ALMASat-1

ALMASat-1
Mission type Technology
Operator University of Bologna
COSPAR ID 2012-006B
SATCAT № 38078
Spacecraft properties
Launch mass 12.5 kilograms (28 lb)
Dimensions 30 centimetres (12 in) cube
Start of mission
Launch date 13 February 2012, 10:00:00 (2012-02-13UTC10Z) UTC
Rocket Vega
Launch site Kourou ELA-1
Contractor Arianespace
Orbital parameters
Reference system Geocentric
Regime Low Earth
Perigee 311 kilometres (193 mi)
Apogee 1,250 kilometres (780 mi)
Inclination 69.5 degrees
Period 100.32 minutes
Epoch 19 December 2013, 04:49:04 UTC[1]

ALMASat-1(ALma MAter SATellite) is a micro satellite developed by University of Bologna for demonstrative purposes which will be helpful for earth observation missions. The project is funded by Italian Ministry of Research.[2]

About the Satellite

The satellite has been made from high quality aluminum and reinforced with eight stainless steel plates. Solar cells are mounted on four sides of satellite for providing the power required for satellite operation.

Mission

The work on development of ALMASat was started in 2003. It was expected to be launched into orbit Dnepr rocket. Later it was launched by Vega launch vehicle with other satellites on board. The ALMASat-1 is a microsatellite having a cuboidal structure, meant for a demo purpose, it accommodates payloads of different sizes and power requirements. The main purpose of ALMASat-1 is to test the 3-axis pointing accuracy for the future satellite launches.[3]

Launch

ALMASAT-1 was launched by Vega launch system on February 13, 2012 from Kourou, French Guiana

References

External links

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