Niwaka
Niwaka or FITSAT-1 is a 1U CubeSat satellite deployed from the International Space Station on October 4, 2012.
 FITSAT-1 (middle) | |
| Mission type | Technology |
|---|---|
| Operator | Fukuoka Institute of Technology |
| COSPAR ID | 1998-067CP |
| SATCAT no. | 38853 |
| Mission duration | 21 months |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | 1U CubeSat |
| Launch mass | 1.33 kilograms (2.9 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 21 July 2012, 02:06:18 UTC |
| Rocket | H-IIB |
| Launch site | Tanegashima Yoshinobu 2 |
| Contractor | Mitsubishi |
| Deployed from | ISS Kibo Delivered by Kounotori 3 |
| Deployment date | 4 October 2012 |
| End of mission | |
| Decay date | 4 July 2013 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Eccentricity | 0 |
| Perigee altitude | 413 kilometres (257 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 418 kilometres (260 mi) |
| Inclination | 51.65 degrees |
| Period | 93 minutes |
The Niwaka satellite includes high power LEDs which are driven by 200W pulses, allowing Morse code style communication from the sky to the ground.[1] FITSAT-1 (Niwaka) communicates with ground by means of 5.8 GHz high-speed (115200bit/s) transmitter. It also has a 437 MHz (amateur band) beacon and transmitter with data rate 1200bit/s for telemetry downlink. The name Niwaka derives from "Hakata Niwaka", which is traditional impromptu comical talking with masks. It is also the old name of the city Fukuoka, site of the Fukuoka Institute of Technology in Japan which created the satellite.[2] We-Wish, Raiko, FITSat 1, F 1, and TechEdSat travelled to orbit aboard HTV-3.[3]
It reentered the atmosphere on July 4, 2013.[4]
Launch
See also
- 2012 in spaceflight
- Ginrei - another LED satellite (2014)