Fasat Alfa

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General

Designation	n/a / 95046A Failed to separate from Sich 1
Launch date	31 Aug 1995 at 06:50 UT
Country of origin	Chile
Operator	Chilean Air Force (FACH: Fuerza Aerea de Chile)
Mission	Remote sensing
Perigee/Apogee	intended: 1050 km, polar orbit
Inclination
Period
Launch vehicle	Cyclone 3 #114

First Chilean satellite

Investigation of the failure showed a British docking mechanism had been at fault.

The satellite carried five grams of Chilean soil on board. It was to transmit regular information on ultraviolet radiation and the ozone layer over the antarctic. It was also to image the Chilean territory and carry out educational experiments for children with informative bulletins. The other 3 experiments, which would have been regularly carried out by Fasat Alfa, would have ment working with other satellite complexes, for the transmission and storage of data and space navigation systems.

When FACH proposed the construction of the first Chilean satellite in 1993, negotiations were arranged with Mexican, U.S. and British specialists. Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL) offered the most tempting deal to the Chileans, offering joint construction of the probe, technology transfer, and postgraduate training for the FACH technicians. The satellite was built using parts built by the Chilean National Aeronautical Company (ENAER), a branch of FACH, along with space computer technology donated by the Lockheed Company of the United States for experimental purposes.

Technical data

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Specifications

Prime contractor	SSTL
Platform	UOSAT
Mass at launch	50 kg
Mass in orbit
Dimension	70 x 36 x 36 cm
Solar array
Stabilization
DC power
Design lifetime	6 years

It has a six meters long stabilization beam with a weight in its tail which will unfold once in orbit.

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