Sputnik 99

Sputnik 99
Mission typeradio communication
Operator
COSPAR ID1999-015C Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.NK9905-01[1]
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft typeAR broadcast
Payload mass3kg (6.6 lbs.)
Dimensions23 cm sphere
Powerbatteries
Start of mission
Launch dateApril 2, 1999 (1999-04-02Z)
RocketSoyuz-U-PVB
Launch siteBaikonur Cosmodrome
Deployed fromMir space station
Deployment dateApril 16, 1999 04:37 GMT (1999-04-16UTC04:37Z)
Entered servicedenied
End of mission
Decay dateJuly 29, 1999[2]
Orbital parameters
Period91.51 min
Orbiter
Orbital parameters
Peri altitude336 km (208 mi)
Apo altitude361 km (224 mi)
Inclination51.60 deg.

Sputnik 99 (Russian: Спутник 99, also Radio Sputnik 19 or RS-19) launched on April 2, 1999 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on board a Soyuz-U-PVB launch vehicle. The nano-satellite was created in a joint-venture by Rosaviakosmos, Aéro-Club de France, and the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT) as a marketing effort financially backed by The Swatch Group. Sputnik 99 was deployed from the Mir space station on April 16, 1999, even though its primary mission package, an amateur radio broadcast system (AR), had been purposely disabled, immediately rendering the satellite a piece of space flotsam.

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  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference WEEB was invoked but never defined (see the help page).