SumbandilaSat

Last updated
SumbandilaSat
Mission typeTechnology
Operator University of Stellenbosch
COSPAR ID 2009-049F OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
SATCAT no. 35870
Mission duration3 years (planned);
1 year and 9 months (achieved)
Spacecraft properties
Manufacturer SunSpace
Launch mass81 kilograms (179 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date17 September 2009, 15:55:07 (2009-09-17UTC15:55:07Z) UTC
Rocket Soyuz-2-1b/Fregat
Launch site Baikonur Site 31/6
End of mission
DisposalDamaged by solar storm
Last contact14 September 2011 (2011-09-15)
Decay date10 December 2021 [1]
Orbital parameters
Reference system Geocentric
Regime Low Earth
Perigee altitude 447.7 kilometres (278.2 mi) [2]
Apogee altitude 449.8 kilometres (279.5 mi) [2]
Inclination 97.1 degrees [2]
Period 93.4 minutes [2]
Epoch 24 May 2015 [2]
 

SumbandilaSat (sometimes just Sumbandila, formerly ZASAT-002, AMSAT designation SO-67 [3] [4] ), was a South African micro Earth observation satellite, launched on 17 September 2009 on a Soyuz-2 launch vehicle from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. [5] The first part of the name, Sumbandila, is from the Venda language and means "lead the way".

Contents

The University of Stellenbosch, SunSpace and the CSIR (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research) were key players in constructing SumbandilaSat. The CSIR's Satellite Application Centre (CSIR-SAC) was responsible for operations, telemetry, tracking, control as well as data capturing.

SumbandilaSat was part of a closely integrated South African space programme and served as a research tool to investigate the viability of affordable space technology. Furthermore, the data was used to, amongst others, monitor and manage disasters such as flooding, oil spills and fires within Southern Africa.

In June 2011 the satellite was damaged during a solar storm. The damage caused the on-board computer and the camera to stop functioning. This has caused it to stop fulfilling its primary objective and it has been written off as a loss by SunSpace, its builder. [6] The final data packet from the satellite was received on 14 September 2011. [7]

Launch site

The launch site was the Baikonur Cosmodrome LC-31/6, which is located at the following coordinates:

Satellite specifications

General satellite specifications
ItemSpecification
ImagerNER < 0.6% with a forward motion compensation (FMC) factor of 4:1
Operational MTF: >= 5% over the full field (excluding orbit motion effects)
GSD = 6.25m @ an orbit altitude of 500 km
6 spectral band (visible range) line scanner
Matrix sensor included for "snapshot" pictures
Image quantisation: 12-bit (data for each pixel stored as 2 bytes)
Image modesDefault scan mode with FMC = 4:1 but system could operate with FMC = 1:1 with consequent degradation in NER
In FMC = 4:1 mode, non-contiguous scenes of 45 km x 45 km could be imaged (max 10 scenes in 6 spectral bands before data downloading was required)
In FMC = 1:1 mode, a contiguous strip with 45 km swath could be imaged (max track length of 450 km could be imaged in 6 spectral bands before data downloading was required)
Imager data store24 Gbyte
Image data downlinkExpected frequency implemented on satellite exploration S-band
Link margin: 3 dB @ 10° (calculated with 0dBi satellite antenna; 5W Tx power and SAC GS parameters)
Data rate sufficient to download full image data store during two night passes
No real-time downloading of images (all images stored on board the satellite)
ViewfinderLive downlinking of PAL video images during TT&C ground station passes
PAL images selectable between B&W (narrow FOV) and two wider FOV colour PAL cameras
Satellite bore-sight steerable with "joystick" interface
Viewfinder mode could be interrupted with either image snapshot or image linescan modes upon ground command
The bore-sight direction of the viewfinder was the same as the main imager
ADCS systemThe satellite was 3-axis stabilised
System performance was sufficient to maintain pointing accuracy for image downloading
ADCS performance did not degrade image quality
The satellite bore-sight could be controlled to within 3 km on the ground
The intended system implementation used a combination of the following actuators and sensors: Horizon, fine-Sun, coarse-Sun sensors; star camera; magnetometer(s); fibre-optic gyros; reaction wheels and magneto torquers
A satellite slew manoeuvre from one stabilised position to another stabilised position, through an angle of 30°, could be completed in less than 1 minute
Propulsion SystemSufficient propellant included to maintain a satisfactory orbit for 3–4 years
System was to demonstrate orbit constellation deployment as well as orbit maintenance
TT&C Communication LinkExpected frequencies implemented on commercial VHF uplink and UHF downlink
Link margin: 6 dB @ 5° (calculated with -12dBi satellite antenna null; 5W Tx power and 12dBi GS antenna gain)
Satellite HousekeepingOne TT&C GS pass per 24h was sufficient for the purpose of monitoring telemetry and uploading of new command sets and SW
PowerEnergy source: solar panel with 65W (EOL) capacity
Mission planning dictated energy requirements per orbit
ExperimentsProvision was made for two 1-kg experiments
SU certified the space environmental readiness of the experiments at MC level prior to integration
Average power available per experiment: 1.2W (TBC)
Peak power available per experiment: 10W (TBC)
Orbit lifetimeDesign lifetime of 3 years at an orbit altitude of 500 km (subject to average Sun activity)
Given the ultimate unpredictability of the space environment, the operational life varied from the design lifetime

* Courtesy of SunSpace

On-board experiments

It had a number of secondary experimental payloads on board: [3]

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "SUMBANDILA". N2YO.com. 10 December 2021. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "SUMBANDILA Satellite details 2009-049F NORAD 35870". N2YO.com. 24 May 2015. Archived from the original on 24 May 2015. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
  3. 1 2 "SumbandilaSat". eoPortal. ESA. 2012. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  4. ↑ ANS-294 AMSAT News Service Special Bulletin SumbandilaSat Designated as SO-67, AMSAT News Service, bulletin ANS-294 of 2009-10-21 (naming as OSCAR), accessed 2009-10-25
  5. ↑ "SA satellite finally lifts off". News24 . 18 August 2009. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  6. ↑ Martin, Guy (25 January 2012). "SumbandilaSat beyond repair". defenseWeb. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  7. ↑ Iderawumi, Mustapha (10 December 2021). "South Africa's SumbandilaSat Reaches the End of its Design Life". Space in Africa. Retrieved 21 December 2021.

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