3CAT-2
3CAT-2
Spacecraft 3CAT-2 (3CAT2)
Form factor CubeSat
Units or mass 6U
Status Reentry 2023-12-18. Was operational? (Inactive according to website. Last SatNOGS report 2019-05-23, but never any data. Checked 2019-05-25)
Launched 2016-08-15
NORAD ID 41732
Deployer ISIPOD [ISISpace]
Launcher Long March 2D
Entity name Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC, BarcelonaTECH)
Institution University
Entity type Academic / Education
Nation Spain
Launch brokerer ISILaunch
Oneliner

Perform ocean altimetry by means of Global Navigation Satellite Systems Reflectometry (GNSS-R).

Description

Perform ocean altimetry by means of Global Navigation Satellite Systems Reflectometry (GNSS-R). The main payload is the novel dual-band altimeter P(Y) & C/A ReflectOmeter (PYCARO). Also star tracker Mirabilis and experimental magnetometer for eLISA. Uses FAPEC, a powerful data compressor.

PYCARO reflectometer is designed to compare a direct signal from a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) such as GPS, GLONASS, Galileo and Beidou with the same signal reflected to Earth. PYCARO therefore operates as what is called a bistatic radar, i.e. it does not emit a signal but merely captures the signals emitted by other systems. This technique is known as GNSS-R, and can be used to obtain data on ocean altimetry, sea conditions and soil moisture, among other applications.

Sources [1] [2] [3]
Photo sources [1]

Last modified: 2023-12-28

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Created by Erik Kulu

Email: erik.kulu@nanosats.eu
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/erikkulu

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