25636 - SUNSAT (SO-35)

SUNSAT is a South African research/education satellite that was launched by a Delta 2 rocket from Vandenberg AFB at 10:29 UT. It was a micro-satellite built by post-graduate engineering students at the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa. Its payload included NASA experiments, amateur radio communications, a high resolution imager, precision attitude control, and school experiments. Initial orbital parameters were period 100 min, apogee 857 km, perigee 644 km, and inclination 96.5 deg.

Alternate Names

OSCAR 35

Facts in Brief

Launch Date: 1999-02-23
Launch Vehicle: Delta II 7920
Launch Site: Vandenberg AFB, United States
Mass: 64.0 kg