Spei Satelles (or SpeiSat) is the first Vatican satellite, it consists of a 3U cubesat and was launched in 2023 by a Falcon 9 from Vandenberg Space Force Base on a rideshare mission.[1][2]
| Operator | Agenzia Spaziale Italiana |
|---|---|
| COSPAR ID | 2023-084-BT |
| SATCAT no. | 56991 |
| Website | https://www.speisatelles.org/en |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Manufacturer | Politecnico di Torino |
| Payload mass | 3Kg |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | June 12, 2023, 21:35:00 UTC |
| Rocket | Falcon 9 Block 5 |
| Launch site | SLC-4E Vandenberg SFB |
| Deployed from | ION-SCV 011 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Regime | SSO |
| Eccentricity | 0.0469 |
| Periapsis altitude | 470 |
| Apoapsis altitude | 481 |
| Inclination | 97.5° |
| Period | 7 days |
The satellite was created by the Politecnico di Torino and promoted by the Dicastery for Communication of the Holy See with coordination from the Italian space agency (ASI).[3]
The mission logo was created by the students and teachers of the IUSVE Salesian University Institute in Venice.
Payloads
editSpeiSat hosts 2 on-board computers, a battery, small magnets to stabilize the satellite and 2 UHF transmitters in order to broadcast messages from Pope Francis on a 437.5 MHz frequency.[citation needed]
The satellite also contains a nanobook created by the National Research Council (CNR) with the Holy Father's book in his shell and a file containing messages and images of the 2020 Statio Orbis written in binary due to the small dimensions.[citation needed]
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ "Spei Satelles (SpeiSat)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 2024-07-19.
- ^ "SPEI SATELLES - Satellite Information". www.heavens-above.com. Retrieved 2024-07-19.
- ^ "Spei satelles, lanciate nello spazio le parole del Papa - Vatican News". www.vaticannews.va (in Italian). 2023-06-13. Retrieved 2024-07-19.
