Space Technology Research Vehicle

STRV 1A & STRV 1B
Operator UK MoD
Major contractors DRA
Mission type Experimental
Launch date 1994 June 17 07:07 UTC
Carrier rocket Ariane 4
Launch site Kourou, French Guiana
COSPAR ID 1994-034B & 1994-034C
SATCAT 23125 & 23126
Mass 50 kg
Orbital elements
Inclination 7.1 deg
Apoapsis 35,831 km
Periapsis 284 km
Orbital period 633 min
References: [1]
STRV 1C & STRV 1D
Operator UK MoD
Major contractors DRA
Mission type Experimental
Launch date 2000 November 16
Carrier rocket Ariane 5
Launch site Kourou, French Guiana
COSPAR ID 2000-072C & 2000-072D
SATCAT 26610 & 26611
Mass 100 kg
Orbital elements
Inclination 6.4 deg
Apoapsis 39,269 km
Periapsis 615 km
Orbital period 708 min
References: [2]

Space Technology Research Vehicle, or STRV was a series of British microsatellites which operated in elliptical orbits around the Earth. The satellites were built by the Defence Research Agency at Farnborough, for the UK Ministry of Defence.[3]

Mission

Built by the DRA, the satellites were designed to test new technologies in the harsh environment of an orbit. Each satellite had an expected 1 year life-time and carries myriad detectors, sensors and other equipment. The satellites were controlled from the DRA groundstation at in the UK.[3] The STRV satellites' experiments measured various environmental variables in the upper atmosphere.[4]

Payloads

Two satellites were launched in June 1994 and another two were launched in November 2000, from the space center in French Guyana.[5]

STRV 1A & 1B

STRV 1A and STRV 1B are cube-shaped mini-satellites each with a mass of 50 kg. They were launched into orbit to test new solar cells and measure static charge on its surfaces.[6]

STRV 1C & 1D

STRV 1C and STRV 1D both have a mass of 100 kg and carry test technology devices including lithium ion batteries and a GPS receiver.[6]

Current Status

The satellites form a part of the growing amounts of orbital debris in orbit of Earth.

References

  1. "Sat Cat". Celestrak. Retrieved 26 June 2012.
  2. "Sat Cat". Celestrak. Retrieved 26 June 2012.
  3. 1 2 "STRV 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 25 June 2012.
  4. "STRV Satellites Ready for Launch". About.com. Retrieved 26 June 2012.
  5. "Sat Cat". Celestrak. Retrieved 25 June 2012.
  6. 1 2 "SPACEWARN Bulletin 565". NASA. Retrieved 26 June 2012.


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