Subscribe with SteadyStarlette / Stella
Stella [CNES]
Starlette (Satellite de Taille Adaptée avec Réflecteurs Laser por les Etudes de la Terre) and Stella are virtually identical French passive satellites launched by the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES) in 1975 and 1993, respectively. They are dedicated to geodetic and geophysical studies with SLR (Satellite Laser Ranging).
Their small size compared to their mass gives them a much larger sensitivity to the gravitational attraction than to the surface forces due either to the residual atmosphere at the satellite or to radiation pressure. Both Stella and Starlette are covered with 60 identical retroreflectors.
| Nation: | France |
|---|---|
| Type / Application: | Geodesy |
| Operator: | CNES |
| Contractors: | CNES |
| Equipment: | 60 retroreflectors |
| Configuration: | 24 cm sphere |
| Propulsion: | None |
| Power: | None |
| Lifetime: | |
| Mass: | 47 kg (Starlette), 48 kg (Stella) |
| Orbit: | 806 km × 1108 km, 49.82° (Starlette); 798 km × 805 km, 98.68° (Stella) |
| Satellite | COSPAR | Date | LS | Launch Vehicle | Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starlette (BETA) | 1975-010A | 06.02.1975 | Ko ALD | Diamant-BP4 | ||
| Stella | 1993-061B | 26.09.1993 | Ko ELA-2 | Ariane-40 H10 | with SPOT 3, Healthsat 2, Kitsat 2, Eyesat 1, Itamsat, PoSAT 1 |
Launch Sites:
- Ko = Centre Spatial Guyanais (CSG), Kourou, French Guiana, France
References:
- eoPortal Directory: Starlette / Stella - Geodetic Satellites
- SSTL SSHP: STELLA - The centimetre over centuries
