$osat - Whatever happened to?

Captain Haddock

Senior Member
Having lost touch of this forum for ages whatever happened to $osat, the coke can satellite project? How long long did it live in the end (or is it still going)?
I only ask as I was watching the israeli lunar lander failing this morning and the mention of privately funded reminded me.
 

srnet

Senior Member
It stopped working after 20 months in Orbit.

By looking at all the collected telemetry we surmised that the solar panels had degraded so much that there was not enough power from them to keep the $50SAT going. Its normal to cover the panels with a coating or glass to protect them, we did not do this, we never imagined it would last so long.

It remains, as far as is known, the Worlds smallest, lightest and cheapest satellite (£125) to have achieved 2-way communications, although there are some more PocketQubes of smaller size planned for launch this year.
 

newplumber

Senior Member
Yes good info...IMHO it would've lasted 100 years if it had solar power ...I built a solar powered address sign with picaxe flashing cool leds ...only time it fails is when snow covers the solar panel but always powers back up when snows gone
 

srnet

Senior Member
Yes good info...IMHO it would've lasted 100 years if it had solar power ...I built a solar powered address sign with picaxe flashing cool leds ...only time it fails is when snow covers the solar panel but always powers back up when snows gone
 
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