Tags: Austria, Satellite Launch, ISRO, PSLV
Publication Date: 11/06/2012
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Members of the project with TUGSAT-1 before sending it to India for launch. Image credit: TU Graz/Lunghammer |
Austria will launch its first satellite in December with the objective of studying the nature of stars. The Austrian Space Program is funding the project, which will also serve as a test drive for possibly launching more satellites in the future.
TUGSAT-1 is a miniature satellite; it weights 7kg and will orbit 800 km above the Earth. When in orbit, it will aid an investigation on the brightness oscillations of massive luminous starts with a magnitude of 3.5 using a high-resolution optical camera. The satellite will provide exceptionally accurate photometric data, which cannot be obtained from Earth because of our atmosphere.
Developed by Graz University of Technology, TUGSAT-1 will launch as a secondary payload on the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) rocket of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). It will be monitored from Graz.
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