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PW-Sat

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PW-Sat
File:PW-Sat, the first polish student satellite.jpg
PW-Sat is the first Polish-built satellite.
Mission typeTechnology
OperatorPolish Academy of Sciences (Space Research Centre)
COSPAR ID2012-006G Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.38083
Mission duration1 year
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft type1U CubeSat
ManufacturerWarsaw University of Technology (Faculty of Power and Aeronautical Engineering)
Launch mass1 kilogram (2.2 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date13 February 2012, 10:00:00 (2012-02-13UTC10Z) UTC
RocketVega VV01
Launch siteKourou ELV
ContractorArianespace
End of mission
Decay date28 October 2014
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric
RegimeLow Earth
Perigee altitude300 kilometres (190 mi)
Apogee altitude1,023 kilometres (636 mi)
Inclination69.47 degrees
Period97.83 minutes
Epoch9 November 2013, 01:40:17 UTC[1]

PW-Sat is a series of satellites that includes the first Polish artificial satellite[2] which was launched 13 February 2012 from ELA-1 at Guiana Space Centre aboard Italian-built Vega launch vehicle during its maiden voyage.[3] PW-Sat1's mission was to test experimental elastic solar cells, as well as an orbital decay technology consisting of a "tail" designed to speed re-entry. It was expected to last for 1 year.[3]

PW-Sat1 was a type of CubeSat satellite constructed by the Faculty of Power and Aeronautical Engineering of Warsaw University of Technology in cooperation with the Space Research Centre of the Polish Academy of Sciences.[4]

History

The PW-Sat project was created in 2004 when group of students from Warsaw University of Technology decided to build satellite compatible with CubeSat 1U standard.[2] Initially planned for a 2007 launch, delays in the development of the Vega caused the mission to be postponed until 2012.[citation needed] The cost of the project is estimated to be 200,000 Polish zloty (63,205 USD), with funding coming from the university's budget, as well as from an agreement between Poland and the European Space Agency.[citation needed]

Hardware

PW-Sat1 was a 10x10x10 cm cube with a mass of 1 kg. It is equipped with the following hardware:

  • EPS: power module
  • ANTS: antenna management system
  • COM: communication compartment
  • PLD: elastic solar cells management sub-system
  • OBC: main computer
  • Access port
  • Elastic solar cells (part of primary mission)
  • Atmospheric drag device (part of primary mission)
  • AX.25 transceiver
  • CW beacon transmitting on 145.901 MHz for tracking by radio amateurs

PW-Sat1

Mission

PW-Sat1 was launched on 13 February 2012, 10:00 UTC from ELA-1 at Guiana Space Centre (Kourou, French Guiana) aboard the maiden flight of the Vega rocket, together with LARES and ALMASat-1 satellites and 6 other CubeSats built by various European universities.[3][5] It was deployed 1 hour 10 minutes into the flight from the P-POD-2 container, along with the ROBUSTA and MaSat-1 CubeSats.[6]

First signals from satellite were received around 12:10 UTC by radio amateurs.[3] The first Polish reception of PW-Sat1's signals came at 12:15 UTC by CAMK in Warsaw.[6]

PW-Sat1 was planned stay in orbit until 2013, when it was planned to perform a destructive atmospheric reentry.[3] The satellite used a large amount of the batteries' stored energy while performing tasks early in the mission. This battery depletion, combined with orbital maneuvers designed so the satellite would fly over Poland, delayed deployment of the tail. Commands of tail deployment were sent from Earth on April and May 2012, but PW-Sat did not respond to the commands.[7] Due to a hardware issue with the communication module (that was discovered on a few other cube sats using the same model) communication with the satellite was problematic and the tail couldn't be extended.[8]

PW-Sat1 reentered the atmosphere on 28 October 2014.[9]

Development of a successor, PW-Sat2, begun in September 2013 with launch planned for 2017.[10]

PW-Sat2

Mission

See also

References

  1. ^ Peat, Chris (9 November 2013). "PW SAT - Orbit". Heavens Above. Retrieved 9 November 2013.
  2. ^ a b http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/PW_Sat_Poland_first_satellite_launched_into_orbit_999.html
  3. ^ a b c d e http://www.uk.amsat.org/4657
  4. ^ http://www.esa.int/esaMI/Education/SEMVB7TXXXG_0.html
  5. ^ http://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/pw-sat-1.htm
  6. ^ a b http://www.pw-sat.pl/
  7. ^ Kanawka, Krzysztof. "Status misji PW-Sat (październik 2012))" (in Polish). kosmonauta.net.
  8. ^ Kanawka, Krzysztof. "Vega i PW-Sat - rok po starcie)" (in Polish). kosmonauta.net.
  9. ^ "Satelita" (in Polish).
  10. ^ "PW-Sat2 gets 180 000 € to fund the launch". PW-Sat2: Polish student satellite project. Retrieved 2016-03-11.
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