Proba-1

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Proba-1
Type: Earth observation satellite
Operator: European space agencyESA ESA
COSPAR-ID : 2001-049B
Mission dates
Dimensions: 94 kg
Size: 60 × 60 × 80 cm
Begin: October 22, 2001, 04:53 UTC
Starting place: Satish Dhawan Space Center FLP
Launcher: PSLV C-3
Status: active
Orbit data
Rotation time : 96.3 min
Orbit inclination : 97.6 °
Apogee height :  638 km
Perigee height :  539 km

Proba-1 (initially only Proba ) is the name of a satellite of ESA . The small satellite went into operation on October 25, 2001, after its launch in India on October 22, 2001 as a secondary payload of a PSLV rocket. It weighs 94 kilograms and has the shape of a cuboid with sides of 60, 60 and 80 cm.

It was actually used by ESA to present new technologies and should be switched off again after a year. However, since there were no significant problems, the mission was extended. On May 9, 2018, Proba-1 became ESA's longest active satellite with 5982 days in orbit.

The specialty of this satellite is that it acts largely independently. Proba (actually latin review , sample , exploratory ; also check! And prove! ) Is an acronym that "means Pr oject for O n B oard A utonomy" (Project for on-board autonomy) and has fulfilled according to the ESA also this name . Proba can independently perform tasks such as flight attitude control, target recognition in flyby and image capture. From the earth only the latitude and longitude of the target area to be photographed have to be given. Proba can coordinate the rest independently.

Financing, development and manufacturing

The satellite was financed by the Belgian Federal Office for Scientific, Technical, and Cultural Affairs (OSTC, now Belgian Federal Science Policy Office ). An industrial consortium led by the Belgian company Verhaert designed and manufactured the satellite. The use of conventional components helped to save costs.

use

The Redu station in Belgium controls the satellite. From a height of 600 kilometers he takes around 300 pictures of around 60 different areas every month. To date, the satellite (with its two cameras CHRIS has C ompact H igh R eSolution I maging S pectrometer) and the Black and White HRC (High Resolution Camera) over 10,000 images delivered. The maximum resolution of the CHRIS color camera is 18 m. The resolution of the compact camera HRC is only five meters. The pictures she took in black and white show an area of ​​25 square kilometers.

In addition to achieving the ESA's research goals, the satellite is also used for the International Charter on Space and Natural Disasters .

Follow-up missions

The successor Proba-2 , which is to test the new spectrometer for solar observation, was launched on November 2, 2009.

Together with ESA, Belgium supports the Proba V mission . The approximately 1 m³ satellite has been orbiting the earth synchronously with the sun at an altitude of 820 km since May 7, 2013. The satellite bus weighs 140 kg and delivers an electrical output of 250 W. Three multispectral optical cameras examine the vegetation on earth with a spatial resolution of approx. 100 m.

There are first plans for Proba-3 to conduct formation flight experiments in space. The start is planned for the end of 2020.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ PROBA 1. N2YO, January 8, 2019, accessed on January 8, 2019 (English).
  2. ↑ ESA: Proba-1 Sets New Record. Retrieved January 8, 2019 .
  3. ↑ ESA: PROBA-1 (Project for On-Board Autonomy - 1). In: eoPortal. Retrieved January 7, 2019 .
  4. ↑ Chris Bergin: SMOS and Proba-2 successful following launch from Plesetsk. nasaspaceflight.com, November 1, 2009, accessed November 2, 2009 .
  5. ^ Proba-V. ESA, February 8, 2016, accessed March 13, 2016 .
  6. ↑ Proba Missions Overview. ESA, May 7, 2013, accessed March 13, 2016 .
  7. ↑ About Proba-3. ESA, July 17, 2017, accessed January 7, 2019 .