ISTSat-1

ISTSat-1
Rendering of ISTSat-1
Mission typeADS-B
OperatorInstituto Superior Técnico
COSPAR ID2024-128D Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.60238
Websiteistsat-one.tecnico.ulisboa.pt
Mission duration1 Year
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft typeCubeSat
ManufacturerIST NanosatLab
Payload mass1.095 kg (2.41 lb)
Dimensions10 cm x 10 cm x 10.3 cm (1U)
Start of mission
Launch dateJuly 9, 2024, 19:00 (2024-07-09UTC19Z) UTC (21:00 CEST)
RocketAriane 6
Launch siteGuiana Space Centre, ELA-4
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric orbit
RegimeLow Earth orbit
Periapsis altitude575.6 km
Apoapsis altitude590.3 km
Inclination62.0 °
Period96.2 minutes


The ISTSat-1 is a Portuguese nanosatellite developed by students and researchers of the Instituto Superior Técnico (University of Lisbon), that was launched into orbit on 9 July 2024, aboard the Ariane 6 maiden flight.[1][2][3] The project is part of the European Space Agency's "Fly Your Satellite!" programme.[1] It is the third Portuguese satellite in space, after the PoSAT-1 and the AEROS MH-1, and the first to have been entirely designed and built in Portugal.[4][5]

The ISTSat-1 is a CubeSat developed to optimise and complement aircraft surveillance systems by demonstrating the Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) aircraft detection technology in orbit.[6] Its mission lifetime is expected to be 12 months.[1]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "Meet the team: ISTsat-1". www.esa.int. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  2. ^ IT - Instituto de Telecomunicações (2024-03-25). "ISTsat-1 is prepared for its departure to the French Guiana before Ariane 6". www.it.pt. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  3. ^ "Ariane 6 inaugural launch targeted for 9 July". www.esa.int. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  4. ^ ANACOM (2024-07-10). "ISTSAT-1 launch marks another important step in Portugal's presence in space". Autoridade Nacional de Comunicações. Retrieved 2024-08-09.
  5. ^ Técnico Lisboa (2024-03-24). "Satellite made entirely at Técnico to hitch ride on Ariane 6 in summer 2024". Técnico Lisboa. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  6. ^ "A CubeSat cooked on point: ISTSat-1 successfully passes thermal vacuum tests". www.esa.int. Retrieved 2024-03-27.