38081 - MASAT-1

MaSat-1 (from the words Magyar and Satellite, the first meaning Hungarian in Hungarian, pronounced "maszat", meaning "smudge") is the first indigenous Hungarian satellite, developed and built by students at the Technical University of Budapest. The 1U CubeSat-type satellite was launched into low Earth orbit on 13 February, 2012. The satellite provides telemetric data as well as VGA resolution color images at the 70 cm amateur radio wavelength (437.345 MHz frequency) received at the tracking center at Budapest. The center was tested on 31 March, 2009 with the help of Charles Simonyi on board the International Space Station. With the successful launch of MaSat-1, Hungary became the 47th nation to orbit a satellite.

Only weeks following its launch, after the first high quality images were available has it been revealed to the public that a camera was on board.

The satellite's antenna is made of a 16 centimeter long stretch of a metal measuring tape.

Facts in Brief

Launch Date: 2012-02-13
Launch Vehicle: Vega
Launch Site: Kourou, French Guiana