 SEDSAT-1 satellite. | |
| Mission type | Communications |
|---|---|
| Operator | AMSAT |
| COSPAR ID | 1998-061B |
| SATCATno. | 25509 |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Manufacturer | University of Alabama |
| Launch mass | 35 kg (77 lb) |
| Dimensions | 32.13 cm × 32.13 cm × 35.43 cm (12.65 in × 12.65 in × 13.95 in)[1] |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 24 October 1998, 12:08 UTC |
| Rocket | Delta-7326 D-261 |
| Launch site | Cape CanaveralSLC-17A |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Eccentricity | 0.03699 |
| Perigee altitude | 547 kilometres (340 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 1,079 kilometres (670 mi) |
| Inclination | 31.4° |
| Period | 101 minutes |
| Epoch | 24 October 1998[2] |
SEDSAT-1 (also known asSEDSAT-OSCAR 33) is a U.S.amateur radiosatellite built by students and developed at theUniversity of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH).
Themicrosatellite bears the name of one of its sponsoring organizations, theStudents for the Exploration and Development of Space (SEDS). It was launched into a low Earth orbit on October 24, 1998 as aSecondary payload with theDeep Space 1 spacecraft using aDelta II rocket atCape Canaveral Air Force Station,Florida, USA.
The satellite was to be built by the partnership betweenNASA'sMarshall Space Flight Center and UAH with the primary objective of testing a newly developed small expendable deployer system developed for NASA'sSpace Shuttle, while allowing the students to add instrumentation to complete secondary missions after the primary data regarding the deployer's tether system had been captured.[3] After theTethered Satellite System (TSS-1R) experienced a failure resulting in the ignition of a strong electrical discharge shortly after being deployed from theSpace Shuttle Columbia in 1996, the small expendable deployer system was subject to aSpace Shuttle safety review that resulted in extensive design and requirements changes.[4] As a result, SEDSAT-1 became a free-flying secondary payload on the Delta II, after securing sponsorship from other governmental and commercial partners.[5]
The satellite was intended to have a novel link to the internet that would allow amateur radio operators from around the globe to request and receive imagery from the satellite anytime it flew overhead.[6] To this end, the satellite carries two cameras as part of theSEASIS (SEDS, earth, atmosphere, and space imaging system) instrument.[7] SEDSAT-1 also includes instruments which monitor battery performance management and control. After launch, telemetry data was received at the satellite's university led mission control center at theUniversity of Arizona in Tucson, AZ. However, anuplink could never be established and no photographic data could be received from the SEASIS instrument. The telemetry data received from the satellite did allow for some of the battery control experiments to be received, and as of 2013 the satellite is still active.[8]
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