LASARsat (Laser-Assisted Satellite Reentry satellite) is a Czech scientific microsatellite, which is to be launched into Earth orbit before the end of 2024.
 | |||||||||||||||
| Mission type | Technology | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | LASAR by DoSpace, Planetum | ||||||||||||||
| COSPAR ID | 2024-247Q 2024-247R, 2024-247Q COSPAR ID does not match expected format | ||||||||||||||
| SATCAT no. | 62392 | ||||||||||||||
| Website | https://lasar.info | ||||||||||||||
| Spacecraft properties | |||||||||||||||
| Manufacturer | Spacemanic HiLASE VZLÚ SkyFox Labs | ||||||||||||||
| Dry mass | 1.2 kilograms | ||||||||||||||
| Dimensions | 10x10x11.3 centimeters | ||||||||||||||
| Start of mission | |||||||||||||||
| Rocket | Falcon 9 | ||||||||||||||
| Contractor | SpaceX | ||||||||||||||
| Orbital parameters | |||||||||||||||
| Altitude | 500 – 600 kilometers | ||||||||||||||
| Inclination | 45.5 degrees | ||||||||||||||
| Period | 96 minutes | ||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
The LASARsat mission is a continuation of the Czech high school team LASAR,[1] which won the Conrad Challenge, a global STEM competition held in Houston.[2] The satellite is designed to test the possibilities of using high-power lasers for traffic management in orbit and to help to solve the problem of space debris.
The satellite should be launched into a Low Earth orbit by SpaceX's Falcon 9 as part of the Bandwagon-2 mission.[3]
Description
LASARsat is 1U specification CubeSat, with dimensions of 10×10×11.3 centimeters and total volume of 1000 cubic centimeters.
Payload
The satellite has control, energy and communication equipment on board, the latter being designed for amateur radio contact. LASARsat is also carrying a small capsule with non-alcoholic Czech beer.
Scientific instruments
Seven scientific instruments will be on board LASARsat:
- Photodiodes, which will be used to measure the laser's energy losses in Earth's atmosphere.
- Series of light-emitting diodes (LEDs), which will improve tracking accuracy.
- Retroreflectors, which will reflect the laser beam back to Earth's surface to allow its further study.
- Langmuir probe, which will measure changes in ionization upon laser's impact.
- Earthcam, a camera for capturing the Earth's surface, on which the effects of the laser beam on optical sensors will be tested.
- Two dosimeters, one supplied by Czech Aerospace Research Centre and the other one by SkyFox Labs.[3]
Mission
The satellite main mission is to gain further data on the possible usage of the LASAR method and usage of Earth-based lasers in space in general.
Orbit
The satellite is supposed to reach a low Earth orbit at an altitude of 400 to 500 kilometres, with an inclination of 45.5 degrees and an orbital period of 96 minutes.
References
Wikiwand - on
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.