TigriSat

TigriSat is a CubeSat built in 2014 by a team of Iraqi students at the La Sapienza University of Rome as one of the four satellites deployed within UniSat-6.^[1][2] It uses an RGB camera to detect dust storms over Iraq, and transmits the data to ground stations in Baghdad and Rome.^[3] It is considered Iraq's first satellite.^[4] It was launched from Orenburg on June 19, 2014 on a Dnepr launch vehicle.^[1]

TigriSat

Mission type	Earth Observation
Operator	La Sapienza University of Rome · Iraq Ministry of Science and Technology
COSPAR ID	2014-033AK
SATCAT no.	40043
Website	tigrisat.com
Spacecraft properties
Bus	CubeSat 3U
Launch mass	3.00 kg
Power	Solar cells, batteries
Start of mission
Launch date	June 19th 2014 19:11 UTC
Rocket	Dnepr
Launch site	OREN, Dombarovsky
Contractor	Kosmotras
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric
Regime	Low Earth (SSO)
Semi-major axis	7025 km
Perigee altitude	612.9 km
Apogee altitude	696.3 km
Inclination	97.8°
Period	97.7 minutes
Transponders
Band	VHF · UHF · S-band
Frequency	435.000 MHz

History

A 3D render showing the deployment phase of the CubeSats including TigriSat boarded inside UniSat-6 satellitel

In 1989, under Saddam Hussein's government, Iraq claimed to have launched a satellite.^[4] However, footage showed that the launch vehicle exploded early in liftoff, and called into question whether the launch was an attempted orbital launch. Thus, this satellite is the first launched for Iraq. Its launch, at the time, was record-breaking for the greatest number of satellites launched on a single rocket.^[5] In 2018, this satellite's signal was briefly mistaken for that of another CubeSat, PicSat.^[6]

See also

• Al-Ta'ir
• Badr
• Omid

References

1. "Technical details for satellite TIGRISAT". N2YO.com - Real Time Satellite Tracking and Predictions. Retrieved July 28, 2019.
2. Paris, C.; Parisse, M.; Allawi, W. A. (June 2015). Thermovacuum tests on TIGRIsat structure: Validation of the thermal model of a 3U cubesat. 2015 IEEE Metrology for Aerospace (MetroAeroSpace). IEEE. pp. 160–165. doi:10.1109/MetroAeroSpace.2015.7180646. ISBN 978-1-4799-7569-3.
3. "TigriSat". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
4. Abdallah, Amir (June 20, 2014). "Iraq launches its first satellite – TigriSat". IraqiNews. Retrieved July 28, 2019.
5. William, Graham (June 19, 2014). "Russian Dnepr rocket lofts record haul of 37 satellites – NASASpaceFlight.com". Retrieved July 28, 2019.
6. "Bye bye PicSat (for now)". PicSat. Retrieved July 28, 2019.