Cerise

Caracterisation de l'Environment Radio-electrique par un Instrument Spatial Embarqué

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General

Designation	23606 / 95033B
Launch date	7 Jul 1995
Country of origin	France
Mission	Military: ELINT
Perigee/Apogee	666/675 km
Inclination	98.2°
Period	98.2 min
Launch vehicle	Ariane V75

Operated by CNES and the DGA (Délégation Générale de l'Armement), ministry of defense. Cerise is to catalog terrestrial electromagnetic sources between 500 MHz and 20 GHz in order to find out which are the interesting frequencies. Cost: $17.4 million.

It will be followed by Clementine to catalog sources between 20 MHz and 1 GHz. (should cost $18 million).

On 24th July 1996 the satellite was hit by a fragment of Ariane V16 which launched Spot 1 The relative velocity of the collision was 14.8 km/s. Part of the gravity-gradient boom was detached at 3.1 m of its base (was 6 m long). This is the first natural collision of artifical earth satellites.

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External resources

sat-index articles

Technical data

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Specifications

Prime contractor	Alcatel Espace & Thomson CSF
Platform	UoSAT
Mass at launch	50 kg
Mass in orbit
Dimension	0.6 m x 0.3 m x 0.3 m
Solar array	four fixed, and four deployable solar panels
Stabilization	gravity-gradient
DC power
Design lifetime	2.5 years

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