LASARsat
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| Mission type | Technology | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | LASAR by DoSpace, Planetum | ||||||||||||||
| COSPAR ID | 2024-247Q | ||||||||||||||
| SATCAT no. | 62391 | ||||||||||||||
| Website | https://lasar.info | ||||||||||||||
| Spacecraft properties | |||||||||||||||
| Manufacturer | Spacemanic HiLASE VZLU AEROSPACE SkyFox Labs | ||||||||||||||
| Dry mass | 1.2 kilograms | ||||||||||||||
| Dimensions | 10x10x11.3 centimeters | ||||||||||||||
| Start of mission | |||||||||||||||
| Launch date | December 21, 2024, 11:34:24 UTC | ||||||||||||||
| Rocket | Falcon 9 | ||||||||||||||
| Contractor | SpaceX | ||||||||||||||
| Orbital parameters | |||||||||||||||
| Altitude | 500 – 600 kilometers | ||||||||||||||
| Inclination | 45.5 degrees | ||||||||||||||
| Period | 96 minutes | ||||||||||||||
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LASARsat (Laser-Assisted Satellite Reentry satellite) is a Czech scientific microsatellite, which was launched on 21 December 2024. The LASARsat mission is a continuation of the Czech high school team LASAR, which won the Conrad Challenge, a global STEM competition held in Houston. The satellite is designed to test the possibilities of using high-power lasers for traffic management in orbit and to help to solve the problem of space debris. LASARsat is 1U specification CubeSat, with dimensions of 10×10×11.3 cm and total volume of 1000 cubic centimeters. The satellite was launched into a Low Earth orbit by SpaceX's Falcon 9 on the Bandwagon-2 mission.
Payload
The satellite has control, energy and communication equipment on board, the latter being designed for amateur radio contact. LASARsat is also carrying a small capsule with non-alcoholic Czech beer.
Seven scientific instruments are on board LASARsat:
- Photodiodes for measuring the laser's energy losses in Earth's atmosphere
- Series of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) for improving tracking accuracy
- Retroreflectors for reflecting the laser beam back to Earth's surface to allow its further study
- Langmuir probe for measuring changes in ionization upon laser's impact
- Earthcam, a camera for capturing the Earth's surface, on which the effects of the laser beam on optical sensors are tested
- Two dosimeters, one supplied by Czech Aerospace Research Centre and the other one by SkyFox Labs