CHAMP (satellite)
Challenging Minisatellite Payload (CHAMP) was a German satellite launched July 15, 2000 from Plesetsk, Russia and was used for atmospheric and ionospheric research, as well as other geoscientific applications, such as GPS radio occultation.
|  Artist's impression of CHAMP | |
| Mission type | Technology | 
|---|---|
| Operator | DLR | 
| COSPAR ID | 2000-039B | 
| SATCAT no. | 26405 | 
| Mission duration | Achieved: 10 years Planned: 5 years | 
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Bus | Flexbus | 
| Manufacturer | Astrium | 
| Launch mass | 500 kilograms (1,100 lb) | 
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 15 July 2000, 12:00:00 UTC | 
| Rocket | Kosmos-3M | 
| Launch site | Plesetsk 132/1 | 
| End of mission | |
| Decay date | 19 September 2010 | 
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric | 
| Regime | Low Earth | 
| Semi-major axis | 6,823.287 kilometres (4,239.794 mi) | 
| Eccentricity | 0.0007115 | 
| Inclination | 87.18 degrees | 
| Period | 93.55 minutes | 
| RAAN | 124.21 degrees | 
| Argument of perigee | 277.62 degrees | 
| Epoch | 15 July 2000 12:00:00 UTC[1] | 
CHAMP was managed by GeoForschungsZentrum (GFZ) Potsdam.
The spacecraft is the first application of Astrium's "Flexbus" platform; GRACE was the second. A heavily modified version flew as the GOCE mission.
CHAMP completed its mission and re-entered the Earth's atmosphere on 19 September 2010 after 10 years (design life: five years).[2]
The mission was judged as being successful by the involved scientists (e grazie ar cazzo).[3]
References
    
- "Launch/Orbital Information for CHAMP". nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov. NASA.
- "Upcoming and Recent Reentries | The Aerospace Corporation". Reentrynews.aero.org. Archived from the original on 2012-05-13. Retrieved 2013-08-01.
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