VesselSat-1 (Orbcomm FM42, V1) was a miniaturized satellite built and owned by LuxSpace, which was operated by Orbcomm under lease. VesselSat-1 and its sister satellite, VesselSat-2 were used by Orbcomm to compensate the functionality of the malfunctioning Orbcomm-QL satellites.

VesselSat-1
Mission typeCommunications
AIS tracking
OperatorLuxSpace
Orbcomm (leased)
COSPAR ID2011-058C Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.37840
Mission duration3 years planned;
4 years achieved
Spacecraft properties
ManufacturerLuxSpace
Launch mass29 kilograms (64 lb)
Start of mission
Launch dateOctober 12, 2011, 05:31 (2011-10-12UTC05:31Z) UTC[1]
RocketPSLV-CA
Launch siteSatish Dhawan FLP
ContractorISRO
End of mission
Last contactEnd of 2015[2]
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric
RegimeSun-synchronous
Perigee altitude853 kilometers (530 mi)
Apogee altitude873 kilometers (542 mi)
Inclination19.96 degrees
Period102.07 minutes
EpochJuly 4, 2014, 06:26:37 UTC[3]

Launch

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It was launched from the ISRO's Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) at Sriharikota in October 2011 atop a PSLV-CA rocket, flight C18. The launch was a multi-payload mission along with Megha-Tropiques, SRMSAT and Jugnu.

Spacecraft

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Vesselsat was the first satellite to be built in Luxembourg. It had a mass of 29 kg (64 lb) and had the form of a cube 30 centimeters (0.98 ft) along each side. Its mission was the tracking of shipping by receiving broadcasts from their Automatic Identification System (AIS).

See also

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References

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  1. ^ McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved July 5, 2014.
  2. ^ "VesselSat 1, 2, 3".
  3. ^ "VESSELSAT 1 Satellite details 2011-058C NORAD 37840". N2YO. July 4, 2014. Retrieved July 5, 2014.
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