Kolibri 2000

Russia / Australia

Spacecraft n°:

Australian satellite n°: 10

Also called: RS21

Launch data:

Designation	27394 / 01051C
Launch date	19 March 2002 at 22:28 UT Launched from Progress-M1 7 near ISS
Launch site	B, LC1 / Progress, LEO
Launch vehicle	Soyuz-FG (S/N F15000-002)
Mission	Magnetospheric research, Amateur communication
Earth orbit on:
Perigee/Apogee	385 x 388 km
Inclination	51.6 deg
Period

Carries six research devices from Russia and Australia. The satellite was prepared at the Institute of Space Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Its main task is a comparative investigation of near-Earth space (at the very top of Earth's atmosphere).

Part of the Mikrosputnik program.

Specifications

Prime contractor	Space Research Institute (IKI)
Platform	launched from the Progress-M1 7 cargo
Mass at launch	20.6 kg
Mass in orbit
Basic shape	Hexagonal prism
Dimension	1.25m high, dia: 0.5m, 2 m gravity gradient boom
Equipment	particle analyzer, electrical field analyzer, electrical field flux-gate magnetometer 2m gravity gradient boom
Solar array	4 deployable solar arrays
Stabilization
DC power

End of life

Decay

04 May 2002

Mission details:

The Progress M1-7 craft undocked from Zvezda’s aft port at 17:43 UT on Mar 19, 2002. The Kolibri-2000 micro satellite was ejected from the Progress-M1 7 cargo freighter supply craft, on it way back to Earth at 22:28 UT, into a 385 km × 388 km orbit inclined at 51.6 degrees.

Kolibri is a joint Russian-Australian educational project to allow school children to monitor low frequency waves and particle fluxes in low orbit. The IKI space science group leads the project together with Enegiya, NPO-M and Polyot. The satellite has a mass of 21 kg and has a 2-meter gravity gradient boom and four solar panels; and is in a 385 x 388 km x 51.6 deg orbit.

The spacecraft was designed and manufactured by the Special Design Office of space instrument engineering, Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of sciences, in collaboration with local space industry. The spacecraft mission is educational, and radio amateur frequencies are employed to return data to participating educational institutions in Obninsk (Russia) and Sydney (Australia). Instruments on board include a flux-gate magnetometer, and a particle and electric field analyser.

Ref: #7(JR474), #14 - update: 17.09.11