SUNSAT

SUNSAT is a new experimental satellite under construction by students at the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa. This satellite is similar to the UoSATs built by the University of Surrey. SUNSAT is a microsatellite-class spacecraft that will be launched in January 1996 by NASA from Vandenberg Air Force Base on an Air Force Delta II as a replacement counter weight for the Danish Oersted microsatellite.

SUNSAT's primary payload is an amateur radio communications system that will support VHF, UHF, and S/L-bad links, a 9600 baud packet radio bulletin board system, a high-resolution imager, and some innovative communication packages and experiments:

• Parrot system on the 2-meter band that will relay approximately 8 seconds of speech
• 2-meter analog channel for voice storage and transponder use
• 24-cm/13-cm linear transponder that will be available for experimenters and repeating television signals
• Bulletin board system that will enable the satellite to store files and other information in a "mailbox"
• 2-meter 1200 baud AFSK-FM packet radio transponder compatible with terrestrial VHF-FM packet radio stations
• 2-meter/70-cm 9600 FSK (frequency shift keying) baud digital store-and-forward transponder
• CCD star Camera for accurately determining the satellite's attitude relative to the stars
• Tri-band (color) CCD imager with a resolution of 15-meters per pixel

SUNSAT Characteristics:

• COSPAR ID: TBD
• Launch Date: early 1996
• Launch Vehicle: U.S. Air Force Delta II rocket
• Reflectors:
• Shape (array):
• Size: 45cm x 45cm x 40cm
• Orbit: elliptical polar orbit
• Inclination: 98.6 degrees
• Altitude: 400 km to 840 km (guarantee 15 min. access time to any ground station on the globe)
• Period: 100 min.
• Weight: 50 kg

Source: Magliacane, John A. "Amateur Radios Satellites", Satellite Times, Vol. 1, No. 5, May/June 1995.