Bhutan-1
| Bhutan-1 | |
|---|---|
| Phase : E / Status : active | |
 Cubesats of the Birds-2 mission (Bhutan-1 right) |
|
| Type: | Education satellite , technology testing, amateur radio satellite |
| Country: |
 Bhutan
|
| COSPAR designation : | 1998-067PF |
| NORAD / SCN-ID : | 43591 |
| Mission dates | |
| Start date: | June 29, 2018, 09:42 UTC |
| Starting place: | Cape Canaveral SLC-40 |
| Launcher: | Falcon 9 ( Flight 57 ) |
| Orbit data | |
| Origin of coordinates: | earth |
| Apogee : | 415 km |
| Perigee : | 405 km |
| Orbit inclination : | 51.6 ° |
| General spacecraft data | |
| Takeoff mass: | 1.11 kg |
| Dimensions: | 10 x 10 x 11.35 cm |
Bhutan-1 is the first Bhutanese satellite . It is a Cubesat that was developed as part of the Birds 2 program at Kyushu Technical University in Japan . The project helps smaller nations to gain initial experience in space exploration. On June 29, 2018, the satellite was launched together with two satellites of the same format, developed by engineers from Malaysia and the Philippines, on a Falcon 9 rocket towards the International Space Station . From there he was released into his own low earth orbit on August 10th of the same year .
background
The Global Multi-Nation Birds Satellite project (BIRDS) of the Technical University of Kyūshū enables small nations and their engineers to gain initial experience in the field of space travel. In the course of the first missions, Ghana , Nigeria , Bangladesh and Mongolia took part in the project.
In 2016, the Ministry of Information and Communication - at the behest of the Bhutanese King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck - founded a state space agency and announced that it would participate in the Birds project.
development
Development of Bhutan-1 started in November 2016. The satellite was designed and manufactured by aerospace engineering students . The project served as the theme of their respective Masters degrees.
Bhutan-1 is a 1U-Cubesat with the standardized dimensions of 10 × 10 × 11.35 cm and a weight of 1.11 kg. The design and test phase of the various subsystems began in March 2017. Two prototypes of the satellite had been built by October of the same year.
Furnishing
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| Instruments | use |
|---|---|
| Cameras | Bhutan-1 has two 5 megapixel cameras with different resolutions . Repeated images of the respective country of origin with different resolutions were planned. The recordings make it possible to observe and document the development of glaciers, lakes and forests in Bhutan. In addition, one of the optical instruments is suitable for recording videos, with which the moment of release into one's own orbit was recorded. |
| Automatic Packet Reporting System | The amateur radio module allows control via terrestrial radio technology (145 megahertz ) when the satellite overflights. The module is able to receive and forward text messages. In addition, corresponding inputs are temporarily stored and bundled and forwarded to the ground station. |
| GPS module | A newly developed low-energy GPS module for testing it in space. |
| Single Event Latch-up (SEL) | The module records any radiation - related latch-up effects during operation and transmits their occurrence to the ground station. |
| Magnetometer | The magnetometer measures the earth's magnetic field . The transmitted values are compared on the ground with the corresponding measured values on earth. |
begin
The three nanosatellites were launched on June 29, 2018 as part of the payload of a supply flight to the ISS. A SpaceX Falcon 9 served as the launch vehicle . When they arrived on the ISS, the satellites were removed from the Dragon-1 supply capsule and placed in the Japanese module Kibō , from where they were released into their own orbit in August 2018 with the help of the Small Satellite Orbital Deployer . The three satellites are operated together.
business
Bhutan-1 initially operated in an orbit at an altitude of around 405 to 415 km, which dropped to around 383 to 390 km within a year. He flies over Bhutan three to four times a day for four to five minutes each time. The planned period of use was six to nine months, but could theoretically be extended to up to two years. Since the satellite has no propulsion of its own, the altitude of its orbit gradually decreases until it burns up in the upper atmosphere of the earth.
The costs of training the engineers, building the satellite and setting up the ground station for processing the information are given as around 280,000 US dollars and are borne by the responsible ministry of Bhutan.
Web links
- Website of the Birds-2 project (English)
- Bhutan launches its first satellite into space . The Bhutanese, June 30, 2018 (English)
- Video of the launch in orbit on YouTube, August 14, 2018
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Bhutan launches its first satellite into space. In: The Bhutanese. Retrieved April 26, 2020 (English).
- ↑ Gunter Krebs: Bird B, BTN, G, J, JPN, LKA, M, MYS, N, NPL, PHL (BRAC Onnesha, Bhutan 1, GhanaSat 1, Toki, Uguisu, Raavana 1, Mazaalai, UiTMSAT 1, EduSat 1 , NepaliSat 1, MAYA 1). In: Gunter's Space Page. June 26, 2019, accessed April 26, 2020 .
- ^ Kyushu Institute of Technology: BIRDS project. Retrieved April 26, 2020 (English).
- ↑ a b c d Younten Tshedup: BHUTAN-1 expected to be in space by May - KuenselOnline. February 1, 2018, accessed April 26, 2020 .
- ↑ Country's first satellite builders attend the BHUTAN-1 workshop - KuenselOnline. Retrieved April 26, 2020 .
- ^ Introducing Bhutan's first female satellite engineer - Business Bhutan. September 25, 2019, accessed April 26, 2020 .
- ↑ Wayback Machine. April 26, 2020, accessed April 26, 2020 .
- ↑ Satellite Missions - BIRDS-2. Retrieved April 26, 2020 (English).
- ↑ Dexter Cabalza: Maya-1: Cube satellite latest Pinoy venture into space. Inquirer.net, July 1, 2018, accessed on May 1, 2020 (English): "While independently made, the operation and control of the three cubesats will be shared by the three countries"
- ↑ Space-Track.org, TLE for Bhutan-1 from August 11, 2018 and August 11, 2019, accessed on May 3, 2020.