The Satellite System for Terrestrial Observation, Sistema Satelital para Observación de la Tierra (SSOT), also known as FASat-Charlie, is a Chilean

satellite A satellite or artificial satellite is an object intentionally placed into orbit in outer space. Except for passive satellites, most satellites have an electricity generation system for equipment on board, such as solar panels or radioiso ...

which was launched on December 16, 2011. The objective of the SSOT is to have a satellite system for the observation of Earth based on international cooperation. The project was commissioned by the

Ministry of Defense {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in state ...

from the European space manufacturer

EADS Astrium Astrium was an aerospace manufacturer subsidiary of the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS) that provided civil and military space systems and services from 2006 to 2013. In 2012, Astrium had a turnover of €5.8 billion and 1 ...

- based in

Toulouse Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and fr ...

, France - and had an acquisition cost of 72.5 million dollars, according to the contract signed on July 25, 2008. The

Soyuz Soyuz is a transliteration of the Cyrillic text Союз ( Russian and Ukrainian, 'Union'). It can refer to any union, such as a trade union (''profsoyuz'') or the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (Сою́з Сове́тских Социалис ...

rocket was used to put the satellite into orbit, which was launched in French Guiana from the spaceport of

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 ...

, currently used by the

European Space Agency , owners = , headquarters = Paris, Île-de-France, France , coordinates = , spaceport = Guiana Space Centre , seal = File:ESA emblem seal.png , seal_size = 130px , image = Views in the Main Control Room (120 ...

. SSOT is a

Miniaturized satellite A small satellite, miniaturized satellite, or smallsat is a satellite of low mass and size, usually under . While all such satellites can be referred to as "small", different classifications are used to categorize them based on mass. Satellites ca ...

built on the Myriade

satellite bus A satellite bus (or spacecraft bus) is the main body and structural component of a satellite or spacecraft, in which the payload and all scientific instruments are held. Bus-derived satellites are opposed to specially produced satellites. Bus- ...

. It was part of a six-satellite

payload Payload is the object or the entity which is being carried by an aircraft or launch vehicle. Sometimes payload also refers to the carrying capacity of an aircraft or launch vehicle, usually measured in terms of weight. Depending on the nature of ...

along with Pléiades-HR 1, ELISA 1, ELISA 2, ELISA 3 and ELISA 4.

Background

Prior to FASat-Charlie, Chile had two experiences with

microsatellites A microsatellite is a tract of repetitive DNA in which certain DNA motifs (ranging in length from one to six or more base pairs) are repeated, typically 5–50 times. Microsatellites occur at thousands of locations within an organism's genome. ...

. The first, FASat-Alfa, was launched on August 31, 1995. It did not manage to separate from its mother satellite, the Ukrainian Sich-1, and so the two remain in orbit. The failure was caused by a fault in the pyrotechnic system that allowed the separation and rupture of the spring that joined the two parts, and both are still monitored by

NORAD North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD ), known until March 1981 as the North American Air Defense Command, is a combined organization of the United States and Canada that provides aerospace warning, air sovereignty, and protection ...

. Three years after the initial failed attempt, the FASat-Bravoit became the first artificial Chilean satellite to orbit the Earth independently. In the third year of life, this satellite became inoperative due to power system failures that stopped its batteries from charging, and it became

space junk Space debris (also known as space junk, space pollution, space waste, space trash, or space garbage) are defunct human-made objects in space—principally in Earth orbit—which no longer serve a useful function. These include derelict spacec ...

Function and Design

Civil Applications

According to a report carried out by national specialists, around 180 civil applications have been identified for the satellite relating to agriculture: precision agriculture, forestry, land use planning, mapping of urban areas, growth studies and land use, population dynamics, biomass from forestry, forest cadastres, border protection and monitoring of major works or catastrophes. From the captured images, urban growth, connectivity, tourism, forestry, environmental protection and agriculture can be regulated.

Design

FASat-Charlie is a small satellite made of

silicon carbide Silicon carbide (SiC), also known as carborundum (), is a hard chemical compound containing silicon and carbon. A semiconductor, it occurs in nature as the extremely rare mineral moissanite, but has been mass-produced as a powder and crystal s ...

, a material as hard as

sapphire Sapphire is a precious gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum, consisting of aluminium oxide () with trace amounts of elements such as iron, titanium, chromium, vanadium, or magnesium. The name sapphire is derived via the Latin "sa ...

and less deformed than steel. * Mass : 116 kilograms * Speed : 7.5 kilometres per second . * Telescope : It has a ground resolution of 1.45 m in panchromatic and 5.8 m in multispectral (visible and NIR spectrum). It delivers around 100 images per day, with a frequency of 3 days in a polar orbit, at a distance of 620 kilometres high. * Expected operational life : ≥ 5 years

References

External links