AlSat 1

Spacecraft nº:

Germany spacecraft nº: 72

Launch data: Designation  40054 / 14034B Launch date  30 Jun 2014 - 04:22 UT Launch site  Sriharikota, FLP Launch vehicle  PSLV-CA(C23) Mission  Communicatio AIS Earth orbit: Perigee / Apogee  638 x 659 km Eccentricity   Inclination   98.24° Period  97.69 min

Artist's rendition of the deployed AISat (image credit: DLR)

Spacecraft data: Prime manufacturer  Institute of Space Systems in Bremen (main body) Platform   Operator   Mass at launch   kg Dry Mass   kg Basic shape   Dimension (m)   Equipment   Solar array   Stabilization   Propulsion   DC power   Design lifetime

Photo of the AISat nanosatellite integrated on the PSLV C-23 upper stage (image credit: DLR)

Description:

• AISat is technology demonstration mission of DLR (German Aerospace Center). Two institutes of DLR are involved in the development of this project: The Institute of Space Systems in Bremen developed the main body of the nanosatellite and system engineering, while the Institute of Composite Structures and Adaptive Systems in Braunschweig took the responsibility for the experimental verification of the helical antenna. Cooperating partners in the project are the University of Bremen and two industrial companies.
• The distinctive feature of this mission, compared to AIS (Automatic Identification System) satellites already in orbit, lies in the use of a high-gain helical antenna, which enables the reception of AIS signals, especially on highly frequented sea areas, where signal collisions often lead to non-decodable data.
• The mission objectives require an antenna with an excellent directionality, i.e. with a comparatively narrow illumination radius. Otherwise, with a too large antenna footprint the satellite would receive a huge amount of signals from a very large area. Moreover, many interfering signals which are present in adjacent frequency bands would make it almost impossible to trace individual ships. High-gain helical antennas have the required directionality – and they are able to receive not only the Class A VHF signals from commercial shipping, but also Class B signals from non-commercial ships, as well as Search And Rescue (SAR) transmitter signals sent from survival craft or distressed vessels. Thus, the spiral form of the antenna was mandatory.
• AISat is a suitcase-sized nanosatellite with a deployable fiber-composite antenna. The antenna is stowed within a small volume for launch, only to extend to its operational dimensions once released in orbit.

Mission details:

• AISat was launched as a secondary payload on June 30, 2014 on the PSLV-C23 vehicle of ISRO from SDSC (Satish Dhawan Space Center), Sriharikota, India. The primary payload on this flight was SPOT-7, a commercial imaging mission of Airbus Defence and Space.
• The Germany agency DLR's AISat-1 carries a ship tracking AIS payload, not to be confused with Norway's AISSat-1.

External links:

• Spaceflight 101: Satellite Information
  
• Satellite tracking: Real time satellite tracking
• EOportal.org Satellite description