Irazú (satellite)

Irazú is the first Costa Rican satellite to be launched into space.[2][3] The nano satellite was launched into space on 2 April 2018, onboard a Falcon 9 rocket headed for the International Space Station. It is expected to orbit the earth for six months with the function of monitoring carbon, humidity, and temperature levels in Costa Rican forests. Funds for the launch of satellite was provided, in a significant part, through a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign.

Irazú
Mission typeTechnology demonstration
Earth observation
OperatorCosta Rica Institute of Technology
COSPAR ID1998-067NR[1]
SATCAT no.43468
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft type1U CubeSat
Launch mass1 kg (2.2 lb)
Dimensions10 cm (4 in) cubed
Start of mission
Launch date2 April 2018 (2018-04-02) UTC
RocketFalcon 9 FT, CRS-14
Launch siteKennedy LC-39A
ContractorSpaceX
Entered service11 May 2018, 08:51 UTC
End of mission
Decay date4 March 2020
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric
RegimeLow Earth
Semi-major axis6,778.8 km (4,212.2 mi)
Eccentricity0.0001276
Inclination51.64
Period92.60
 

Background

The design, development, and financing of the Irazú satellite involved the Central American Association for Aeronautics (ACAE), based in Costa Rica, and engineers from the Costa Rica Institute of Technology.[4] Fifteen professors and students from Costa Rica Institute of Technology and from the National Training Institute worked on the project.[5]

The 10-centimeter square "nano" satellite will monitor temperature, humidity, and carbon dioxide fixation with the purpose of climate change analysis.[4] Building the satellite from its individual component took six months and required an additional six months for testing.[4] After the initial testing period, Irazú was sent to Japan where it was further tested at the Kyushu Institute of Technology.[6] It was later sent to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency for onward delivery to NASA.[7]

The total cost of the project was US$500,000 with much of the money coming from ACAE. The Costa Rica Institute of Technology was tasked to provide the final $75,000 needed to complete the last stages of construction, testing and deployment into space.[4][8] The institute turned to crowdfunding to raise the expected amount. Through Kickstarter, about 800 donors from all over the world helped to raise the funds needed.[9]

Launch

On 2 April 2018, the satellite was carried to the International Space Station (ISS) onboard a Falcon 9 rocket with help from NASA.[6] It was deployed from the space station into its orbit from the KIBO satellite deployment module on 11 May 2018.[10] Its launch coincided with two other satellites namely Ubakusat and 1KUNS-PF.[10] All three satellites were deployed into space from the ISS by Japanese astronaut Norishige Kanai through the Kibo module.[10] The satellite orbits the Earth at a height of about 400 kilometres (250 mi) above the earth and will be in service for six months.[11]

Communication

Irazú communicates with two earth stations: the experimental station at San Carlos, and the monitoring station on the central Campus of Costa Rica Institute of Technology in Cartago.[5][6] At the monitoring station, information will be relayed from space concerning the level of tree growth in the country.[6] The data will be used to determine the approximate carbon fixation rate of Costa Rican forests.[5][6]

References
  1. Tracker, Orbit. "IRAZU | Orbit Tracker". orbit-tracker.com. Retrieved 2018-05-18.
  2. "Dream Of First Costa Rican Satellite In Orbit Closer To Reality". Q Costa Rica. 2017-03-23. Retrieved 2018-05-12.
  3. "The First Costa Rican Satellite". www.costaricantimes.com. 26 August 2018. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  4. "Costa Rica's first satellite scheduled for deployment in one year". The Tico Times Costa Rica. Retrieved 2018-05-17.
  5. Villegas, Charito (2017-10-24). "The 1st Costa Rican Satellite Will Be in Space Soon | The Costa Rica News". The Costa Rica News. Retrieved 2018-05-17.
  6. "First Costa Rican satellite will be launched into space". American Expatriate Costa Rica. 2018-03-14. Retrieved 2018-05-17.
  7. "First Costa Rican satellite travels to Japan for final tests". TEC. 2017-10-23. Retrieved 2018-05-17.
  8. "Irazú Project: The First Satellite Made in Costa Rica". Kickstarter. Retrieved 2018-05-17.
  9. "Update 2: Show your support for the campaign on Facebook and Twitter! · Irazú Project: The First Satellite Made in Costa Rica". Kickstarter. Retrieved 2018-05-17.
  10. "Kenya's first satellite released from Japan's Kibo module at ISS". The Japan Times Online. 2018-05-12. ISSN 0447-5763. Archived from the original on 2018-05-17. Retrieved 2018-05-17.
  11. "Costa Rica's first satellite scheduled for deployment in one year". The Tico Times Costa Rica. Retrieved 2018-05-17.
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