Mission type | Ship tracking |
---|---|
Operator | LuxSpace (lessor) Orbcomm (operator) |
COSPAR ID | 2012-001B |
SATCAT no. | 38047 |
Mission duration | Planned: 3 years Achieved: 4 years |
Spacecraft properties | |
Manufacturer | LuxSpace |
Launch mass | 29 kilograms (64 lb) |
Start of mission | |
Launch date | 9 January 2012, 03:17 UTC |
Rocket | Chang Zheng 4B Y26 |
Launch site | Taiyuan LC-9 |
End of mission | |
Last contact | January 2016[1] |
Orbital parameters | |
Reference system | Geocentric |
Regime | Low Earth |
Perigee altitude | 472 kilometres (293 mi) |
Apogee altitude | 484 kilometres (301 mi) |
Inclination | 97.43 degrees |
Period | 94.02 minutes |
Epoch | 31 October 2013, 18:34:19 UTC [2] |
VesselSat-2 (aka Orbcomm FM43, V2) was a Luxembourgian microsatellite built and owned by LuxSpace, and operated by Orbcomm under lease. It carried a receiver for Automatic Identification System signals, used to track ships at sea. VesselSat-2 was the second of two VesselSat spacecraft (see VesselSat-1), which were built by LuxSpace for Orbcomm, as replacements for the AIS capabilities of the failed Orbcomm-QL spacecraft. [1]
VesselSat-2 was launched as a secondary payload on a Long March 4B carrier rocket which was carrying Ziyuan 3. The launch occurred at 03:17 UTC on 9 January 2012, [3] from Launch Complex 9 at the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre, and was the first orbital launch of the year. [4]
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