SUNSAT
Encyclopedia
The Stellenbosch UNiversity SATellite is the first miniaturized satellite
designed and manufactured in South Africa
. It was launched aboard a Delta II
rocket from the Vandenberg Air Force Base
on 23 February 1999. Sunsat was built by post-graduate engineering students at the University of Stellenbosch. Its AMSAT
designation was SO-35 (Sunsat Oscar 35).
Miniaturized satellite
Miniaturized satellites or small satellites are artificial satellites of unusually low weights and small sizes, usually under . While all such satellites can be referred to as small satellites, different classifications are used to categorize them based on mass .One reason for miniaturizing...
designed and manufactured in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. It was launched aboard a Delta II
Delta II
Delta II was an American space launch system, originally designed and built by McDonnell Douglas. Delta II is part of the Delta rocket family and was in service from 1989 until November 1, 2011...
rocket from the Vandenberg Air Force Base
Vandenberg Air Force Base
Vandenberg Air Force Base is a United States Air Force Base, located approximately northwest of Lompoc, California. It is under the jurisdiction of the 30th Space Wing, Air Force Space Command ....
on 23 February 1999. Sunsat was built by post-graduate engineering students at the University of Stellenbosch. Its AMSAT
AMSAT
AMSAT is a name for amateur radio satellite organizations worldwide, but in particular the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation with headquarters at Silver Spring, Maryland, near Washington DC. AMSAT organizations design, build, arrange launches for, and then operate satellites carrying amateur...
designation was SO-35 (Sunsat Oscar 35).
Specifications
- Size: 45 x 45 x 60 cm
- Mass: 64 kg
- Launcher: Delta II rocket, Mission P-91
- Program size: US $5M (Approximate)
- Lifetime: 4–5 years (NiCad Battery pack life)
- Main payloads:
- Amateur radioAmateur radioAmateur radio is the use of designated radio frequency spectrum for purposes of private recreation, non-commercial exchange of messages, wireless experimentation, self-training, and emergency communication...
communications - Data interchange
- Stereo multispectral imager
- Amateur radio
- Attitude control: Gravity gradient and magnetorquerMagnetorquerIn satellite systems, a magnetorquer or magnetic torquer is a system for attitude control, detumbling and stabilization built from electromagnetic coils...
s, reaction wheels when imaging - Accuracy: 3 mrad pitch/roll, 6 mrad yaw
- 2 Micro Particle Impact Detectors were included as part of experiments conducted in orbit
- A team (Zaahied Cassim and Rashid Mohamed) from Peninsula Technikon designed and built circuits for both their own piezo film technology and NASANASAThe National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
supplied capacitive sensors.
- A team (Zaahied Cassim and Rashid Mohamed) from Peninsula Technikon designed and built circuits for both their own piezo film technology and NASA
External links
- http://research.ee.sun.ac.za/sunsat/
- http://www.sarl.org.za/public/local/sunsat.asp
- http://esl.ee.sun.ac.za/projects/sunsat/news/20010201.html
- http://www.amsat.org/amsat/sats/n7hpr/so35.html