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Ratsat [SpaceX]
Ratsat is a vehicle evaluation payload for the fourth flight of the Falcon-1 rocket designed and built by SpaceX specifically for this mission.
Ratsat is a 165 kg boilerplate in shape of a 1.5 m hexagonal prism launched. It was fabricated in house by SpaceX. It remained intentionally attached to the Falcon-1 second stage.
Ratsat was successfully launched on the fourth Falcon-1 flight, after the three first attempts failed. The rocket reached a 621 km × 643 km orbit with an inclination of 9.35. The payload will remain in orbit for between five and ten years.
| Nation: | USA |
|---|---|
| Type / Application: | Vehicle evaluation |
| Operator: | SpaceX |
| Contractors: | SpaceX |
| Equipment: | ? |
| Configuration: | ballast bolted to upper stage |
| Propulsion: | None |
| Power: | |
| Lifetime: | |
| Mass: | 165 kg (payload only) |
| Orbit: | 621 km × 643 km, 9.35 |
| Satellite | COSPAR | Date | LS | Launch Vehicle | Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ratsat | 2008-048A | 28.09.2008 | Om | Falcon-1 |
Launch Sites:
- Om = Omelek Island, Reagan Test Site (formerly Kwajalein Missile Range), Kwajalein, Marshall Islands
References:
- Spaceflight Now: SpaceX to launch its fourth Falcon 1 rocket on Sunday, 27 September 2008
