MaqSat H & TEAMSAT

MaqSat H & TEAMSAT
[Kayser-Threde]

MaqSat H (Maquette Satellite - Haute) is a dummy payload.

The ARIANE 502 payload consists of three components: The lower Instrumented Platform (MaqSat B), the upper Instrumented Payload (MaqSat H) and TEAMSAT (Technology education Experiment Added To MAQSat) (various experiments of European universities) which is added to MaqSat H. The platforms are developed, manufactured and tested by Kayser-Threde, Munich and correspond to about 90 % of the total payload mass.

MaqSat H, 2290 kg in mass including TEAMSAT, 5 m in height, will use 34 sensors to measure acceleration, vibration, shock and acoustic noise at different locations. On an instrumentation plate flight data (32 Mbyte) will be recorded within the first four minutes after ignition. Immediately afterwards, the data will be transmitted down to Kourou within the following 4 minutes. The MAQSATH structure itself, including a simulating solar panel, will fulfill various frequency and stiffness requirements and has the dimensions of a typical large communications satellite. The evaluation of the flight data will result in understanding and validity of the environment requirements for future satellites launched on Ariane-5G.

After injection into GTO, MAQSAT-H was jettisoned. Afterwards, the ESA experiment TEAMSAT began to operate. TEAMSAT ejected later the YES subsatellite, which was originally a tethered experiment, but for security reasons, the tether was not used.

The five experiments comprising the 350 kg TEAMSAT payload are:

• Autonomous Vision System (AVS) - Technical University of Denmark. AVS is a camera which automatically recognises and tracks stars or non-stellar objects (such as satellites). AVS can be used to identify specific stars, determine the attitude of satellites for navigation purposes and acquire images.
• Flux Probe Experiment (FIPEX) - University of Stuttgart. FIPEX will measure the concentration of atomic oxygen up to altitudes of 1000 kilometers. Atomic oxygen is known for its erosion effect and degradation of optical surfaces and lenses.
• Orbiting Debris Device(ODD) - Automation & Informatics Department, ESTEC. The MAQSAT-H satellite is painted with contrasting patterns (75% white and 25% black) to support test and calibration of ground based optical and radar stations in Europe. The contrasting paint should also allow detection of the rotation or tumbling of MAQSAT-H. Additionally, surface paint degradation will be studied.
• Visual Telemetry System (VTS) - MMS Bristol (UK) / IMEC and OIP (Belgium). VTS is an imaging system to monitor spacecraft activities such as the operations of critical mechanisms. TEAMSAT hosts a system of three cameras and a master unit to provide compressed image sequences of the fairing opening and satellite separations.