LitSat-1
Operator | LSA, LSSTI, KTU, VGTU |
---|---|
Mission duration | 6 months planned |
Start of mission | |
Launch date | 9 January 2014, 18:07 UTC |
Rocket | Antares 120 |
Launch site | MARS LP-0A |
Contractor | Orbital Sciences |
Deployed from | ISS |
End of mission | |
Last contact | 21 May 2014 05:15:15 UTC |
Decay date | 22 May 2014 |
Orbital parameters | |
Reference system | Geocentric |
Regime | Low Earth |
LitSat-1 is one of the two first Lithuanian satellites. It was launched aboard the second Cygnus spacecraft along with 28 Flock-1 CubeSats aboard an Antares 120 carrier rocket flying from Pad 0B at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on Wallops Island.[1] The launch was scheduled to occur in December 2013, but later was rescheduled to 9 January 2014. The satellite was deployed from the International Space Station via the NanoRacks Cubesat Deployer on February 28, 2014.[2][3] Three Lithuanian words will be broadcast from space "Lietuva myli laisvę" (Lithuania loves freedom). Launch of satellites Lituanica SAT-1 and LitSat-1 was broadcast live in Lithuania.
On 6 March 2014 the satellite radio station of Kaunas University of Technology (KTU) established a two-way connection with LitSat-1 for the first time.[4]
References
- ↑ "Lietuviškas palydovas "LitSat-1" paskutinį kartą išbandomas Žemėje" (in Lithuanian). DELFI.lt. 16 August 2013. Retrieved 17 August 2013.
- ↑ http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/1642.html
- ↑ http://amsat-uk.org/tag/litsat-1/
- ↑ LitSat-1 successfully follows the commands of KTU team in space