SAOCOM-1A

Launch data:

Spacecraft data:

Mission details:

• Argentina′s CONAE space agency has its first radar imaging satellite in orbit, SAOCOM-1A (Satelite Argentino de Observacion Con Microondas). The 3000 kg satellite has a 10 x 2.5m L-band synthetic aperture radar antenna to study soil moisture, and was built by the Argentine company INVAP SE.
• SAOCOM-1A was launched on Oct 8, 2018 by a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Vandenber′s Space Launch Complex 4-East (SLC-4E). The Falcon 9 first stage, B1048, became the first to return for a Vandenberg landing, at Landing Zone 4 (LZ-4) on the old SLC-4W. The second stage ignited again for the deorbit burn at about 0342 UTC over Poland, and reentered SE of Hawaii at about 04:13 UTC.

External links:

• Satellite tracking (n2ya.com): Real time satellite tracking