PW-Sat
PW-Sat is a series of Polish satellites that includes the first Polish artificial satellite[3] which was launched 13 February 2012 from ELA-1 at Guiana Space Centre aboard Italian-built Vega launch vehicle during its maiden voyage.[4] PW-Sat1's mission was to test experimental elastic solar cells, as well as an orbital decay technology consisting of a "tail" designed to speed re-entry. It was expected to last for 1 year.[4]
| Mission type | Technology |
|---|---|
| Operator | Polish Academy of Sciences (Space Research Centre) |
| COSPAR ID | 2012-006G |
| SATCAT no. | 38083 |
| Mission duration | 1 year |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | 1U CubeSat |
| Manufacturer | Warsaw University of Technology (Faculty of Power and Aeronautical Engineering) |
| Launch mass | 1 kilogram (2.2 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 13 February 2012, 10:00:00 UTC |
| Rocket | Vega VV01 |
| Launch site | Kourou ELV |
| Contractor | Arianespace |
| End of mission | |
| Decay date | 28 October 2014 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Perigee altitude | 300 kilometres (190 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 1,023 kilometres (636 mi) |
| Inclination | 69.47 degrees |
| Period | 97.83 minutes |
| Epoch | 9 November 2013, 01:40:17 UTC[1] |
| Mission type | Technology |
|---|---|
| COSPAR ID | 2012-006G |
| SATCAT no. | 38083 |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | 2U CubeSat |
| Manufacturer | Warsaw University of Technology (Faculty of Power and Aeronautical Engineering) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 4th quarter of 2017 (planned) |
| Rocket | Falcon 9 v1.1 FT |
| Launch site | Vandenberg Air Force Base SLC-4E |
| Contractor | Innovative Space Logistics B.V.[2] |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth |
 PW-Sat2 mission patch | |
PW-Sat1 was a type of CubeSat satellite constructed by the Faculty of Power and Aeronautical Engineering of Warsaw University of Technology in cooperation with the Space Research Centre of the Polish Academy of Sciences.[5]
Since the launch of PW-Sat1, several other satellites have been launched under the PW-Sat project, each with their own unique mission objectives.
History
The PW-Sat project was created in 2004 when group of students from Warsaw University of Technology decided to build satellite compatible with CubeSat 1U standard.[3] Initially planned for a 2007 launch, delays in the development of the Vega caused the mission to be postponed until 2012. The cost of the project was estimated to be 200,000 Polish zloty (63,205 USD), with funding coming from the university's budget, as well as from an agreement between Poland and the European Space Agency.
Hardware
PW-Sat1 was a 10x10x10 cm cube with a mass of 1 kg. It is equipped with the following hardware:
- EPS: power module
- ANTS: antenna management system
- COM: communication compartment
- PLD: elastic solar cells management sub-system
- OBC: main computer
- Access port
- Elastic solar cells (part of primary mission)
- Atmospheric drag device (part of primary mission)
- AX.25 transceiver
- CW beacon transmitting on 145.901 MHz for tracking by radio amateurs
PW-Sat1
Mission
PW-Sat1 was launched on 13 February 2012, 10:00 UTC from ELA-1 at Guiana Space Centre (Kourou, French Guiana) aboard the maiden flight of the Vega rocket, together with LARES and ALMASat-1 satellites and 6 other CubeSats built by various European universities.[4][6] It was deployed 1 hour 10 minutes into the flight from the P-POD-2 container, along with the ROBUSTA and MaSat-1 CubeSats.[7]
First signals from satellite were received around 12:10 UTC by radio amateurs.[4] The first Polish reception of PW-Sat1's signals came at 12:15 UTC by CAMK in Warsaw.[7]
PW-Sat1 was planned stay in orbit until 2013, when it was planned to perform a destructive atmospheric reentry.[4] The satellite used a large amount of the batteries' stored energy while performing tasks early in the mission. This battery depletion, combined with orbital maneuvers designed so the satellite would fly over Poland, delayed deployment of the tail. Commands of tail deployment were sent from Earth on April and May 2012, but PW-Sat did not respond to the commands.[8] Due to a hardware issue with the communication module (that was discovered on a few other CubeSats using the same model) communication with the satellite was problematic and the tail couldn't be extended.[9]
PW-Sat1 reentered the atmosphere on 28 October 2014.[10]
Development of a successor, PW-Sat2, begun in September 2013 with launch planned for 2017.[11]
PW-Sat2
See also
References
- Peat, Chris (9 November 2013). "PW SAT - Orbit". Heavens Above. Retrieved 9 November 2013.
- "Oficjalne: PW-Sat 2 na Falcon 9!". Kosmonauta.net (in Polish). 17 September 2023.
- "PW-Sat, Poland's first satellite launched into orbit". 14 February 2012. Archived from the original on 3 October 2012. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
- "AMSAT-UK | A voluntary organisation that supports the design and building of equipment for Amateur Radio Satellites". 22 February 2013. Archived from the original on 23 February 2013. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
- "ESA – Meet the teams: PW-Sat". European Space Agency.
- "PW-Sat 1". Gunter's Space Page.
- "Home". pw-sat.pl.
- Kanawka, Krzysztof. "Status misji PW-Sat (październik 2012))". kosmonauta.net (in Polish). Archived from the original on 13 October 2012.
- Kanawka, Krzysztof (17 September 2023). "Vega i PW-Sat - rok po starcie)". kosmonauta.net (in Polish).
- "Satelita" (in Polish). 2 January 2019.
- "PW-Sat2 gets 180 000 € to fund the launch". PW-Sat2: Polish student satellite project. Archived from the original on 31 January 2016. Retrieved 11 March 2016.