ZimSat-1, Zimbabwe’s 1st Satellite finally Launches
Finally, Zimbabwe’s first orbiting satellite, ZimSat-1, has been launched. ZimSat-1 was scheduled to go into space alongside other payloads yesterday, Sunday, November 6. However, a fire alarm prior to the launch presented a problem, which forced the launch to be postponed to Monday, November 7, at 12.27 am. The launch of the Cygnus cargo spacecraft and Northrop Grumman’s Antares rocket from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility on Virginia’s Eastern Shore has been postponed. A fire alarm at Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus spacecraft control center in Dulles, Virginia, forced the cancellation of the launch.
The satellite from Zimbabwe is a part of a larger payload that also includes other CubeSats and some supplies for the International Space Station (ISS). Two 1U CubeSats (Zimbabwe & Uganda) and one 2U CubeSat belonging to Japan.
In other words, Zimbabwe didn’t launch a rocket into orbit; instead, it and the other two countries just boarded a NASA rocket that was already traveling in the same general direction. The Japanese (JAXA) KIBO module is placed on the ISS in this same direction. ZimSat-1 and other CubeSats will be launched from this KIBO station.
NASA had stated that today’s weather is 70% favorable for launching the spacecraft. They also stated that there is only a 5-minute window available for the launch which should begin at 5.27 am EST or 12.27 pm Zimbabwean time.
LIVE: Watch coverage of our @NorthropGrumman #CRS18 resupply mission to the @Space_Station. Carrying everything from science to snacks, the Cygnus spacecraft is set to launch at 5:27am ET (1027 UTC).
https://t.co/vDndaBoik7
— NASA (@NASA) November 7, 2022
A 1U CubeSat portable satellite that was co-developed with Japan is the component of Northrop Grumman’s Antares rocket that is carrying the payload for Zimbabwe. The smallest module or smallest functional system for this satellite is a cube that is 1U (1 unit) in size, hence the name. IT pros, does that sound familiar? such as server rack space
The camera-equipped sensor on the satellite will be used to collect spectral and visual information on the surface conditions of the region being studied. Three Raspberry Pi boards will be responsible for processing the camera sensor data as well as other satellite functions including communication and orbital management.