Delfi-C3
Encyclopedia
Delfi-C3 is a CubeSat
satellite constructed by students at the Delft University of Technology
in the Netherlands
. It is a 3-unit CubeSat, and was launched at 03:53:42 on 28 April 2008, as part of the NLS-4
mission, aboard a PSLV rocket, from the Second Launch Pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre
in India
. The launch was contracted by ISRO, through Antrix Corporation
and UTIAS.
The satellite's primary mission is technology demonstration and development. It is carrying new types of solar cells, a solar sensor for TNO
Science and Industry, and a high-efficiency transceiver
experiment.
Delfi-C3 does not contain batteries, as the experiments are dependent on the sun.
She is the fourth Dutch Satellite, after ANS
, IRAS
and SLOSHSAT. It is the first Dutch university Satellite and is based on a 3-Unit CubeSat
.
Some other mission characteristics include:
The Delfi-C3 ground segment consists of two command ground station, the primary being in Delft and the backup station at the TU Eindhoven in Eindhoven. For data collection, A distributed ground station network (DGSN) is used in which radio amateurs receive packets and sent these via internet to the central data collection server.
Data decoding is possible with the free RASCAL software provided by the Delfi-C3 team.
CubeSat
A CubeSat is a type of miniaturized satellite for space research that usually has a volume of exactly one liter , has a mass of no more than 1.33 kilograms, and typically uses commercial off-the-shelf electronics components...
satellite constructed by students at the Delft University of Technology
Delft University of Technology
Delft University of Technology , also known as TU Delft, is the largest and oldest Dutch public technical university, located in Delft, Netherlands...
in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. It is a 3-unit CubeSat, and was launched at 03:53:42 on 28 April 2008, as part of the NLS-4
Nanosatellite Launch System
The Nanosatellite Launch System is a series of satellite launch missions coordinated by the Space Flight Laboratory of the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies...
mission, aboard a PSLV rocket, from the Second Launch Pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre
Satish Dhawan Space Centre
The Satish Dhawan Space Centre is the launch centre for the Indian Space Research Organisation . It is located in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, India, north of Chennai in South India. It was originally called Sriharikota High Altitude Range , and was sometime known as Sriharikota Launching Range...
in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. The launch was contracted by ISRO, through Antrix Corporation
Antrix Corporation
Antrix Corporation Limited is commercial wing of Indian Space Research Organization . The name "Antrix" is an anglicized version of Antariksh, from the Sanskrit word for "space" or "sky".-Products and services:...
and UTIAS.
The satellite's primary mission is technology demonstration and development. It is carrying new types of solar cells, a solar sensor for TNO
TNO
TNO can stand for:* Nederlandse Organisatie voor Toegepast Natuurwetenschappelijk Onderzoek * Trans-Neptunian object* Tamarindo Airport in Tamarindo, Costa Rica...
Science and Industry, and a high-efficiency transceiver
Transceiver
A transceiver is a device comprising both a transmitter and a receiver which are combined and share common circuitry or a single housing. When no circuitry is common between transmit and receive functions, the device is a transmitter-receiver. The term originated in the early 1920s...
experiment.
Delfi-C3 does not contain batteries, as the experiments are dependent on the sun.
She is the fourth Dutch Satellite, after ANS
Astronomical Netherlands Satellite
The Astronomical Netherlands Satellite was a space-based X-ray and ultraviolet telescope. It was launched into Earth orbit on 30 August 1974 at 14:07:39 UTC in a Scout rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base, United States...
, IRAS
IRAS
The Infrared Astronomical Satellite was the first-ever space-based observatory to perform a survey of the entire sky at infrared wavelengths....
and SLOSHSAT. It is the first Dutch university Satellite and is based on a 3-Unit CubeSat
CubeSat
A CubeSat is a type of miniaturized satellite for space research that usually has a volume of exactly one liter , has a mass of no more than 1.33 kilograms, and typically uses commercial off-the-shelf electronics components...
.
Some other mission characteristics include:
- No active attitude control
- 1200Bd BPSK VHF downlink
- Linear transponder
The Delfi-C3 ground segment consists of two command ground station, the primary being in Delft and the backup station at the TU Eindhoven in Eindhoven. For data collection, A distributed ground station network (DGSN) is used in which radio amateurs receive packets and sent these via internet to the central data collection server.
Data decoding is possible with the free RASCAL software provided by the Delfi-C3 team.