 TacSat-1 imaging satellite | |
| Names | TacSat-1A |
|---|---|
| Mission type | Technology, Communications |
| Operator | United States Naval Research Laboratory |
| Mission duration | 1 year (planned) Never launched |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | TacSat |
| Bus | MicroStar (triple) |
| Manufacturer | Orbital Sciences Corporation |
| Launch mass | 108 kg (238 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 2007 (Never launched) |
| Rocket | Falcon 1 |
| Launch site | Omelek Island |
| Contractor | SpaceX |
| Entered service | Never launched |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit (planned) |
| Regime | Low Earth orbit |
| Altitude | 500 km (310 mi) |
| Inclination | 64.0° |
| Period | 90.0 minutes |
TacSat-1 was an experimental satellite built by the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) on behalf of the United States Department of Defense (DoD) Office of Force Transformation (OFT). It was the planned payload of the sixth launch of the SpaceX Falcon 1.[1] It was however never launched into space. The second satellite in the series, TacSat-2, launched before TacSat-1 and this led to the cancellation of TacSat-1's launch.
TacSat-1 would have carried a variety of experimental payloads.[2] Much of the payload software was implemented through the use of bash scripts operating on the "Copperfield-2" general-purpose computer system aboard the spacecraft.[3]
- ^ Lindsey, Clark S. (11 September 2008). "Next Falcon 1 launch planned within 2 weeks". RLV and Space Transport News. HobbySpace. Archived from the original on 12 July 2011. Retrieved 13 September 2008.
- ^ "Tactical Microsatellite Experiment (TacSat-1)". NRL. Archived from the original on 14 March 2008.
- ^ "Rapid Satellite Payload Development for TacSat-1". NRL. Archived from the original on 4 May 2007.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
