EgyptSat 2

Last updated
EgyptSat 2
EgyptSat 2.jpg
Mission type Remote sensing
Operator NARSS
COSPAR ID 2014-021A [1] [2]
SATCAT no. 39678 [2]
Website www.narss.sci.eg
Mission durationPlanned: 11 years [3]
Final: 363 days
Spacecraft properties
Bus 559GK [1]
Manufacturer RSC Energia [4]
Launch mass1,050 kilograms (2,310 lb) [1] [5]
Power3000 watts [3] [6]
Start of mission
Launch dateApril 16, 2014, 16:20 (2014-04-16UTC16:20Z) UTC [6]
Rocket Soyuz-U
Launch site Baikonur 31/6
End of mission
Last contactApril 14, 2015 (2015-04-14)
Orbital parameters
Regime LEO
Perigee altitude 436 kilometres (271 mi)
Apogee altitude 703 kilometres (437 mi)
Inclination 51.6 degrees
Period 96.05 min
Epoch 17 April 2014, 04:55 UTC [2]
Main
NameEgyptSat 2
Resolution1 metre (3 ft 3 in) (Pan) [4]
4 metres (13 ft) (MS) [4]
EgyptSat
 

EgyptSat 2 was Egypt's second remote sensing Earth observation satellite. It was built by the Russian RSC Energia and the Egyptian NARSS while the incorporated cameras and payload was developed by OAO Peleng and NIRUP Geoinformatsionnye Sistemy in Belarus. [1] [4]

Contents

A frameless spacecraft had been utilized in EgyptSat 2; it was an innovative technology being first time used in Russia. [7] [8]

EgyptSat 2 was launched on board a Soyuz-U rocket on 16 April 2014 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome [9] which was a milestone toward establishing the Egyptian Space Agency. [10]

History

EgyptSat 2 was planned to be launched on October 1, 2013, but the launch was put on hold in 2011 [2] following all contact being lost with EgyptSat 1 due to a failure of its S-Band communication system. [11]

Overview

In 2007, Egypt made its first attempt to launch a high-resolution surveillance satellite launching the Ukrainian-made EgyptSat 1, but the satellite failed prematurely after 3 years. However, Egypt continued working with Yuzhnoye Design Bureau for the next project, until it received a bid from Russia to supply a state-of-the-art "eye in the sky". Negotiations lasted for more than four years until Egypt awarded the contract to Russia for the development of a high-resolution imaging satellite.

The project was handled by RKK Energia based on Korolev on the behalf of Russia, codenamed "E-Star". [12] 60 percent of the satellite's hardware was made by Egypt. [13] Russia also trained Egyptian engineers to control the satellite from a ground station near Cairo. The cost of the project was rumored to be around 40 million dollar fully funded by the Egyptian Armed Forces. [12]

The spacecraft was shipped to Baikonur in February 2014 and was launched on April 16, 2014.

EgyptSat 2 was launched into an orbit inclined 51.6 degrees toward the Equator which means it was only covering areas between 51.6 latitude North in the Northern Hemisphere and 51.6 degrees South latitude in the Southern Hemisphere, which covered the Egyptian territory, but did not cover vast regions of the planet in both hemispheres. [14]

Description

EgyptSat 2 was a hexagonal satellite, equipped with three deployable, fixed solar arrays and nickel-hydrogen batteries, and its optical imaging payload covered the visible and infrared spectral bands, providing a ground resolution of 13.1 feet (four meters) for multispectral imagery and 3.3 feet (one meter) for panchromatic imagery. The satellite's coverage included total coverage of Egypt's land and maritime territory and their environs. [13]

A new and revolutionary technology had been demonstrated first time, as EgyptSat 2 became the first frameless spacecraft created in Russia and the first satellite created by such technology in the history of Russian cosmonautics. The frameless base technology reduces the final assembly of the satellite from six months with several trained professionals and special equipment, to 10 minutes with only two experts, which in turn minimizes effort, time and costs while not compromising the quality of the final product. [7] [8]

Mission

The satellite was supposed to supply the Egyptian government with high-resolution views of Earth for environmental, scientific and military applications. [9] Data was transmitted through an X-band communications terminal at a rate of 300-600 Mbit/s to ground stations located near Cairo and Aswan. [13]

According to Tal Dekel, a research fellow at Tel Aviv University's Yuval Ne'eman Workshop for Science, Technology and Security, few were aware of the extent of Egypt's satellite program and the satellite was disguised as scientific research but in truth it would be used by the Egyptian Armed Forces as a spying satellite. [12]

EgyptSat 2 acquired its first images on April 30, that released by RSC Energia showing Taylor Bay and Melbourne, Australia. [6]

EgyptSat 2 circularised its orbit at about 720 kilometers height using an electric propulsion system. The operation completed in August 2014. [4]

The total cost of the mission was about $40 million. [4] [15]

Assumed lost and end of mission

On April 14, 2015, the EgyptSat 2 was unresponsive to commands from the Earth and control over the satellite was lost due to a human factor as the main possible cause according to the Russian Izvestiya newspaper, citing a source in the RSC Energia. [16] While the National Authority for Remote Sensing and Space Sciences (NARSS) insisted that EgyptSat 2 is still recoverable, [17] as the head of NARSS Medhat Mokhtar said, "What was reported about is in fact a regular technical failure. It happens every now and then to all the satellites. The problem will be fixed in the next few hours," explaining that, "any failure in control of satellite begins with absence of response to commands from Earth, and the low battery could be the problem, but it will be fixed and control will be fully restored."[ citation needed ]

EgyptSat 2 has experienced few problems since December 2014, as it lost some of the battery capacity, [17] also on mid-April 2015, EgyptSat 2 had an attitude control issues, then a failure of the primary and backup computer of the satellite had occurred within 15 seconds of each other and no official information was released by the satellite's operator or manufacturer. [18]

Insurance payout from the loss largely paid for the manufacture and launch in February 2019 of the EgyptSat-A replacement satellite. [19] [20]

See also

External media
Images
Searchtool.svg EgyptSat 2 satellite with Soyuz-U rocket Russia launches spy satellite for Egypt. russianspaceweb. 2014. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
Video
Nuvola apps kaboodle.svg Transportation of Soyuz-U rocket with EgyptSat 2 to the launch pad and final preparations Вывоз РКН Союз-У с КА EgyptSat 2 [Removal of the Soyuz-U space rocket with spacecraft EgyptSat 2]. Телестудия Роскосмоса. 2014. Retrieved 19 April 2014.
Nuvola apps kaboodle.svg Launch of Soyuz-U rocket with EgyptSat 2 on-board Пуск РКН Союз-У с КА EgyptSat 2 [Start of the Soyuz-U space rocket with spacecraft EgyptSat 2]. Телестудия Роскосмоса. 2014. Retrieved 19 April 2014.

Related Research Articles

<i>Buran</i> programme Soviet research project on spaceplanes

The Buran programme, also known as the "VKK Space Orbiter programme", was a Soviet and later Russian reusable spacecraft project that began in 1974 at the Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute in Moscow and was formally suspended in 1993. In addition to being the designation for the whole Soviet/Russian reusable spacecraft project, Buran was also the name given to orbiter 1K, which completed one uncrewed spaceflight in 1988 and was the only Soviet reusable spacecraft to be launched into space. The Buran-class orbiters used the expendable Energia rocket as a launch vehicle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Energia (corporation)</span> Russian spacecraft manufacturer

PAO S. P. Korolev Rocket and Space Corporation Energia, also known as RSC Energia, is a Russian manufacturer of spacecraft and space station components. The company is the prime developer and contractor of the Russian crewed spaceflight program; it also owns a majority of Sea Launch. Its name is derived from Sergei Korolev, the first chief of its design bureau, and the Russian word for energy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zenit (rocket family)</span> Soviet (now Ukrainian) RP-1/LOX fueled rocket, for satellite launch

Zenit was a family of space launch vehicles designed by the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau in Dnipro, Ukraine, which was then part of the Soviet Union. Zenit was originally built in the 1980s for two purposes: as a liquid rocket booster for the Energia rocket and, equipped with a second stage, as a stand-alone middle-weight launcher with a payload greater than the 7 tonnes of the Soyuz but smaller than the 20 tonnes payload of the Proton. The last rocket family developed in the USSR, the Zenit was intended as an eventual replacement for the dated Soyuz and Proton families, and it would employ propellants which were safer and less toxic than the Proton's nitrogen tetroxide/UDMH mix. Zenit was planned to take over crewed spaceship launches from Soyuz, but these plans were abandoned after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luch (satellite)</span> Russian data relay system


The Luch Satellite Data Relay Network (SDRN), also referred to as Altair and Gelios, is a series of geosynchronous Russian relay satellites, used to transmit live TV images, communications and other telemetry from the Soviet/Russian space station Mir, the Russian Orbital Segment (ROS) of the International Space Station and other orbital spacecraft to the Earth, in a manner similar to that of the US Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angara (rocket family)</span> Russian family of space launch vehicles

The Angara rocket family is a family of launch vehicles being developed by the Moscow-based Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center. The launch vehicles are to put between 3,800 kg (8,400 lb) and 24,500 kg (54,000 lb) into low Earth orbit and are intended, along with Soyuz-2 variants, to replace several existing launch vehicles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">EgyptSat 1</span> Egyptian space satellite

EgyptSat 1 or MisrSat-1 was Egypt's first Earth remote sensing satellite. This satellite was jointly built by Egypt's National Authority for Remote Sensing and Space Sciences together with the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau in Ukraine and was launched on board a Dnepr rocket on 17 April 2007 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soyuz-2</span> Russian medium-lift launch vehicle

Soyuz-2 is a modernised version of the Soviet Soyuz rocket. In its basic form, it is a three-stage launch vehicle for placing payloads into low Earth orbit. Compared to the previous versions of the Soyuz, the first-stage boosters and two core stages feature uprated engines with improved injection systems. Digital flight control and telemetry systems allow the rocket to be launched from a fixed launch platform, whereas the launch platforms for earlier Soyuz rockets had to be rotated as the rocket could not perform a roll to change its heading in flight.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orel (spacecraft)</span> Planned reusable crewed spacecraft

Orel or Oryol, formerly Federation, and PPTS, is a project by Roscosmos to develop a new-generation, partially reusable crewed spacecraft.

The Zarya spacecraft was a secret Soviet project of the late 1980s aiming to design and build a large crewed vertical-takeoff, vertical-landing (VTVL) reusable space capsule, a much larger replacement for the Soyuz (spacecraft). The project was developed during 1985–1989 years by Energia corporation until it was shelved in 1989, "on the eve of the Soviet Union's collapse" due to lack of funding. The name of the project was later reused by the Zarya space station module which served as the first component of International Space Station in 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orbital Piloted Assembly and Experiment Complex</span> Proposed Russian space station

The Orbital Piloted Assembly and Experiment Complex was a 2009–2017 proposed third-generation Russian modular space station for low Earth orbit. The concept was to use OPSEK to assemble components of crewed interplanetary spacecraft destined for the Moon, Mars, and possibly Saturn. The returning crew could also recover on the station before landing on Earth. Thus, OPSEK could form part of a future network of stations supporting crewed exploration of the Solar System.

National Authority for Remote Sensing and Space Sciences (NARSS) is the pioneering Egyptian institution in the field of satellite remote sensing and space sciences.

The Blok DM-03, GRAU index 11S861-03, is a Russian upper stage used as an optional fourth stage on the Proton-M and Angara A5 heavy-lift rockets. Three have been launched, the first in December 2010; the first two launches failed before fourth stage ignition, the first as a result of a problem with the Blok DM's fuel load. Some versions are also known as Orion.

Foton-M No.4 is a Russian microgravity and bioscience research spacecraft launched in July 2014 as part of the Foton programme. It is the fourth spacecraft in the Foton-M series, and the first to use the 34KSM configuration incorporating the equipment module from a Yantar satellite in place of that of a Zenit on earlier missions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soyuz MS</span> Latest revision of the Soyuz spacecraft

The Soyuz MS is a revision of the Russian spacecraft series Soyuz first launched in 2016. It is an evolution of the Soyuz TMA-M spacecraft, with modernization mostly concentrated on the communications and navigation subsystems. It is used by Roscosmos for human spaceflight. The Soyuz MS has minimal external changes with respect to the Soyuz TMA-M, mostly limited to antennas and sensors, as well as the thruster placement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luch 5V</span>

Luch 5V is a Russian Luch relay satellite which transmits data from the Russian Orbital Segment of the International Space Station, and from other satellites in low Earth orbit. It currently is stationed in the 95° East geosynchronous orbit slot of the Luch network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Progress MS-01</span> 2015 Russian resupply spaceflight to the ISS

Progress MS-01, identified by NASA as Progress 62P was a Progress spaceflight operated by Roscosmos to resupply the International Space Station (ISS) in 2015. It was launched on 21 December 2015, to deliver cargo to the ISS. Progress MS-01 is the first vehicle in the Progress-MS series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Progress MS-11</span> 2019 Russian resupply spaceflight to the ISS

Progress MS-11, identified by NASA as Progress 72P, was a Progress spaceflight operated by Roscosmos to resupply the International Space Station (ISS). This was the 163rd flight of a Progress spacecraft.

The USP, for Universal Space Platform, also known as Viktoria (Виктория), is a highly flexible satellite bus designed and manufactured by RSC Energia. It is called universal because it has been designed to be operated from LEO to GEO. It is a three axis stabilized platform with electric propulsion for station keeping, but chemical propellant is offered as an option. The bus can offer up to 3000 W of power and a payload capacity up to 1,000 kg (2,200 lb) for Low Earth orbit or HEO an up to 300 kg (660 lb) for geostationary orbit.

TGK PG is an automated cargo spacecraft project to replace Progress-MS as the Russian logistic vehicle to the ISS. It was requested for development to take advantage of the increased lift capacity of the Soyuz-2.1b. The initial development contract was awarded to RSC Energia by Roscosmos on December 11, 2015. The spacecraft is not expected to fly before 2020.

EgyptSat-A or MisrSat A is Egypt's third Earth observation satellite following the EgyptSat 1 launched in 2007 and EgyptSat 2 launched in 2014. This satellite was built by the Egyptian National Authority for Remote Sensing and Space Sciences Jointly with Russian RKK Energia while the imaging payload was developed by OAO Peleng and NIRUP Geoinformatsionnye Sistemy in Belarus.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "EgyptSat 2 (MisrSat 2)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 17 April 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "2014 - Launches to Orbit and Beyond". Zarya Soviet, Russian and international space flight. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
  3. 1 2 "EgyptSat-2 (MisrSat-2) spacecraft launch". Center for Operation of Space Ground-Based Infrastructure. Archived from the original on 16 April 2014. Retrieved 17 April 2014.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Anatoly Zak (25 April 2015). "EgyptSat-2 spy satellite". RussianSpaceWeb.com. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
  5. "Satellite: EgyptSat-2". Observing Systems Capability Analysis and Review Tool. Retrieved 17 April 2014.
  6. 1 2 3 "Soyuz-U - EgyptSat-2 Launch Updates". spaceflight101. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
  7. 1 2 "Technology has helped reduce satellite assembly time". Rostec. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
  8. 1 2 "Rt-chemcomposite.ru" «РТ-Химкомпозит» сократил срок сборки космических аппаратов. РТ-Химкомпозит (in Russian). 18 April 2014. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
  9. 1 2 "Egyptian reconnaissance satellite launched by Soyuz". spaceflightnow. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
  10. "Egyptsat-2 a Step Towards Egyptian Space Agency". allafrica. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
  11. "EgyptSat 1 (MisrSat 1)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
  12. 1 2 3 YAAKOV LAPPIN. "Egypt struggles for spy satellite program progress". The Jerusalem Post .
  13. 1 2 3 "EgyptSat-2 Ready to Launch Wednesday Atop Soyuz-U Booster". America Space. 15 April 2014.
  14. Zak, Anatoly (5 April 2019). "EgyptSat-A enters orbit after a close-call Soyuz launch". www.russianspaceweb.com. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
  15. Barensky, Stefan (17 April 2014). "Un satellite d'observation russe pour l'Egypte". Air et Cosmos (in French). Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
  16. "Communication with EgyptSat 2 satellite lost: Russian newspaper". The Cairo Post . Cairo. Youm7. 24 April 2015. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
  17. 1 2 Todd, David (28 April 2015). "Egyptsat 2 still not recovered after "loss of control"". Seradata. Russia. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
  18. "EgyptSat-2 Earth Observation Satellite faces potentially Fatal Problems". spaceflight101. 4 May 2015. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
  19. Clark, Stephen (21 February 2019). "Egyptian observation satellite launched by Russian rocket". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  20. Zak, Anatoly (22 February 2019). "EgyptSat-A enters orbit after a close-call Soyuz launch". RussianSpaceWeb.com. Retrieved 23 February 2019.