Champ

CHAllenging Mini-satellite Payload for Geophysical Research and Application

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General

Designation	26405 / 00039B
Launch date	15 Jul 2000
Country of origin	Germany
Mission	Geodesy
Perigee/Apogee	416/476 km
Inclination	87.3°
Period	93.5 min
Launch vehicle	Cosmos C
Launch site	Plesetsk

6 instruments including the French STAR (Space Triaxial Accelerometer for Research Applications) accelerometer to carry out geophysical, geodetic and oceanographic experiments and study the upper atmosphere.

The satellite seems operating normally after apparently being hit by one of the two payload shrouds during the launch.

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End of life

Out of service	Sep 2010
Cause	Earth reentry
Decay	19 Sep 2010

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External resources

http://www.gfz-potsdam.de/pb1/CHAMP/champ.htm

sat-index articles

Technical data

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Specifications

Prime contractor	GFZ Postdam
Platform	Astrium Flexbus
Mass at launch	300 kg
Payload mass	25 kg
Dimension
Solar array
Stabilization	3-axis
DC power
Design lifetime

STAR has been developed by ONERA under the supervision of the Centre National d'Études Spatiales (CNES). It will accurately measure the surface acceleration the satellite will undergo in orbit. These measurements, combined to the measurements monitoring the satellite path by GPS and Laser, will considerably improve the knowledge of the gravitational field.

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