SumbandilaSat
Encyclopedia
SumbandilaSat is a South Africa
n micro earth observation satellite
, launched 2009-09-17 on a Soyuz-2 launch vehicle from the Baikonur Cosmodrome
. The first part of the name, Sumbandila, is from the Venda language
and means "lead the way".
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) will be responsible for operations, telemetry, tracking, control as well as data capturing.
SumbandilaSat is part of a closely integrated South African space programme and will serve as a research tool to investigate the viability of affordable space technology. Furthermore, the data will be used to, amongst others, monitor and manage disasters such as flooding, oil spills and fires within Southern Africa.
is known as LC-31/6, and can be found in at the following coordinates:
* Courtesy of SunSpace
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n micro earth observation satellite
Earth observation satellite
Earth observation satellites are satellites specifically designed to observe Earth from orbit, similar to reconnaissance satellites but intended for non-military uses such as environmental monitoring, meteorology, map making etc....
, launched 2009-09-17 on a Soyuz-2 launch vehicle from the Baikonur Cosmodrome
Baikonur Cosmodrome
The Baikonur Cosmodrome , also called Tyuratam, is the world's first and largest operational space launch facility. It is located in the desert steppe of Kazakhstan, about east of the Aral Sea, north of the Syr Darya river, near Tyuratam railway station, at 90 meters above sea level...
. The first part of the name, Sumbandila, is from the Venda language
Venda language
Venda, also known as or , is a Bantu language and an official language of South Africa. The majority of Venda speakers live in the northern part of South Africa's Limpopo Province, but about 10% of speakers live in Zimbabwe. The Venda language is related to Kalanga which is spoken in Botswana...
and means "lead the way".
The University of Stellenbosch, SunSpace and the CSIR
Council for Scientific and Industrial Research
The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research is South Africa's central and premier scientific research and development organisation. It was established by an act of parliament in 1945 and is situated on its own campus in the city of Pretoria...
(Council for Scientific and Industrial Research) were key players in constructing SumbandilaSat. The CSIR's Satellite Application Centre (CSIR-SAC) will be responsible for operations, telemetry, tracking, control as well as data capturing.
SumbandilaSat is part of a closely integrated South African space programme and will serve as a research tool to investigate the viability of affordable space technology. Furthermore, the data will be used to, amongst others, monitor and manage disasters such as flooding, oil spills and fires within Southern Africa.
Launch site
The launch site at the Baikonur CosmodromeBaikonur Cosmodrome
The Baikonur Cosmodrome , also called Tyuratam, is the world's first and largest operational space launch facility. It is located in the desert steppe of Kazakhstan, about east of the Aral Sea, north of the Syr Darya river, near Tyuratam railway station, at 90 meters above sea level...
is known as LC-31/6, and can be found in at the following coordinates:
Satellite specifications
| Item | Specification |
|---|---|
| Imager | NER < 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 modes | Default scan mode with FMC = 4:1 but system can operate with FMC = 1:1 with consequent degradation in NER |
| In FMC = 4:1 mode, non-contiguous scenes of 45 km x 45 km can be imaged (max 10 scenes in 6 spectral bands before data downloading is required) | |
| In FMC = 1:1 mode, a contiguous strip with 45 km swath can be imaged (max track length of 450 km can be imaged in 6 spectral bands before data downloading is required) | |
| Imager data store | 24 Gbyte |
| Image data downlink | Expected frequency to be implemented on satellite exploration S-band |
| Link margin: 3dB @ 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) | |
| Viewfinder | Live 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 can be interrupted with either image snapshot or image linescan modes upon ground command | |
| The bore-sight direction of the viewfinder is the same as the main imager | |
| ADCS system | The satellite is 3-axis stabilised |
| System performance is sufficient to maintain pointing accuracy for image downloading | |
| ADCS performance shall not degrade image quality | |
| The satellite bore-sight can be controlled to within 3 km on the ground | |
| The intended system implementation will use 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°, can be completed in less than 1 minute | |
| Propulsion System | Sufficient propellant included to maintain a satisfactory orbit for 3–4 years |
| System will demonstrate orbit constellation deployment as well as orbit maintenance | |
| TT&C Communication Link | Expected frequencies to be implemented on commercial VHF uplink and UHF downlink |
| Link margin: 6dB @ 5° (calculated with -12dBi satellite antenna null; 5W Tx power and 12dBi GS antenna gain) | |
| Satellite Housekeeping | One TT&C GS pass per 24h will be sufficient for the purpose of monitoring telemetry and uploading of new command sets and SW |
| Power | Energy source: solar panel with 65W (EOL) capacity |
| Mission planning will dictate energy requirements per orbit | |
| Experiments | Provision is made for two 1-kg experiments |
| SU will certify 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 lifetime | Design 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 can vary from the design lifetime |
* Courtesy of SunSpace
On-board experiments
It has a number of secondary experimental payloads on board:- Stellenbosch UniversityStellenbosch UniversityStellenbosch University is a public research university situated in the town of Stellenbosch, South Africa. Other nearby universities are the University of Cape Town and University of the Western Cape....
— Architectural radiation experiment for commercial off the shelf devices and a software defined radio project. - Nelson Mandela Metropolitan UniversityNelson Mandela Metropolitan UniversityNelson Mandela Metropolitan University is a South African tertiary education institution with its main administration in the coastal city of Port Elizabeth. The merger creating the NMMU was realized in January 2005 but its history dates back to 1882 with the foundation of Port Elizabeth Art School...
— A forced vibrating string experiment. - University of KwaZulu-NatalUniversity of KwaZulu-NatalThe University of KwaZulu-Natal or UKZN is a university with five campuses all located in the province of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. It was formed on 1 January 2004 after the merger between the University of Natal and the University of Durban-Westville.-History:-University of...
— Very low frequencyVery low frequency225px|thumb|right|A VLF receiving antenna at [[Palmer Station]], Antarctica, operated by Stanford UniversityVery low frequency or VLF refers to radio frequencies in the range of 3 kHz to 30 kHz. Since there is not much bandwidth in this band of the radio spectrum, only the very simplest signals...
(VLF) radio experiment. - SA AMSAT — 2m/70 cm amateur radioAmateur radioAmateur radio is the use of designated radio frequency spectrum for purposes of private recreation, non-commercial exchange of messages, wireless experimentation, self-training, and emergency communication...
transponderTransponderIn telecommunication, the term transponder has the following meanings:...
, parrot repeater and a voice beacon. The AMSATAMSATAMSAT is a name for amateur radio satellite organizations worldwide, but in particular the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation with headquarters at Silver Spring, Maryland, near Washington DC. AMSAT organizations design, build, arrange launches for, and then operate satellites carrying amateur...
designation of this payload is SO-67