Sapphire

Spacecraft nº:

Canadian spacecraft nº: 42

Launch data: Designation  39088 / 13009C Launch date  25 Feb 2013 - 12:31 UT Launch site  Sriharikota, FLP Launch vehicle  PSLV-CA Mission  Military: Space Surveillance Sun-Synchronous LEO Earth orbit: Perigee / Apogee  772 x 787 km Eccentricity  1,05E-03 Inclination  98.6 deg Period  100.40 min

Artist's concept of the Sapphire satellite in orbit. Credit: MDA Corp.

Spacecraft data:

Description:

• Sapphire is a key element of the Canadian Space Surveillance System, and will be a contributing sensor to the US Space Surveillance Network. It is a space-based electrooptical sensor that will provide accurate and timely tracking data to the Canadian Department of National Defence (DND) on manmade and natural objects in medium to high Earth orbits at orbit altitudes between 6,000 km and 40,000 km. The data collected will be processed by a ground-based system and the results will be used to update the U.S. Satellite Catalogue that is used by both NORAD and Canada to provide space situational awareness.
• Sapphire will use a small Three Mirror Anastigmat (TMA) telescope similar in design to the Space Based Visible sensor on the US MSX satellite. The optical sensor will consist of a 15 cm telescope and will have a 1.4 deg field of view to observe man-made objects in deep space (6,000 – 40,000 km altitude). The satellite will be in a sun-synchronous, dawn-dusk orbit. The satellite's telescope will point away from the sun so it can observe objects with an aspect that provides the maximum amount of reflected sunlight (best possible phase angle).

Mission details:

• In the lower part of the dual launch adapter were two Canadian small satellites, Sapphire and NEOSSat.
  Sapphire is a Canadian Forces satellite for space object surveillance and missile early warning, based on the Surrey SSTL-150 bus and with a 0.15m visible-light telescope.
  NEOSSat, the Near Earth Object Surveillance Satellite, is a joint Canadian Space Agency/DRDC mission to survey asteroids and space debris, also with a 0.15m telescope. (DRDC is Defense Research and Development Canada, part of the Canadian Dept. of National Defense).

Satellite tracking: