NEE-01 Pegaso is an Ecuadorian technology demonstration satellite, and Ecuador's first satellite launched to space. Built by the Ecuadorian Civilian Space Agency (EXA), it is a nanosatellite of the single-unit CubeSat class.[5] The spacecraft's instruments include a dual visible and infrared camera which allows the spacecraft to take pictures and transmit live video from space.
Mission type | Technology demonstration |
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Operator | Ecuadorian Civilian Space Agency |
COSPAR ID | 2013-018B |
SATCAT no. | 39151 |
Website | pegaso |
Mission duration | Design: 1 year Elapsed: 9 years, 28 days |
Orbits completed | 42,192[1] |
Spacecraft properties | |
Spacecraft type | 1U CubeSat |
Manufacturer | Ecuadorian Civilian Space Agency |
Launch mass | 1.266 kg (2.79 lb)[2] |
Dimensions | 10×10×75 cm (3.9×3.9×29.5 in)[3] |
Power | 107 watts maximum[4] |
Start of mission | |
Launch date | 26 April 2013, 04:13 (2013-04-26UTC04:13) UTC |
Rocket | Long March 2D |
Launch site | Jiuquan, LA-4/SLS-2 |
Entered service | 5 May 2013 |
Orbital parameters | |
Reference system | Geocentric |
Regime | Sun-synchronous |
Semi-major axis | 7,006.53 km (4,353.66 mi) |
Eccentricity | 0.001754 |
Perigee altitude | 616.11 km (382.83 mi) |
Apogee altitude | 640.69 km (398.11 mi) |
Inclination | 97.9743° |
Period | 97.28 minutes |
Mean motion | 14.80 |
Epoch | 17 February 2021, 12:19:30 UTC[1] |
After the completion of its HERMES-A ground station in April 2010, EXA authorised the construction of Ecuador's first satellite.[3] A number of restrictions and demands were imposed on the project: EXA was solely responsible for the spacecraft design and technology research, all construction had to take place within Ecuador, the project must be "future-enabling" and result in a technological breakthrough, and its mission must be educational in nature.[4] The completed Pegaso was presented to the public on 4 April 2011.[5] All research and construction of the satellite was performed by Ecuadorian personnel at a cost of US$30,000. Funding for testing and launch services was provided by the Ecuadorian Defense Ministry.[4]
While originally planned to be orbited by a Russian Dnepr, delays with the rocket forced EXA to move the satellite's launch to China.[6] Pegaso was eventually launched as a secondary payload aboard a Chinese Long March 2D from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center's SLS Pad 2 on 26 April 2013, 04:13 UTC.[7][8] It was placed into an elliptical orbit around Earth of approximately 600 by 900 kilometres (370 by 560 mi).[9]
The primary objective of Pegaso was to operate in space and transmit spacecraft telemetry for at least one year. In that time, it was intended to test various on-board systems and technologies, as well as serve as an educational tool for grade school students and undergraduates.[4]
The satellite's primary instrument is a 720p HD camera, provided by EarthCam, capable of recording in both visible and infrared light.[3][9] This video, along with telemetry and other data, was broadcast from the spacecraft to the HERMES-A ground station via a three-watt television transmitter.[3] It was meant to allow the public to view live video of the Earth from orbit and give researchers the capability to search for near-Earth objects.[9][10]
To protect against damaging environmental factors, Pegaso employs the Space Environment Attenuation Manifold (SEAM/NEMEA), a multi-layer polymer insulation which is designed to block alpha and beta particles, X-ray and gamma radiation, and up to 67% of incoming heat. The insulation additionally provides the spacecraft some degree of protection against EMP and plasma discharge events, and allows Pegaso to retain heat during orbital night.[11] Further thermal control is obtained with a thin sheet of carbon nanotubes layered over a heat-reflecting surface, which helps to equalise the temperature throughout the vehicle.[4]
The spacecraft's solar panels, at 1.5 millimetres (0.059 in) thick, are among the thinnest ever deployed on a satellite.[9] Pegaso's 57 solar cells are capable of generating 14.25 watts[12] and feed 32 on-board 900 mA·h batteries, producing a maximum of 107 watts available power.[4][13] The solar panel and antenna deployment systems made use of memory metals, passively activated by solar radiation, which allowed for smoother deployment and less agitation of the vehicle's attitude.[4]
For passive attitude control, Pegaso uses a series of magnets and inertial-magnetic dampers for single-axis alignment along Earth's magnetic field.[4]
The satellite operated normally[10] until 23 May 2013; at approximately 05:38 UTC, Pegaso passed very close to the spent upper stage of a 1985 Tsyklon-3 rocket over the Indian Ocean. While there was no direct collision between the satellite and upper stage, Pegaso is believed to have suffered a "glancing blow" after passing through a debris cloud around the Tsyklon stage and striking one of the small pieces.[14][15] After the incident, the satellite was found to be "spinning wildly over two of its axes" and unable to communicate with its ground station.[14] While efforts were made to reestablish control of Pegaso,[15] on 28 August 2013 the decision was made by EXA and the Ecuadorian government to declare the satellite lost.[16]
On 25 January 2014, EXA recovered the audio segment of the Pegaso signal during the first public transmission from NEE-02 Krysaor, verifying that Pegaso had survived its collision with the Tsyklon debris and was operating.[17] EXA announced that it had installed a miniature repeater device aboard Krysaor called PERSEUS, and that this was used to recover the Pegaso signal.[18][19]
Media related to NEE-01 Pegaso at Wikimedia Commons
Ecuadorian space program | |
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Institutions |
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Satellites |
← 2012 · Orbital launches in 2013 · 2014 → | |
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January | |
February | Intelsat 27 – Globalstar M078, M087, M093, M094, M095, M096 – Azerspace-1/Africasat-1a · Amazonas 3 – Progress M-18M – Landsat 8 – SARAL · Sapphire · NEOSSat · UniBRITE-1 · TUGSAT-1 · AAUSat-3 · STRaND-1 |
March | |
April | Anik G1 – Bion-M No.1 (Aist 2 · BeeSat-2 · BeeSat-3 · SOMP · Dove-2 · OSSI-1) – Cygnus Mass Simulator · Dove 1 · Alexander · Graham · Bell – Progress M-19M – Gaofen 1 · TurkSat-3USat · NEE-01 Pegaso · CubeBug-1 – Kosmos 2485 |
May | |
June | SES-6 – Albert Einstein ATV – Kosmos 2486 – Shenzhou 10 – Resurs-P No.1 – O3b × 4 (PFM, FM2, FM4, FM5) – Kosmos 2487 – IRIS |
July | IRNSS-1A – Uragan-M 48, 49, 50 – Shijian XI-05 – MUOS-2 – Shijian 15 · Shiyan 7 · Chuangxin 3 – Inmarsat-4A F4 · INSAT-3D – Progress M-20M |
August | Kounotori 4 (TechEdSat-3 · ArduSat-1 · ArduSat-X · PicoDragon) – USA-244 – Arirang-5 – USA-245 – Eutelsat 25B / Es'hail 1 · GSAT-7 / INSAT-4F – Amos-4 |
September | Yaogan 17 A, B, C – LADEE – Gonets-M No.5 · Gonets-M No.6 · Gonets-M No.7 – Hisaki – USA-246 – Cygnus Orb-D1 – Fengyun III-03 – Kuaizhou-1 – Soyuz TMA-10M – CASSIOPE · CUSat · POPACS 1, 2, 3 · DANDE – Astra 2E |
October | Shijian 16 – Sirius FM-6 – Yaogan 18 |
November | Mars Orbiter Mission – Soyuz TMA-11M – Globus-1M No.13L – MAVEN – ORS-3 · STPSat-3 · Black Knight 1 · CAPE-2 · ChargerSat-1 · COPPER · DragonSat-1 · Firefly (satellite) · Ho'oponopono-2 · Horus · KySat-2 · NPS-SCAT · ORSES · ORS Tech 1, 2 · PhoneSat 2.4 · Prometheus × 8 · SENSE A, B · SwampSat · TJ3Sat · Trailblazer-1 · Vermont Lunar CubeSat – Yaogan 19 – DubaiSat-2 · STSAT-3 · SkySat-1 · UniSat-5 (Dove 4 · ICube-1 · HumSat-D · PUCP-Sat 1 (Pocket-PUCP) · BeakerSat-1 · $50SAT · QBScout-1 · WREN) · AprizeSat 7, 8 · Lem · WNISat-1 · GOMX-1 · CubeBug-2 · Delfi-n3Xt · Dove 3 · First-MOVE · FUNcube-1 · HINCube-1 · KHUSat-1 · KHUSat-2 · NEE-02 Krysaor · OPTOS · Triton 1 · UWE-3 · VELOX-P2 · ZACUBE-1 · BPA-3 – Swarm A, B, C – Shiyan Weixing 5 – Progress M-21M |
December | Chang'e 3 (Yutu) – SES-8 – USA-247 · ALICE · AeroCube 5A, 5B · CUNYSAT-1 · FIREBIRD A, B · IPEX · M-Cubed-2 · SMDC-ONE 2.3, 2.4 · SNaP · TacSat-6 – Inmarsat-5 F1 – CBERS-3 – Gaia – Túpac Katari 1 – Kosmos 2488 · Kosmos 2489 · Kosmos 2490 – Ekspress AM5 – Aist 1 · SKRL-756 1, 2 |
Launches are separated by dashes ( – ), payloads by dots ( · ). Crewed flights are underlined. Launch failures are in italics. Payloads deployed from other spacecraft are (enclosed in brackets). |