| Operator | Po-SAT consortium |
|---|---|
| COSPAR ID | 1993-061G[1] |
| SATCATno. | 22826 |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | Microsat |
| Manufacturer | SSTL |
| Launch mass | 12 Kg[1] |
| Dimensions | 58 x 35 x 35 cm |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 26 September 1993, 01:45 UTC |
| Rocket | Ariane-4 V59[2] |
| Launch site | KourouELA-2 |
| Contractor | Arianespace |
| End of mission | |
| Declared | 2006 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric[1] |
| Regime | LEO[1] |
| Eccentricity | 0,00153[1] |
| Perigee altitude | 800 kilometres (500 mi)[1] |
| Apogee altitude | 822 kilometres (511 mi)[1] |
| Inclination | 98.6º[1] |
| Period | 101 minutes[1] |
 | |
PoSAT-1 (OSAT-OSCAR 28,OSCAR 28,PO 28, 1993-061G), the firstPortuguesesatellite, was launched intoorbit on 26 September 1993, on the 59th flight of theAriane 4launch vehicle.[3][4][5][6][1] The launch took place in theCentre Spatial Guyanais,French Guiana. About 20 minutes and 35 seconds after launch, at an altitude of 807 km, PoSAT-1 separated itself from the launch vehicle.
The PoSAT-1 weighs about 12 kg[1] and belongs to the class ofmicrosatellites, which are between 10 and 100 kg. The entire project was developed by a consortium of universities and companies inPortugal and was built at theUniversity of Surrey,United Kingdom.[4] The total cost was around €5 million, about €3 million paid by the Portuguese Government and €2 million by the Portuguese companies involved (Po-SAT consortium:Instituto Nacional de Engenharia, Tecnologia e Inovação (INETI),EFACEC,ALCATEL,Marconi Company,OGMA,Instituto Superior Técnico (IST),University of Beira Interior (UBI) and CEDINTEC). The responsible for the project wasFernando Carvalho Rodrigues, known as the father of the first Portuguese satellite.[7][6]
The mission was called Flight 59, which launched several satellites: PoSAT-1 from Portugal,Eyesat-1 andItamSat fromItaly,KITSAT-2 fromSouth Korea,HealthSat-2 (an international medical satellite) andStella andSPOT-3 fromFrance, the latter one a large satellite for Earth imaging photography.[8][4]
The PoSAT-1 is a box ofaluminum, in the form of aparallelepiped, 58 cm long, 35 cm wide, 35 cm depth and weighs 12 kg. Over a first drawer that contains the batteries and theremote detection module are stacked 10 other drawers full of electronic cards. At the top of the satellite there are sensors for attitude and the stabilization mast, essential tools for PoSAT-1 to maintain correct orbit. Foursolar panels are mounted on the lateral sides of the structure of the satellite, forming a parallelepiped, which are the source ofenergy for all on-board systems. Each panel contains 1344 cells ofGallium arsenide (GaAs).
PoSAT-1 stopped transmitting information to Earth in 2006.[3] Itsre-entry is expected to be happen in 2043.[3]
