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Sumbandila


Means "Lead the way" in local Tshivenda language, also called Zasat 2, ZA-002

General


Designation 35870 / 09049F
Launch date 17 Sep 2009
Country of origin South Africa
Mission Remote sensing
Perigee/Apogee 495/513 km
Inclination 97.4°
Period 94.6 min
Launch vehicle Soyuz 2 #7

Cost $3.7 million (ZAR26 million)
Originally it was only a demonstrator, but in early 2007 it was turned into a natural ressources monitoring satellite (might be of military use too). Initially planned for launch in Dec 2006.

The University of Stellenbosch, SunSpace and the CSIR (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research) were key players in constructing SumbandilaSat. The CSIR's Satellite Application Centre (CSIR-SAC) will be responsible for operations, telemetry, tracking, control as well as data collection.

End of life


Out of service 2011
Cause Its reactions wheels failed in early 2011 and the satellite is now tumbling.
Decay 10 Dec 2021


External resources


http://www.sunspace.co.za/

sat-index articles


Technical data



Specifications


Prime contractor  
Platform  
Mass at launch 60 kg
Dry mass  
Dimension 1.8 m long
Solar array  
Stabilization  
DC power  
Design lifetime  

The camera has 6.25 m resolution.

Live downlinking of PAL video images during TT&C ground station passes will also be possible.
Additional experiments are VLF measurements, an amateur radio payload, an AIS experimental payload and a vibrating string experiment.

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