OPAL
Spacecraft · USA
Original archive entry. The text, images and links below are kept as they were written.
Credit: Manufacturer Image
American technology satellite. Stanford University Orbiting Picosat Automated Launcher. Experimental satellite for Stanford University, USA. Launched 2000.
Carried an accelerometer, a magnetometer, and six small picosatellites - Picosat 1 and 2, Stensat, and the Artemis triplets (JAK, Thelma, and Louise).
NASA NSSDC Master Catalog Description
OPAL (Orbiting Picosatellite Automated Launcher) is an American microsatellite for engineering tests of components, and was released from JAWSAT. In turn, it was also to deploy six student-engineered picosatellites as a feasibility test; see
http://ssdl.stanford.edu/opal/home.html
for a sketch of the mission.
More at: OPAL.
Related
- Family
- Technology, Technology satellite
- Country
- USA
- Launch Vehicles
- Minuteman, Minotaur, Minotaur 1
- Launch Sites
- Vandenberg, Vandenberg SLC8
- Agency
- Stanford
Photo Gallery
OPAL
Credit: Manufacturer Image
Chronology
1 event
2000 January 27
03:03 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC8. LV Family: Minuteman. Launch Vehicle: Minotaur 1.- OPAL - .
Payload: Orbiting Picosat Launcher. Mass: 13 kg (28 lb). Nation: USA.
Agency: USAF AFMC.
Manufacturer: Stanford.
Class: Technology.
Type: Navigation technology satellite. Spacecraft: OPAL.
USAF Sat Cat: 26063 . COSPAR: 2000-004C. Apogee: 808 km (502 mi). Perigee: 754 km (468 mi). Inclination: 100.20 deg. Period: 100.39 min.
Stanford University Orbiting Picosat Automated Launcher. Carried an acclerometer, a magnetometer, and six small picosatellites - Picosat 1 and 2, Stensat, and the Artemis triplets (JAK, Thelma, and Louise). The first two were deployed on February 7 at 0334:16 GMT. OPAL transmitter problems delayed the initial release.