orbit inclined at 65 degrees.
It carries two scientific payloads in order to measure UV emissions from the aurora
borealis to determine their correlation with solar activity in oxygen lines. The second UV
experiment will measure night time UV emissions. A third experiment, NEGESAT, . The
MegSat-1 mission is planned to operate for 4 years. The development of the MegSat-0 and 1
mission is expected to cost Meggiorin US$7m including launch and operations, with eventual
repeat costs US$3.5m. More...
- [Megsat press release][MegSat home page]
References
- [1] "Russian DNEPR-1 Rocket SILO launch scrubbed
again", Spaceflight now, 26 aug 2000, (http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0008/25dnepr/)
[2] "Russian ICBM Injects Five Foreign birds into orbit",
SpaceDaily, 26 Sep 2000, (http://www.spacedaily.com/news/launcher-russia-00o.html)
- UNISAT, 2000
- A 10kg microsatellite by the University of Rome "La Sapeinza"
(Italy). The microsatellite was launched
on a DNEPR from Baikonur Cosmodrome with MegSat-1, TiungSat and Saudisat-1a and -1b on the
26th September 2000. The spacecraft was placed into a 650x650 km orbit inclined at 65
degrees. It was developed by the GAUSS (Gruppo di Astrodinamica dell'
Universita degli Studi 'la Sapienza') in Roma Italy, and financed by ASI and
MURST (Ministero dell'Universtia e della Ricerca Scientifica e Tecnologica).
It carries NiMH batteries, a magnetometer, and a payload consisting of a
space debris sensor and a camera. The spacecraft was operated for 3-4 months
in orbit.
References
- [1] "Russian DNEPR-1 Rocket SILO launch scrubbed
again", Spaceflight now, 26 aug 2000, (http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0008/25dnepr/)
[2] "Russian ICBM Injects Five Foreign birds into orbit",
SpaceDaily, 26 Sep 2000, (http://www.spacedaily.com/news/launcher-russia-00o.html)
-
TIUNGSAT
- TiungSat ("minor bird" in Malaysian) is a 50kg microsatellite built by SSTL (UK) for the
Malaysian government under a technology transfer contract. The 52kg microsatellite was
launched on a DNEPR from Baikonur Cosmodrome with MegSat-1, UNISAT and Saudisat-1a and -1b
on the 26th September 2000. The spacecraft was placed into a 650x650 km orbit inclined at
65 degrees. The satellite is similar in appearance to earlier ones in the series and
carries Earth Observation cameras with 1.2 and 80m ground resolution, Digital
communications, GPS orbit determination and the CEDEX radiation experiment. More...
[SSTL][TiungSat homepage
at Surrey][TiungSat homepage at the
Malaysian Government][TiungSat
home page]
References
- [1] "Russian DNEPR-1 Rocket SILO launch scrubbed
again", Spaceflight now, 26 aug 2000, (http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0008/25dnepr/)
[2] "Russian ICBM Injects Five Foreign birds into orbit",
SpaceDaily, 26 Sep 2000, (http://www.spacedaily.com/news/launcher-russia-00o.html)
[3] TiungSAT-1: From Inception to inauguration, M.Othman and A.S.Arshad,
ATSB, ISBN 983-867-193-2
Photos courtesy of SSTL
-
SAUDISAT-1A and
1B
- Two 12kg research satellites developed by the King Abdulaziz City for Science and
Technology (KACST) Space Research Institute of Saudi Arabia. The two small cube-sized
spacecraft were launched on a DNEPR from Baikonur Cosmodrome with MegSat-1, UNISAT and
TiungSat on the 26th September 2000. The spacecraft was placed into a 650x650 km orbit
inclined at 65 degrees. More...
[SRI
at KACST][SaudiSat
home page]
References
[1] "Russian DNEPR-1 Rocket SILO launch scrubbed
again", Spaceflight now, 26 aug 2000, (http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0008/25dnepr/)
[2] "Russian ICBM Injects Five Foreign birds into orbit",
SpaceDaily, 26 Sep 2000, (http://www.spacedaily.com/news/launcher-russia-00o.html)
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