The FedSat Microsatellite Mission

An Australian research microsatellite, FedSat with a complement of four payloads was launched from Tanegashima, Japan on 14 December 2002 into a near-circular sun synchronous 10:30 LT polar orbit at an inclination of 98.7° and altitude 800 km. Scientific experiments include a triaxial fluxgate magnetometer with a frequency response up to 100 Hz and a GPS receiver to monitor total electron content (TEC) and provide a precise orbit determination. Communications experiments include a Ka-band transponder and a UHF packet data service. A high performance computer payload will test reconfigurable computing technology. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.