 Navy-OSCAR 45
(Sapphire)
Spacecraft Summary
| OSCAR Designation: |
Navy-OSCAR 45 |
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Oscar Number: |
NO-45 |
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| International Designator: |
2001-043D |
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Norad Number: |
26932 |
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| Common Name: |
Sapphire |
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Satellite Type: |
Microsatellite |
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| Launch Date: |
30 September, 2001 |
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Launch Location: |
Kodiak WTR |
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| Launch Vehicle: |
Athena I |
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Apogee: |
799.00 |
|
| Perigee: |
788.00 |
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Inclination: |
67.06 |
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| Period: |
100.73 |
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Weight: |
0.000 Kg |
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| Organization: | Stanford University Washington University - St. Louis |
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Frequency Information
| |
| Mode V/U (J) Packet: Non-Operational |
| Uplink: |
145.9450 MHz FSK 1200 BPS |
| Downlink |
437.1000 MHz FSK 1200 BPS |
| Callsign(s)
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Current Keplerian Elements
NO-45
1 26932U 01043D 09325.37751486 -.00000045 00000-0 14531-4 0 3239
2 26932 67.0584 19.3785 0007508 282.1576 77.8671 14.29620621425097
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Detailed Description
Launched September 30, 2001 from the Kodiak Launch Complex on Kodiak Island, Alaska aboard Athena I.
Sapphire is a micro-satellite designed and built by students at Stanford University and Washington University-St. Louis. The primary mission of Sapphire is to space-qualify two sets of "Tunneling Horizon Detector" infrared sensors designed and built by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Stanford University. Secondary experiments include a digital camera and voice synthesizer.
Sapphire has three payloads; the primary is our paying customer and as such has the highest operational priority. The other two are student interests. There are some tertiary "payloads" which have to do with student research and analysis projects - these deal more with interpreted data and spacecraft operations. (These elements are explained in much greater detail in our mission operations guide.)
Primary
The primary mission for Sapphire was to characterize the functionality and operation of the THD sensors in space.
Secondary
The secondary mission of Sapphire was to take a picture of Northern Hemisphere and display it on the Sapphire web site. This mission was accomplished and photos are posted. Sapphire also broadcast a digitalked message to a designated audience.
Tertiary
The tertiary mission of Sapphire was to download solar panel and power subsystem telemetry to perform the ODDSS algorithm, collect telemetry (sensor) data and deliver as requested, schedule data requests and deliver the data through the ASSET operations system, and operate the Sapphire beacon notification system through the ASSET operations system.
Continuing Amateur Operations
After mission experiments were completed Sapphire was turned over to amateur use primarily as an APRS digipeater and packet BBS (non-PacSat). This continued until Sapphire was declared non-operational in 2005.
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Reference Documents:
- Kodiak Star: First orbital launch from new site in Alaska, SPACEFLIGHT, from the British Interplanetary Society, January 2002, p. 18.
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