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SFL
is pleased
to announce
that AISSat-1
(Automatic
Identification
System Satellite
1) was successfully
launched on
PSLV-C15 last
night at 03:52
UTC (12 July
2010) from
Sriharikota,
India. AISSat-1
is a ship
detection satellite
built by the
UTIAS Space Flight Laboratory
(SFL) for the
Norwegian Defence
Research Establishment. The
satellite
houses an Automatic
Identification
System (AIS)
receiver developed
by Kongsberg
Seatex of
Norway. The
purpose of
the satellite
is to demonstrate
the detection
and monitoring
of ships in
Norwegian
territorial
waters. AISSat-1
was launched
together with
a Swiss nanosatellite,
TIsat-1, under
the cluster
name "Nanosatellite
Launch Service
6 (NLS-6)." Both
satellites were
ejected successfully
from their
launch vehicle
using XPOD separation
systems developed
by SFL. Contact
was made with
AISSat-1 a
few hours after
launch confirming
that the satellite
power and
thermal status
was good, and
that the satellite
was healthy.
AISSat-1
is based on
SFL's Generic
Nanosatellite
Bus (GNB) -
a versatile,
multipurpose
bus with three-axis
pointing capability. GNB
satellites are
7 kilograms,
20x20x20cm in
size. The
GNB represents
state-of-the-art
Canadian nanosatellite
technology,
and is one generation
in advance of
the technology
flying on CanX-2,
another SFL
nanosatellite
currently in
its third year
of operations. The
GNB will also
support upcoming
missions including
BRITE Constellation
and the CanX-4&5
formation flying
mission. GNB
technology is
also the basis
for third generation
NEMO (Nanosatellite
for Earth Monitoring
and Observation)
class missions,
involving 15
kilogram, 20x20x40cm
satellite platforms,
such as NEMO-AM,
an aerosol monitoring
mission for
the Government
of India.
More
information
may be found
in these recent
news articles:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/science_and_environment/10599774.stm
http://www.isro.org/pressrelease/scripts/pressreleasein.aspx?Jul12_2010
http://www.forskning.no/artikler/2010/juli/255741
http://www.mil.no/felles/ffi/start/article.jhtml?articleID=198326
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n1007/12pslv/
http://spaceref.ca/commercial-space/utias-space-flight-laboratory/university-of-toronto-built-satellite-launched-by-indias-pslv-c15-rocket.html
For
more information
about the status
of Nanosatellite
Launch Service
6
(NLS-6):
www.utias-sfl.net/NLS-6
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