AISSat 2

Spacecraft nº:

Norwegian spacecraft nº: 9

Launch data: Designation  40075 / 14037G Launch date  08 Jul 2014 - 15:58 UT Launch site  Baik, LC-31/6 Launch vehicle  Soyuz-2-1b Fregat-M Mission  Communication (ship tracking) Earth orbit: Perigee / Apogee  622 x 631 km Eccentricity   Inclination  98.38 ° Period  97.25 min

Identical on AISSat-1

Spacecraft data: Prime manufacturer  UTIAS (University of Toronto, Institute for Aerospace Studies) (bus); Kongsberg Seatex (payload) Platform  Generic Nanosatellite Bus (GNB) Operator  UTIAS Mass at launch  6.5 kg Dry Mass   kg Basic shape   Dimension (m)   Equipment  AIS-receiver Solar array  Solar cells Stabilization   Propulsion   DC power   Design lifetime  6 months

Photo of the flight-ready AISSat-2 nanosatellite (image credit: UTIAS/SFL)

Description:

• AISSat 2 is a Norwegian-owned, Canadian-built AIS (ship tracking) microsatellite, to orbit design monitor ships to determine their position, speed and direction.
• The satellite design is based on the Generic Nanosatellite Bus (GNB), which measures 200 × 200 × 200 mm in size, and includes a full suite of advanced capabilities. This includes:
  • a dual battery, gallium arsenide triple-junction solar cell based power system that includes peak power tracking capabilities;
  • a full 3-axis attitude determination and control system that allows arbitrary inertial or orbit-frame alignment (including nadir, along-track and cross-track);
  • a powerful complement of on-board computer processing systems, include a computer dedicated to payload activities;
  • a flexible TT&C and payload data communication system, allowing for variable and high speed data downlinks to the ground;
  • a large accommodation for payloads, including volume, pass, power, and spacecraft surface area.
• The GNB was originally developed for the CanX-3/BRITE and CanX-4/-5 missions, and is now being leveraged for other missions around the world. AISSat-1 represents the first such mission and is a perfect example of the flexibility and versatility of the GNB platform when used for a mission to which it was not originally designed.
• The satellite is funded by the Norwegian Space Centre, and the program is managed by the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI). SFL is providing the spacecraft platform and the AIS VHF antenna, and providing spacecraft-level management, systems engineering, assembly, integration, and test support, and will be responsible for launch and commissioning on orbit, after which the spacecraft will be delivered to FFI for operations. The payload is being developed by Kongsberg Seatex AS in cooperation with Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace AS and FFI, and Kongsberg Satellite Services AS is providing the Earth station facility.

Mission details:

• The AISSat-2 nanosatellite was launched as a secondary payload on July 8, 2014 on a Soyuz-2.1b/Fregat launch vehicle from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan. The primary payload on this flight was Meteor-M2 spacecraft. The launch provider was NPO Lavochkin.
• The Blok-I stage entered a 183 x 198 km orbit; the Fregat then maneuvered to 191 x 813 km and 818 x 828 km x 98.8 deg, where it deployed the Meteor-M No. 2 weather satellite in an 0900LTDN SSO.
• The Fregat then restarted at 1736 UTC to enter a 638 x 825 km orbit, ejected a payload adapter frame and the Relek (MKA-FKI) satellite which will study relativistic electrons in the magnetosphere. A further burn to 635 x 635 km was followed by deployment at 1828 to 1832 UTC of the TDS-1, SkySat-2, DX-1, AISSat-2, and UKube-1 satellites.

External links:

• EOportal.org Satellite description
• Satellite tracking: Real time satellite tracking