AEROS MH-1

Last updated
AEROS MH-1
OperatorAEROS Consortium
COSPAR ID 2024-043AZ
SATCAT no. 59145
Mission duration3 years
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft type 3U CubeSat
Payload mass4.5 kg (9.9 lb)
Dimensions10 cm x 10 cm x 30 cm (3U)
Start of mission
Launch date4 March 2024, 22:05 (2024-03-04UTC22:05Z) (UTC)
Rocket Falcon 9
Launch site Vandenberg Space Force Base
Contractor SpaceX
Orbital parameters
Reference system Geocentric orbit
Regime Low Earth orbit
Period 90 minutes
Aeros constellation.png  

The AEROS MH-1 is a Portuguese nanosatellite that is currently orbiting Earth at an altitude of around 510 km. [1] Launched on 4 March 2024 from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, it is Portugal's second ever satellite, after the PoSAT-1. [2] Its purpose is ocean mapping and observation, with particular interest in the Portuguese exclusive economic zone in the Atlantic Ocean. [3]

Contents

Background and function

The AEROS MH-1 was launched to map and observe the oceans of planet Earth, [4] with particular interest in the Atlantic Ocean, since the Portuguese Exclusive Economic Zone is located there. [5] It was Portugal's second ever satellite, second only to 1993's PoSAT-1, and its meant to be the first step towards making Portugal “a space nation by the end of the 2020s”. [6]

Work on the satellite began in 2020 and it represents an investment of 2.78 million euros, co-financed by 1.88 million euros from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). [7] Its name is a homage to Manuel Heitor, former Portuguese Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education. [2]

Launch

The AEROS MH-1 was launched on 4 March 2024, 14:05 PTZ, from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, [8] [9] aboard Space X's Falcon 9, as part of the Transporter 10 mission. [3] It was first Portuguese satellite to be launched into space in over thirty years. [10]

Aftermath

The satellite now orbits at an altitude of around 510 km, slightly above the International Space Station. [11] Communications and data collection are carried out from the island of Santa Maria in the Azores. [12]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brazilian Space Agency</span> Brazilian Space Agency

The Brazilian Space Agency is the civilian authority in Brazil responsible for the country's space program. It operates a spaceport at Alcântara, and a rocket launch site at Barreira do Inferno. It is the largest and most prominent space agency in Latin America.

Satélite de Coleta de Dados is a series of satellites developed in Brazil.

Tomás Taveira is a Portuguese architect and former university teacher. He has a degree in architecture from the Escola Superior de Belas-Artes de Lisboa (ESBAL), later incorporated into the Technical University of Lisbon (UTL), and owns a post-graduation from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Some of his most recognizable works include the Amoreiras Towers in Lisbon, three of the new stadiums for the 2004 UEFA European Football Championship in Portugal and the Allianz Parque stadium in São Paulo, Brazil.

The VLS-1 was the Brazilian Space Agency's main satellite launch vehicle. The launch vehicle would have been capable of launching satellites into orbit. The launch site was located at the Alcântara Launch Center due to its proximity to the equator.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PoSAT-1</span> Portuguese satellite

PoSAT-1, the first Portuguese satellite, was launched into orbit on 26 September 1993, on the 59th flight of the Ariane 40 launch vehicle. The launch took place in the Centre Spatial Guyanais, French Guiana. About 20 minutes and 35 seconds after launch, at an altitude of 807 km, PoSAT-1 separated itself from the launch vehicle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portugal men's national ice hockey team</span>

The Portuguese national ice hockey team is the national men's ice hockey team of Portugal. The team was previously controlled by the Federation of Portuguese Ice Sports (FPDG.) In September 2017, control was given to the Federação de Desportos de Inverno de Portugal, which also retains the associate membership within the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), which had been acquired by the FPDG on May 13, 1999. Portugal is currently not ranked in the IIHF World Rankings and is still not actively competing in any World Championship events.

Dealema is a long-running Portuguese hip-hop group based in Porto. Along with Mind Da Gap, they are one of the oldest hip-hop bands in Portugal and had major influence over the genre's development across the country. Their early influences included Mobb Deep, Wu-Tang Clan, and Nas. Dealema has been performing with the same lineup of Mundo, DJ Guze, Fuse, Expeão, and Maze since forming in 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amazônia-1</span> Earth observation satellite of Brazil

The Amazônia-1 or SSR-1, is the first Earth observation satellite developed by Brazil, helped by Argentina's INVAP, who provided the main computer, attitude controls and sensors, and the training of Brazilian engineers, and launched at 04:54:00 UTC on 28 February 2021.

ARSAT SG-1, formerly known as ARSAT-3, is a geostationary communications satellite ordered by ARSAT and being designed by the Argentine company INVAP.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manu Gavassi</span> Brazilian singer-songwriter and actress (born 1993)

Manoela Latini Gavassi Francisco, better known as Manu Gavassi, is a Brazilian singer, songwriter and actress.

Tancredo-1 was a Brazilian picosatellite. It was a TubeSat which was developed by the students from the school Tancredo Almeida Neves, in Ubatuba (SP), with support for the picosat platform made by Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais (INPE), adapting and integration to launch provided by TuPOD from Italian company GAUSS Srl and by Agência Espacial Brasileira (AEB).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PSLV-C51</span>

The PSLV-C51 is the 53rd mission of the Indian Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) program. The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV)-C51 was launched at 04:54 (UTC) / 10:24 (IST) on 28 February 2021 with the main payload from Brazil, INPE's Amazônia-1 and 18 other ride-sharing small satellites.

The Lume-1 is a Spanish nanosatellite developed for educational and scientific purposes by the University of Vigo in cooperation with Alén Space, the University of Porto and the French National Centre of Scientific Research. The satellite is part of the Fire-RS program in order to battle wildfires.

Portugal Space is the Portuguese Space Agency created by the Portuguese government in collaboration with the regional government of the Azores in 2019. It is headquartered at Santa Maria Island, in the Azores, Portugal. The agency succeeds the Space Office of the Foundation for Science and Technology.

The Hispasat 1A was the first communications satellite operated by the Spanish company Hispasat. The satellite covered communications over the Atlantic Ocean for both civilian and military customers. Together with the later Hispasat 1B it formed the first European constellation operating over the New World. Its service life ended in 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">VLS-1 V01</span>

VLS-1 V01 was the first launch of the VLS-1 rocket that took place on November 2, 1997, from the Alcântara Launch Center with the goal of putting the SCD-2A satellite into orbit. The launch was unsuccessful, with the rocket being remotely destroyed due to deviation from its trajectory.

VLS-1 V02 was the second flight of the VLS-1 rocket on December 11, 1999 from the Alcântara Launch Center, with the objective of placing the SACI-2 microsatellite in LEO. The rocket was remotely destroyed 3 minutes after launch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ISTSat-1</span> 2024 Portuguese satellite


The ISTSat-1 is a Portuguese nanosatellite developed by students and researchers of the Instituto Superior Técnico, that was launched into orbit on 9 July 2024, aboard the Ariane 6 maiden flight. The project is part of the European Space Agency's "Fly Your Satellite!" programme. It is the third Portuguese satellite in space, after the PoSAT-1 and the AEROS MH-1, and the first entirely developed by a Portuguese university.

References

  1. "IN+ | AEROS MH-1, the first satellite totally developed in Portugal was sent to space". in3.dem.ist.utl.pt. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  2. 1 2 "Satélite português: "Ao fim de 24 horas vamos ter as primeiras comunicações com o MH-1"". SIC Notícias (in Portuguese). 2024-03-05. Retrieved 2024-03-08.
  3. 1 2 SAPO. "Portugal volta ao espaço com nanosatélite. MH-1 foi lançado a bordo do Falcon 9". SAPO Tek (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  4. "Portugal to launch satellite". www.theportugalnews.com. Retrieved 2024-03-08.
  5. "Satélite Aeros: oito segundos para mais uma jornada portuguesa no Espaço". Expresso (in Portuguese). 2024-03-07. Retrieved 2024-03-08.
  6. "30 years on from PoSAT-1, Portugal returns to major space initiatives". www.portugal.gov.pt. Retrieved 2024-03-08.
  7. SAPO. "Trinta anos depois, Portugal lança o seu segundo satélite". SAPO 24 (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2024-03-08.
  8. "AEROS será o segundo satélite português no espaço". Portugal Space (in European Portuguese). 2024-03-04. Retrieved 2024-03-08.
  9. "30 anos depois há um novo satélite português no espaço". 4gnews | Notícias de tecnologia e reviews especializadas (in European Portuguese). 2024-03-04. Retrieved 2024-03-08.
  10. "Segundo satélite português já foi enviado para o espaço". euronews (in Portuguese). 2024-03-05. Retrieved 2024-03-08.
  11. "Satélite português em órbita vai estudar o Atlântico". www.cmjornal.pt (in European Portuguese). Retrieved 2024-03-08.
  12. "Portugal lança segundo satélite para o espaço após 30 anos". SIC Notícias (in Portuguese). 2024-03-04. Retrieved 2024-03-08.