EduSAT is an Italian

microsatellite 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. ...

which was launched in August 2011. The satellite was built and is operated by the Sapienza University of Rome in conjunction with the Italian Space Agency ASI, and is primarily used for educational outreach and technology demonstration. EduSAT is a satellite, measuring . The spacecraft is powered by surface-mounted solar cells. It carries an experimental analogue sun sensor, a

magnetometer A magnetometer is a device that measures magnetic field or magnetic dipole moment. Different types of magnetometers measure the direction, strength, or relative change of a magnetic field at a particular location. A compass is one such device, o ...

and a temperature sensor. The satellite also tested a prototype

PocketQube A PocketQube is a type of miniaturized satellite for space research that usually has a size of 5 cm cubed (one eighth the volume of a CubeSat), has a mass of no more than 250 grams, and typically uses commercial off-the-shelf components for ...

deployer and a passive deorbit mechanism. As of September 2013 it remained operational. EduSAT was launched aboard a Dnepr carrier rocket from Site 370/13 at the Dombarovsky launch site in Russia. The launch was conducted by

Kosmotras The International Space Company Kosmotras or ISC Kosmotras (russian: ЗАО Международная космическая компания “Космотрас”) is a joint project, between Russia, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan, established in 1 ...

with liftoff occurring at 07:12:20 on 17 August 2011. The rocket carried six other satellites, with an additional payload bolted to the upper stage. The satellite was placed into a sun-synchronous

low Earth orbit A low Earth orbit (LEO) is an orbit around Earth with a period of 128 minutes or less (making at least 11.25 orbits per day) and an eccentricity less than 0.25. Most of the artificial objects in outer space are in LEO, with an altitude never m ...

. As of 22 November 2013 it was in an orbit with a

perigee An apsis (; ) is the farthest or nearest point in the orbit of a planetary body about its primary body. For example, the apsides of the Earth are called the aphelion and perihelion. General description There are two apsides in any ell ...

of , an apogee of , 98.20 degrees inclination and a period of 98.04 minutes.

References

Spacecraft launched in 2011 Student satellites Satellites of Italy Sapienza University of Rome Spacecraft launched by Dnepr rockets {{Italy-spacecraft-stub