TigriSat is a CubeSat built in 2014 by a team of Iraqi students at the La Sapienza University of Rome.[1][2] It uses an RGB camera to detect dust storms over Iraq, and transmits the data to ground stations in Baghdad and Rome.[3] It is considered Iraq's first satellite.[4] It was launched from Orenburg on June 19, 2014 on a Dnepr launch vehicle.[1] It was deployed using a UniSat-6. As of July 2019, it remains operational.
| Mission type | Earth Observation |
|---|---|
| Operator | La Sapienza University of Rome · Iraq Ministry of Science and Technology |
| COSPAR ID | 2014-033AK |
| SATCAT no. | 40043 |
| Website | tigrisat.com |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Bus | CubeSat 3U |
| Launch mass | 3.00 kg |
| Power | Solar cells, batteries |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | June 19th 2014 19:11 UTC |
| Rocket | Dnepr |
| Launch site | OREN, Dombarovsky |
| Contractor | Kosmotras |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth (SSO) |
| Semi-major axis | 7025 km |
| Perigee altitude | 612.9 km |
| Apogee altitude | 696.3 km |
| Inclination | 97.8° |
| Period | 97.7 minutes |
| Transponders | |
| Band | VHF · UHF · S-band |
| Frequency | 435.000 MHz |
History
editIn 1989, under Saddam Hussein's government, Iraq claimed to have launched a satellite.[4] However, footage showed that the launch vehicle exploded early in liftoff, and called into question whether the launch was an attempted orbital launch. Thus, this satellite is the first launched for Iraq. Its launch, at the time, was record-breaking for the greatest number of satellites launched on a single rocket.[5] In 2018, this satellite's signal was briefly mistaken for that of another CubeSat, PicSat.[6]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "Technical details for satellite TIGRISAT". N2YO.com - Real Time Satellite Tracking and Predictions. Retrieved July 28, 2019.
- ^ Paris, C.; Parisse, M.; Allawi, W. A. (June 2015). Thermovacuum tests on TIGRIsat structure: Validation of the thermal model of a 3U cubesat. 2015 IEEE Metrology for Aerospace (MetroAeroSpace). IEEE. pp. 160–165. doi:10.1109/MetroAeroSpace.2015.7180646. ISBN 978-1-4799-7569-3.
- ^ "TigriSat". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
- ^ a b Abdallah, Amir (June 20, 2014). "Iraq launches its first satellite – TigriSat". IraqiNews. Retrieved July 28, 2019.
- ^ William, Graham (June 19, 2014). "Russian Dnepr rocket lofts record haul of 37 satellites – NASASpaceFlight.com". Retrieved July 28, 2019.
- ^ "Bye bye PicSat (for now)". PicSat. Retrieved July 28, 2019.