CHAMP

Germany

Spacecraft nº:

Germany spacecraft nº: 33

CHAllenging Mini-satellite Payload for Geophysical Research and Application

Launch data:

Designation	26405 / 00039B
Launch date	15 Jul 2000 - 12:00 UT
Launch site	Plesetsk, LC132/1
Launch vehicle	Cosmos-3M (11K65M)
Mission	Scientific: Study of Earth's gravity fields; collecting geophysical, oceanographic, and meteorological data.
Earth orbit:
Perigee/Apogee	416/476 km
Inclination	87.3°
Period	93.5 min

6 instruments including the French STAR (Space Triaxial Accelerometer for Research Applications) accelerometer to carry out geophysical, geodetic and oceanographic experiments and study the upper atmosphere.

The satellite seems operating normally after apparently being hit by one of the two payload shrouds during the launch.

Specifications

Prime contractor	GFZ Postdam
Platform
Mass at launch	300 kg
Payload mass	25 kg
Dimension
Solar array
Stabilization	3-axis
DC power

CHAMP mounted on the launch adapter (with piggy-backs MITA and BIRD/Rubin). Credit: GFZ

End of live:

Reentered date:	19 Sep 2010
Lifetime:

STAR has been developed by ONERA under the supervision of the Centre National d'Études Spatiales (CNES). It will accurately measure the surface acceleration the satellite will undergo in orbit. These measurements, combined to the measurements monitoring the satellite path by GPS and Laser, will considerably improve the knowledge of the gravitational field.

External links:

EOportal.org Satellite description

Ref.: #3(SD455), #7, #116, #242 - update: 15.04.12

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