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AprizeSat

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Aprize

AKA: LatinSat. Status: Operational 2002. First Launch: 2002-12-20. Last Launch: 2014-06-19. Number: 12 . Gross mass: 12 kg (26 lb).

Excluding antennas, each satellite was a cube only 20 cm on a side and weighing less than 12 kg. Each satellite contained ten radio receivers, two agile transmitters and up to twelve megabytes of solid-state data storage. Only one watt of power was needed to power the satellite.

Aprize Satellite's proprietary spacecraft design reduced the construction and launch cost for a Little LEO satellite constellation by almost an order of magnitude. While others had an estimated cost of $350 to $600 million for the construction and launch of a Little LEO constellation of 24 to 48 satellites, Aprize could deploy a comparable system for $60 million.

This significant cost reduction was the direct result of a unique system architecture that eliminated the need for an active satellite attitude control system using thrusters.

The initial Aprize system was to include six communication satellites in low-Earth orbits. These satellites circled the earth 14 times each day, receiving data signals from all the active user equipment, and polling those from which data was specifically requested. Each satellite stored the data it received until a Regional Satellite Node (RSN) was within view, at which time the satellite transmitted the data to the RSN.

After the data relay market was sufficiently developed, up to 42 more satellites were to be deployed into similar orbits. These additional satellites would increase the data relay capacity, system redundancy and global coverage.

The radios used for communications operated in the UHF frequency band authorized by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) for Non-Voice, Non-Geostationary Mobile Satellite Services (NVNG MSS).

The small physical size of a spacecraft limited the amount of power generation possible with a the limited solar panel area. Through the use of high-efficiency Gallium Arsenide solar panels, low-power circuit designs and microelectronic components, Aprize was able to reduce the total power consumption of the spacecraft bus to less than one watt.

By operating the satellite's high-power transmitter only during those times when it was actually communicating with User Terminals, it was possible to extract the needed power from six nickel cadmium batteries, and then recharge the batteries during the non-operating portion of the satellite's orbit.

Using this strategy, each satellite could collect data from more than 100,000 worldwide User Terminals daily.

Photo Gallery

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AprizeSat

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• LatinSat 1 - . Payload: AprizeSat 3. Mass: 12 kg (26 lb). Nation: Argentina. Agency: Aprize. Class: Communications. Type: Civilian communications satellite. Spacecraft: AprizeSat. USAF Sat Cat: 27605 . COSPAR: 2002-058A. Apogee: 679 km (421 mi). Perigee: 635 km (394 mi). Inclination: 64.60 deg. Period: 97.90 min. Messaging satellite..

• LatinSat 2 - . Payload: AprizeSat 4. Mass: 12 kg (26 lb). Nation: Argentina. Agency: Aprize. Class: Communications. Type: Civilian communications satellite. Spacecraft: AprizeSat. USAF Sat Cat: 27606 . COSPAR: 2002-058B. Apogee: 702 km (436 mi). Perigee: 632 km (392 mi). Inclination: 64.60 deg. Period: 98.10 min. Messaging satellite..

• Aprizesat 2 (LatinSat D) - . Mass: 12 kg (26 lb). Nation: Argentina. Agency: Aprize. Program: AIS. Class: Communications. Type: Civilian store-dump communications satellite. Spacecraft: AprizeSat. USAF Sat Cat: 28366 . COSPAR: 2004-025A. Apogee: 853 km (530 mi). Perigee: 695 km (431 mi). Inclination: 98.30 deg. Period: 100.30 min. Delayed from March. 31.

• Aprizesat 1 (LatinSat C) - . Mass: 12 kg (26 lb). Nation: Argentina. Agency: Makeyev bureau. Program: AIS. Class: Communications. Type: Civilian store-dump communications satellite. Spacecraft: AprizeSat. USAF Sat Cat: 28372 . COSPAR: 2004-025G. Apogee: 767 km (476 mi). Perigee: 698 km (433 mi). Inclination: 98.30 deg. Period: 99.50 min.

• Aprizesat 4 - . Mass: 14 kg (30 lb). Nation: Argentina. Agency: Makeyev bureau. Program: AIS. Class: Communications. Type: Communications satellite. Spacecraft: Aprizesat. USAF Sat Cat: 35684 . COSPAR: 2009-041D. Apogee: 677 km (420 mi). Perigee: 607 km (377 mi). Inclination: 98.10 deg. Period: 97.60 min.

• Aprizesat 3 - . Mass: 14 kg (30 lb). Nation: Argentina. Agency: Makeyev bureau. Program: AIS. Class: Communications. Type: Communications satellite. Spacecraft: Aprizesat. USAF Sat Cat: 35686 . COSPAR: 2009-041F. Apogee: 677 km (420 mi). Perigee: 566 km (351 mi). Inclination: 98.10 deg. Period: 97.10 min.

  Part of a planned constellation of 64 of small low-earth-orbit satellites for global data transmission, fixed and mobile asset tracking and monitoring built by Spacequest, Fairfax, Virginia for exactEarth. Included Automatic Identification System receiver to gather position data from ships.

• Aprizesat 5 - . Mass: 14 kg (30 lb). Nation: USA. Program: AIS. Class: Communications. Type: Communications satellite. Spacecraft: Aprizesat. USAF Sat Cat: 37792 . COSPAR: 2011-044E. Apogee: 697 km (433 mi). Perigee: 610 km (370 mi). Inclination: 98.30 deg. Period: 97.80 min.

  Aprizesat 5 and 6 were built by SpaceQuest for exactEarth Ltd. Equipped with AIS (maritime Automatic Identification System) payloads for ship location tracking. The exactEarth system also included the SpaceQuest AprizeSat 3 and 4, and a payload attached to ISRO's ResourceSat-2 satellite.

• Aprizesat 6 - . Mass: 14 kg (30 lb). Nation: USA. Program: AIS. Class: Communications. Type: Communications satellite. Spacecraft: Aprizesat. USAF Sat Cat: 37793 . COSPAR: 2011-044F. Apogee: 698 km (433 mi). Perigee: 627 km (389 mi). Inclination: 98.30 deg. Period: 98.00 min. Part of a constellation of small LEO satellites for global fixed and mobile asset tracking. Also carried an AIS (Automatic Identification System) receiver monitor naval vessel locations..

• AprizeSat-7 - . Mass: 14 kg (30 lb). Nation: USA. Class: Communications. Type: Communications satellite. Spacecraft: AprizeSat. USAF Sat Cat: 39416 . COSPAR: 2013-066A. Apogee: 650 km (400 mi). Perigee: 593 km (368 mi). Inclination: 97.78 deg. Period: 97.14 min.

  Communications satellites for SpaceQuest; part of a constellation of small LEO satellites for global fixed and mobile asset tracking. Also carried an AIS (Automatic Identification System) receiver monitor naval vessel locations. Dnepr rocket launched from an ICBM silo at Yasniy in Russia placed a cluster of 24 satellites in orbit on on a single launch. Although this was fewer than the ORS-3 launch the day before, if nanosats ejected later are counted, the single launch put 33 payloads in orbit.

• AprizeSat-8 - . Mass: 14 kg (30 lb). Nation: USA. Class: Communications. Type: Communications satellite. Spacecraft: AprizeSat. USAF Sat Cat: 39425 . COSPAR: 2013-066K. Apogee: 666 km (413 mi). Perigee: 593 km (368 mi). Inclination: 97.78 deg. Period: 97.31 min. Part of a constellation of small LEO satellites for global fixed and mobile asset tracking. Also carried an AIS (Automatic Identification System) receiver monitor naval vessel locations..

• Aprizesat 9 - . Mass: 14 kg (30 lb). Nation: USA. Spacecraft: AprizeSat. USAF Sat Cat: 40018 . COSPAR: 2014-033J. Apogee: 715 km (444 mi). Perigee: 613 km (380 mi). Inclination: 97.97 deg. Period: 98.02 min. Part of a constellation of small LEO satellites for global fixed and mobile asset tracking. Also carried an AIS (Automatic Identification System) receiver monitor naval vessel locations..

• Aprizesat 10 - . Mass: 14 kg (30 lb). Nation: USA. Spacecraft: AprizeSat. USAF Sat Cat: 40019 . COSPAR: 2014-033K. Apogee: 733 km (455 mi). Perigee: 613 km (380 mi). Inclination: 97.96 deg. Period: 98.21 min. Part of a constellation of small LEO satellites for global fixed and mobile asset tracking. Also carried an AIS (Automatic Identification System) receiver monitor naval vessel locations..