KITSAT-3

KITSAT-3

Names	Uribyol-3
Mission type	Technology demonstration, Remote sensing
Operator	SaTReC
COSPAR ID	1999-029A
SATCAT no.	25757
Website	KAIST SaTReC
Mission duration	3 years (planned) 4.5 years (achieved)
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft	KITSAT-3
Manufacturer	SaTReC
Launch mass	110 kg (240 lb)
Dimensions	49.5 cm × 60.4 cm × 85.2 cm (19.5 in × 23.8 in × 33.5 in)
Power	180 watts
Start of mission
Launch date	26 May 1999, 06:22 UTC
Rocket	PSLV-C2
Launch site	Satish Dhawan Space Centre,
Contractor	Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)
End of mission
Deactivated	December 2003
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric orbit
Regime	Sun-synchronous orbit
Instruments
Multispectral Earth Imaging System (MEIS) Space ENvironment Scientific Experiment (SENSE)
KITSAT program

KITSAT-3 was a South Korean remote sensing minisatellite which carried MEIS (Multispectral Earth Imaging System) and SENSE (Space ENvironment Scientific Experiment) instruments to low Earth orbit (LEO). Launched on 26 May 1999 by Indian space agency Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), on orbit the satellite was renamed to Uribyol-3. Manufactured by KAIST Satellite Technology Research Center (SaTReC), KITSAT-3 was developed with experience from KITSAT-1 and KITSAT-2 (no heritage to the KITSAT-1 and KITSAT-2 bus) and was the first independently designed South Korean satellite.^[1][2][3][4]

Launch

Kitsat-3 was launched in the PSLV-C2 mission by 26 May 1999 by Indian space agency ISRO at 06:22 UTC from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in India. The launch was the first commercial launch by ISRO of its launch vehicle (PSLV-C2) and US$1.0 million (equivalent to US$1.83 million in 2023) was charged by the Indian agency for launching and injecting the satellite in the low Earth orbit.^[5]

Mission highlights

• First independently designed South Korean satellite
• First commercial flight of the launch vehicle, Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV)
• Spacecraft attitude was first captured and 3-axis stabilized on 30 May 1999
• First image obtained on 31 May 1999
• Solar panels deployed on 24 June 1999
• Design for life of 3 years
• However, operations ended in December 2003 (4.5 years achieved) ^[1][2][3][4]

See also

• KITSAT-1
• PSLV-C2

References

1. "KITSAT series – KITSAT-3". KAIST Satellite Technology Research Center. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
2. "KITSAT-3". eoportal.org. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
3. "Kitsat 3 (Uribyol 3)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
4. "KITSAT 3". NASA. Retrieved 9 July 2016. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
5. "The science and commerce of PSLV". Frontline (magazine). Retrieved 9 July 2016.