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GemStar 1 (VITASat 1)
GemStar 1 [CTA]
The CTA GEMStar 1 (VITASAT 1) satellite partially sponsored by Volunteers In Technical Assistance (VITA) of Arlington Virginia, was launched at 2230 UTC from Vandenberg AFB on the 15-Aug-95, but a second stage failure destroyed the first flight of the Lockheed LLV-1 launch vehicle (later dubbed Athena-1).
The 136 kg mini-satellite measured 1 m in diameter and is 660 mm high. It employs gravity gradient stabilisation, was 3-axis stabillised, and was based on CTA Inc' GemStar bus (CTA refers to the satellite as GemStar 1).
It was intended to be placed into a 650 km orbit, receive 9.6 and 19.2 kbps in the 148-150.5 MHz band, and transmit at 9.6, 19.2 and 38.4 kbps in the 137-137 MHz and 400.15-401 MHz bands.
| Nation: | USA |
|---|---|
| Type / Application: | Communication |
| Operator: | CTA, VITA |
| Contractors: | CTA |
| Equipment: | |
| Configuration: | GemStar Bus |
| Propulsion: | |
| Power: | 4 deployable fixed solar arrays, batteries |
| Lifetime: | |
| Mass: | 136 kg |
| Orbit: | 650 km × 650 km (planned) |
| Satellite | COSPAR | Date | LS | Launch Vehicle | Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GemStar 1 (VitaSat 1) | 1995-F04 | 15.08.1995 | Va SLC-6 | F | LLV-1 (Athena-1) |
Further VitaSat missions:
