Falconsat

USA

Spacecraft n°:

USA satellite n°:

Launch data:

Designation26064 / 00004D
Launch date27 Jan 2000 - 03:03 UT
Launch siteVa, SLC-8
Launch vehicle Minotaur (#1)
MissionTechnology
Earth orbit on Jan 27, 2000:
Perigee / Apogee 751 x 803 km
Eccentricity 0.004
Inclination 100.38 deg
Period 100.24 min

Owned by the USAF Academy. It carries the CHAWS-LD (Charging Hazards and Wake Studies-Long Duration) experiment to measure spacecraft charging effects in LEO.

Specifications

Manufacturer  USAFA (the US Air Force Academy)
Platform Falconsat
Operator USAF Academy
Mass at launch 52 kg
Dry Mass  
Dimension  
Solar array  
Stabilization  
DC power  
Design lifetime  

Downlink: 400.475 MHz & 400.680, power 5 W
Transmitter would only be on near the USAF Academy in Colorado Springs.

Mission details:

The FalconSat-1 satellite launched on Jan 27 carries the CHAWS-LD (Charging Hazards and Wake Studies-Long Duration) experiment to measure spacecraft charging effects in LEO. The satellite was developed and is operated by USAFA (the US Air Force Academy) and also provides USAFA cadets with space operations experience and training. The USAFA flew an earlier experiment, Falcon Gold, as an attached payload on a Centaur upper stage in Oct-Nov 1997.
Ref: #7(JR419-420), #15, #206 - update: 26.10.07