VesselSat-1 (Orbcomm FM42, V1) was a miniaturized satellite built and owned by LuxSpace, which was operated by Orbcomm under lease. VesselSat-1 and its sister satellite, VesselSat-2 were used by Orbcomm to compensate the functionality of the malfunctioning Orbcomm-QL satellites.
| Mission type | Communications AIS tracking |
|---|---|
| Operator | LuxSpace Orbcomm (leased) |
| COSPAR ID | 2011-058C |
| SATCAT no. | 37840 |
| Mission duration | 3 years planned; 4 years achieved |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Manufacturer | LuxSpace |
| Launch mass | 29 kilograms (64 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | October 12, 2011, 05:31 UTC[1] |
| Rocket | PSLV-CA |
| Launch site | Satish Dhawan FLP |
| Contractor | ISRO |
| End of mission | |
| Last contact | End of 2015[2] |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Sun-synchronous |
| Perigee altitude | 853 kilometers (530 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 873 kilometers (542 mi) |
| Inclination | 19.96 degrees |
| Period | 102.07 minutes |
| Epoch | July 4, 2014, 06:26:37 UTC[3] |
Launch
editIt was launched from the ISRO's Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) at Sriharikota in October 2011 atop a PSLV-CA rocket, flight C18. The launch was a multi-payload mission along with Megha-Tropiques, SRMSAT and Jugnu.
Spacecraft
editVesselsat was the first satellite to be built in Luxembourg. It had a mass of 29 kg (64 lb) and had the form of a cube 30 centimeters (0.98 ft) along each side. Its mission was the tracking of shipping by receiving broadcasts from their Automatic Identification System (AIS).
See also
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References
edit- ^ McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved July 5, 2014.
- ^ "VesselSat 1, 2, 3".
- ^ "VESSELSAT 1 Satellite details 2011-058C NORAD 37840". N2YO. July 4, 2014. Retrieved July 5, 2014.
External links
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