Mystery Sat #11

Faisat 2v (Final Analysis Inc. Satellite) is a 114.5kg minisatellite owned by Final Analysis Inc. It is based on PM Polyots 21KF2 Bus, which was developed for the Nadezhda-M satellites. Faisat-2v was launched on a Kosmos-3M launcher alongside Kosmos 2346 on the 23rd September 1997 from Plesetsk Cosmodrome, after being left behind on th earlier Kosmos 2341 in April '97 due to a bureaucratic glitch. It was launched into a 956 × 1012km orbit inclined at 82.9 degrees. AKO Polyot will launch the satellites as a partner in a joint venture for FAI's communications constellation. FAISAT also carries transponders for VITA, a non-profit organization committed to helping people in developing countries improve the collection and transfer of information. This second satellite will carry out communication studies in order to develop suitable algoritms for sharing with other networks and interfering systems, over countries including the USA, Mongolia, Germany and Poland. The remaining 26 satellites will be launched between 1997 and 2000 to form a global network. FAISAT-2v has GMSK uplinks in the 455-456 and 459-460MHz band, and 400.62MHz and 400.55MHz downlink. The downlink power is variable between 5-15W, and employs two rates of 4800 and 9600bps GMSK. The system ground based small terminals operate with 1-10W uplink power. It is reported that the satellite is working well after an initial glitch where the spacecraft went silent shortly after deployment. A power problem was reported during its first eclipse season, in supplying power during eclipse. It was believed this could be corrected by new software, but it is not clear, if it was ever operational.

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This satellite was correctly identified by:
Gert Meinl