ALMASat-1 (ALma MAter SATellite) was a micro satellite developed by
University of Bologna
The University of Bologna ( it, Alma Mater Studiorum – Università di Bologna, UNIBO) is a public research university in Bologna, Italy. Founded in 1088 by an organised guild of students (''studiorum''), it is the oldest university in continuo ...
for demonstrative purposes to benefit Earth observation missions. The project was funded by
Italian Ministry of Research.
About the satellite
The satellite was made from high quality aluminium and reinforced with eight stainless steel plates. Solar cells were mounted on four sides of satellite for providing the power required for satellite operation.
Mission
The work on development of ALMASat was started in 2003. It was expected to be launched into orbit on a Dnepr rocket. Later it was launched by
Vega
Vega is the brightest star in the northern constellation of Lyra. It has the Bayer designation α Lyrae, which is Latinised to Alpha Lyrae and abbreviated Alpha Lyr or α Lyr. This star is relatively close at only from the Sun, an ...
launch vehicle with other satellites on board.
The ALMASat-1 was a microsatellite having a cuboidal structure, meant for a demo purpose, it accommodated payloads of different sizes and power requirements.
The main purpose of ALMASat-1 was to test the 3-axis pointing accuracy for the future satellite launches.
ALMASAT statistics
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Launch
ALMASAT-1 was launched by Vega
Vega is the brightest star in the northern constellation of Lyra. It has the Bayer designation α Lyrae, which is Latinised to Alpha Lyrae and abbreviated Alpha Lyr or α Lyr. This star is relatively close at only from the Sun, an ...
launch system on February 13, 2012, from Kourou
Kourou () is a commune in French Guiana, an overseas region and department of France in South America. Kourou is famous for being the location of the Guiana Space Centre, the main spaceport of France and the European Space Agency (ESA). It i ...
, French Guiana
French Guiana ( or ; french: link=no, Guyane ; gcr, label=French Guianese Creole, Lagwiyann ) is an overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France on the northern Atlantic ...
.
Re-entry
ALMASAT-1 decayed from orbit 25 April 2020.
References
External links
ALma MAter SATellite Official Site
{{Orbital launches in 2012
Student satellites
Satellites of Italy
University of Bologna
Spacecraft launched in 2012
2012 in Italy
Spacecraft launched by Vega rockets