RAFT (satellite)

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RAFT / Navy OSCAR 60
RAFT / Navy OSCAR 60
Country: United StatesUnited States United States
Operator: US Naval Academy
COSPAR-ID : 2006-055C
Mission dates
Dimensions: 3 kg
Size: 12.7 cm edge length
Begin: December 21, 2006
Launcher: Space Shuttle Discovery
Flight duration: 5 months
Status: burned up on May 30, 2007
Orbit data
Rotation time : 89.3 min
Orbit inclination : 51.6 °
Apogee height :  254 km
Perigee height :  228 km

RAFT ( Radar Fence Transponder , after the launch also Navy OSCAR 60 ) was an amateur radio satellite that was developed and built for training purposes at the US Naval Academy .

construction

The 3 kg RAFT had a cubic structure with an edge length of 12.7 cm and thus did not meet the Cubesat standard. Solar cells on all six sides of the satellite were used to supply energy . He had neither position control nor drive systems .

As a payload, RAFT contained a receiver at 216.98 MHz for calibration experiments of the US Navy Space Surveillance Radar . For amateur radio connections was a AX25 - Digipeater on 145.825 MHz with built-in speech synthesizer on board.

Two fixed antennas equipped with springs were used for communication and also as a separation system for the almost identical sister satellite MARScom. Furthermore, a 122 cm long wire antenna made of 0.5 mm Nitinol wire for the 10 m amateur radio band on shortwave was unwound during the separation process , with which the satellite received signals in the PSK31 operating mode .

Mission history

The satellite was released into a low earth orbit by the Space Shuttle Discovery on December 21, 2006 together with the MARS satellite MARScom developed at the same location during the STS-116 mission ( orbit inclination 51.6 degrees, apogee 254 km, perigee 228 km).

The re-entry into the earth's atmosphere took place on May 30, 2007 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b orbit data according to Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space ( Memento from October 20, 2013 in the Internet Archive )
  2. ^ Documentation of the operating organization US Naval Academy Amateur Radio Club W3ADO