SACI-2
Encyclopedia
The SACI-2 was a Brazil
ian experimental satellite
, designed and built by the Brazilian Institute for Space Research (INPE). It was launched on 11 December 1999 from the INPE base in Alcântara, Maranhão, by the Brazilian VLS-1
V02 rocket
. Due to failure of its second stage, the rocket veered off course and had to be destroyed 3 minutes and 20 seconds after launch.
The name was officially an acronym of Satélite de Aplicações CIentíficas ("Scientific Applications Satellite"), but was obviously taken from the Saci
character of Brazilian folklore.
The satellite weighted approximately 80 kg
. It was a box approximately 60 cm long and 40 cm square, with a circular base plate and surrounded by a metal ring, both about 80 cm in diameter. Besides being a technology testbed, it carried four scientific payloads (PLASMEX, MAGNEX, OCRAS and PHOTO), with a total weight of 10 kg, to investigate plasma bubbles in the geomagnetic field, air glow, and anomalous cosmic radiation fluxes. It was meant to circle the Earth
on a circular orbit
at 750 km altitude, inclined 17.5 °
from the Equator
.
The spin-stabilized spacecraft carried two S-band communication links (a 2W, 256 kb
/ s
downlink and 19.2 kbit/s uplink), and a 48 MB
solid state data recorder. It is variously reported to have cost between US$ 800,000 and US$ 1.7 million
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian experimental satellite
Satellite
In the context of spaceflight, a satellite is an object which has been placed into orbit by human endeavour. Such objects are sometimes called artificial satellites to distinguish them from natural satellites such as the Moon....
, designed and built by the Brazilian Institute for Space Research (INPE). It was launched on 11 December 1999 from the INPE base in Alcântara, Maranhão, by the Brazilian VLS-1
VLS-1
The VLS - Satellite Launch Vehicle - is the Brazilian Space Agency's main satellite launch vehicle project. The project's goal is to develop a launch vehicle capable of launching small general-purpose satellites into orbit...
V02 rocket
Rocket
A rocket is a missile, spacecraft, aircraft or other vehicle which obtains thrust from a rocket engine. In all rockets, the exhaust is formed entirely from propellants carried within the rocket before use. Rocket engines work by action and reaction...
. Due to failure of its second stage, the rocket veered off course and had to be destroyed 3 minutes and 20 seconds after launch.
The name was officially an acronym of Satélite de Aplicações CIentíficas ("Scientific Applications Satellite"), but was obviously taken from the Saci
Saci (Brazilian folklore)
The Saci is considered the most popular character in Brazilian folklore. He is a one-legged black or mulatto youngster with holes in the palms of his hands, who smokes a pipe and wears a magical red cap that enables him to disappear and reappear wherever he wishes...
character of Brazilian folklore.
The satellite weighted approximately 80 kg
Kilogram
The kilogram or kilogramme , also known as the kilo, is the base unit of mass in the International System of Units and is defined as being equal to the mass of the International Prototype Kilogram , which is almost exactly equal to the mass of one liter of water...
. It was a box approximately 60 cm long and 40 cm square, with a circular base plate and surrounded by a metal ring, both about 80 cm in diameter. Besides being a technology testbed, it carried four scientific payloads (PLASMEX, MAGNEX, OCRAS and PHOTO), with a total weight of 10 kg, to investigate plasma bubbles in the geomagnetic field, air glow, and anomalous cosmic radiation fluxes. It was meant to circle the Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
on a circular orbit
Orbit
In physics, an orbit is the gravitationally curved path of an object around a point in space, for example the orbit of a planet around the center of a star system, such as the Solar System...
at 750 km altitude, inclined 17.5 °
Degree (angle)
A degree , usually denoted by ° , is a measurement of plane angle, representing 1⁄360 of a full rotation; one degree is equivalent to π/180 radians...
from the Equator
Equator
An equator is the intersection of a sphere's surface with the plane perpendicular to the sphere's axis of rotation and containing the sphere's center of mass....
.
The spin-stabilized spacecraft carried two S-band communication links (a 2W, 256 kb
Kilobit
The kilobit is a multiple of the unit bit for digital information or computer storage. The prefix kilo is defined in the International System of Units as a multiplier of 103 , and therefore,...
/ s
Second
The second is a unit of measurement of time, and is the International System of Units base unit of time. It may be measured using a clock....
downlink and 19.2 kbit/s uplink), and a 48 MB
Megabyte
The megabyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information storage or transmission with two different values depending on context: bytes generally for computer memory; and one million bytes generally for computer storage. The IEEE Standards Board has decided that "Mega will mean 1 000...
solid state data recorder. It is variously reported to have cost between US$ 800,000 and US$ 1.7 million
External links
- SACI-2 in Gunter's Space Page.