 Mockup of the SAOCOM satellite. | |
| Mission type | Earth-observation satellites |
|---|---|
| Operator | CONAE |
| COSPAR ID | 2018-076A (SAOCOM 1A) 2020-059A (SAOCOM 1B) |
| SATCAT no. | 43641 (SAOCOM 1A) 46265 (SAOCOM 1B) |
| Website | [1] |
| Mission duration | 5 years (planned) |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | SAOCOM |
| Bus | SAC-C[1] |
| Manufacturer | INVAP |
| Launch mass | 3050 kg |
| Dry mass | 1600 kg |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 8 October 2018, 02:21:28 UTC (SAOCOM 1A) 30 August 2020, 23:19 UTC (SAOCOM 1B) |
| Rocket | Falcon 9 Block 5 |
| Launch site | Vandenberg Air Force Base, SLC-4E (SAOCOM 1A) CCAFS, SLC-40 (SAOCOM 1B) |
| Contractor | SpaceX |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit |
| Regime | Sun-synchronous orbit |
| Altitude | 620 km |
| Inclination | 97.89° |
| Period | 97.2 minutes |
| Repeat interval | 16 days |
| Transponders | |
| Band | 1 L-band (each) 2 X-band (each) |
| Coverage area | Earth |
SAOCOM (Satélite Argentino de Observación COn Microondas, Spanish for Argentine Microwaves Observation Satellite) is an Earth observation satellite constellation of Argentina's space agency CONAE. Two satellites are already orbiting the Earth in a Sun-synchronous orbit. The second one was launched on 30 August 2020.
CONAE contracted the company INVAP as main contractor for the project.