ISIS (satellite)

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ISIS-I and ISIS-II
Type: Research satellite
Country: CanadaCanada Canada
Operator: Canadian Space AgencyCSA CSA
COSPAR-ID : 1969-009A
1971-024A
Mission dates
Begin: ISIS-I (January 30, 1969)
ISIS-II (April 1, 1971)
Starting place: Vandenberg AFB , SLC-2E
Launcher: Delta E1
Status: ISIS-I + II (1990) shut down
Orbit data
Orbit inclination : 88.4 °
Apogee height :  3,403 km
Perigee height :  583 km

ISIS I and II (International Satellites for Ionospheric Studies) were Canadian research satellites whose job it was to study the ionosphere , an area of ​​the upper atmosphere where many future satellites would also be placed. The ISIS satellites were the successor satellites of the Alouette I and II missions . The satellites were built by RCA Victor of Montreal.

ISIS I

ISIS I was launched into space on January 30, 1969 with a Delta rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base , California. Canada used the satellite until March 13, 1984. Due to usage agreements between Japan and Canada, the Japanese used the satellite until 1990.

Like the Alouette satellites, ISIS had a complex navigation system and a data memory on which important research results were temporarily stored when the satellite was on the opposite globe. This data was then retrieved from ground stations in Canada once the satellite was back over Canada. However, some experiment results were not recorded, but this was compensated for by sending the data directly to other stations. The satellite carried out ten scientific experiments.

ISIS II

ISIS II was launched into space on April 1, 1971 with a Delta rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. Due to budget constraints, the equipment of the satellite was exactly the same as that of ISIS I. The main difference between the satellites was that ISIS II could take photos. Thus, for the first time, the formation of auroras from space could be observed.

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