Who built the SAPPHIRE satellite?
Stanford University students built the SAPPHIRE satellite in Palo Alto, California. The project was not constructed by aerospace engineers or government contractors but by undergraduates.
Common questions about Sapphire
Short answers, pulled from the story.
When was the SAPPHIRE satellite launched?
The launch of SAPPHIRE occurred on the 30th of September 2001 from the Kodiak Launch Complex in Alaska. It rode into space aboard an Athena 1 rocket alongside three other payloads.
What instruments did the SAPPHIRE satellite carry?
SAPPHIRE carried an infrared sensor and a digital camera to capture images of the Earth and space environment. These instruments allowed the satellite to observe thermal signatures and visible light.
What is the call sign of the SAPPHIRE satellite?
The call sign KE6QMD was assigned to the SAPPHIRE satellite. This identifier allowed operators to communicate with the satellite on an uplink frequency of 145.945 MHz and a downlink frequency of 437.1 MHz.
How long did the SAPPHIRE satellite mission last?
The mission of SAPPHIRE concluded in the early months of 2005, marking the end of its four-year operational life. The satellite was designed to be a temporary platform and its components eventually failed due to the harsh environment of space.