SCISAT-1

SCISAT-1
Mission typeRemote sensing
OperatorCanadian Space Agency (CSA)
COSPAR ID2003-036A Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.27858Edit this on Wikidata
Websitewww.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/satellites/scisat/default.asp
Mission durationPlanned: 2 years (minimum)[1]
Elapsed: 21 years, 3 months, 4 days
Spacecraft properties
ManufacturerBristol Aerospace[1]
Launch mass260 kg (570 lb)[1]
Start of mission
Launch date13 August 2003, 02:09:33 (2003-08-13UTC02:09:33Z) UTC[2]
RocketPegasus-XL F35
Launch siteVandenberg Runway 12/30
ContractorOrbital
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric
RegimeLow Earth
Perigee altitude642 km (399 mi)[1]
Apogee altitude654 km (406 mi)[1]
Inclination73.9 degrees[1]
Period97.7 minutes[3]
Epoch12 August 2003, 22:10:00 UTC[3]

SCISAT-1 is a Canadian satellite designed to make observations of the Earth's atmosphere. Its main instruments are an optical Fourier transform infrared spectrometer, the ACE-FTS Instrument, and an ultraviolet spectrophotometer, MAESTRO. These devices record spectra of the Sun, as sunlight passes through the Earth's atmosphere, making analyses of the chemical elements of the atmosphere possible.

  1. ^ a b c d e f "SCISAT". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 17 October 2012. Retrieved 13 November 2012.
  2. ^ McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Report. Retrieved 13 November 2012.
  3. ^ a b "NASA - NSSDCA - Spacecraft - Trajectory Details". nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov. Retrieved 2018-05-01.