SUNSAT

The Stellenbosch UNiversity SATellite or SUNSAT was the first miniaturized satellite designed and manufactured in South Africa. It was launched aboard a Delta II rocket from the Vandenberg Air Force Base on 23 February 1999 to become the first launched South African satellite. Sunsat was built by post-graduate engineering students at the University of Stellenbosch. Its AMSAT designation was SO-35.
Last contact by ground control with SUNSAT was on 19 January 2001 and on 1 February 2001 the end of SUNSAT's functional life in orbit was announced. The satellite operated in orbit for nearly 2 years.
It is predicted to reenter the atmosphere after about 30 years from launch.

Specifications

SUNSAT satellite specifications:

Size: 45 x 45 x 60 cm
Mass: 64 kg
Launcher: Delta II rocket, Mission P-91
Program cost: US $5M ; the launch was free of charge as SUNSAT was orbited as a secondary payload. The primary payload of the launch was ARGOS, and the Danish Orsted satellite was another secondary payload.
Planned lifetime: 4–5 years
Main payloads:
* Amateur radio communications
* Data interchange
* Stereo multispectral imager
Attitude control: Gravity gradient and magnetorquers, reaction wheels when imaging
Accuracy: 3 mrad pitch/roll, 6 mrad yaw
2 Micro Particle Impact Detectors were included as part of experiments conducted in orbit
* A team from Peninsula Technikon designed and built circuits for both their own piezo film technology and NASA supplied capacitive sensors.
SSC 25636