Engineering:SAPPHIRE

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Short description: U.S. amateur radio satellite
SAPPHIRE
Kodiak-Star 1 (cropped).jpg
SAPPHIRE satellite
Mission typeCommunications
OperatorUSNA / University of Santa Clara
COSPAR ID2001-043D[1]
SATCAT no.26932
Mission duration2 years and 6 months
Spacecraft properties
ManufacturerStanford University
Launch mass16 kg (35 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date30 September 2001, 02:40 UTC
RocketAthena 1 LM-001
Launch siteKodiak LP-1
ContractorLockheed Martin
End of mission
DisposalDecommissioned
Last contact2005
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric
RegimeLow Earth
Eccentricity0.0[1]
Altitude794 km (493 mi)[1]
Inclination67°[1]
Period101 minutes[1]
Epoch30 Sep 2001[1]
OSCAR
OSCAR 46 →
 

SAPPHIRE (Stanford AudioPhonic PHotographic IR Experiment, also called Navy-OSCAR 45) was a satellite built by the Stanford University students in Palo Alto, California.[1]

Athena 1 rocket launching SAPPHIRE from Kodiak Island, AK.

The satellite was launched on September 30, 2001 together with Starshine 3, PICOSat and PCSat on an Athena 1 rocket at the Kodiak Launch Complex, Alaska, United States .

Its purpose was the training of students, the operation of an infrared sensor, a digital camera, a speech synthesizer and from 2002 the operation of an APRS digipeater.[2] He also served to train midshipmen of the US Naval Academy in the field of satellite control.

The satellite's mission ended in early 2005.

Frequencies

  • Uplink: 145.945 MHz
  • Downlink: 437.1 MHz
  • Mode: 1200 bit/s AFSK
  • Call sign: KE6QMD[3]

See also

  • OSCAR

External links

References