*** Welcome to piglix ***

CHAMP (satellite)

Challenging Minisatellite Payload
Mission type Technology
Operator DLR
COSPAR ID 2000-039B
SATCAT no. 26405
Mission duration Achieved: 10 years
Planned: 5 years
Spacecraft properties
Bus Flexbus
Manufacturer Astrium
Launch mass 500 kilograms (1,100 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date 15 July 2000, 12:00:00 (2000-07-15UTC12Z) UTC
Rocket Kosmos-3M
Launch site Plesetsk 132/1
End of mission
Decay date 19 September 2010 (2010-09-20)
Orbital parameters
Reference system Geocentric
Regime Low Earth
Semi-major axis 6,823.287 kilometres (4,239.794 mi)
Eccentricity 0.0007115
Inclination 87.18 degrees
Period 93.55 minutes
RAAN 124.21 degrees
Epoch 15 July 2000 12:00:00 UTC

Challenging Minisatellite Payload (CHAMP) was a German satellite launched July 15, 2000 from Plesetsk, Russia and was used for atmospheric and ionospheric research, as well as other geoscientific applications, such as GPS radio occultation.

CHAMP was managed by Potsdam (GFZ).

The spacecraft is the first application of Astrium's "Flexbus" platform; GRACE was the second. A heavily modified version flew as the GOCE mission.

CHAMP completed its mission and re-entered the Earth's atmosphere on 19 September 2010 after 10 years (design life: five years).

The mission was judged as being successful by the involved scientists.




...
Wikipedia

...