Chinas closing act on the orbital launch theatre for 2012 took place today at 1612:52 UTC with the launching of the second Turkish made satellite, Göktürk-2, from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. Göktürk-2 was carried into space by a Long March 2D (Chang Zheng-2D) launch vehicle.
Launch was schedule on December 19, but adverse weather conditions forecast at the launch site prompted a 24 hour advancement of the mission.
The Göktürk-2 Program is an Earth Observation Scientific Research and Technology Satellite Development Project that is the first National Earth Observation Satellite that has been funded by The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK) resources.
The contract for the development of the satellite was signed by the Ministry of Defence (MoD), The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK) and TUBİTAK UZAY-TAI Consortium on 13 April 2007, which became effective on 1st May, 2007.
With the Göktürk-2 Project, not only the Turkish national capabilities and resources for the space systems – such as new technologies, experienced manpower and possession of new infrastructures – will be developed, but the image requirements of the Turkish Armed Forces and other public institutions will also be met.
The development of the Göktürk-2 Project is an effort to develop a satellite system and a subsystem design and development capabilities, as well as to establish a bus platform for future remote-sensing missions. The main payload consists of a multi-spectral imager (MSI). The spacecraft is specified for an operational life time of five years, in a sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of approximately 700 km and a local time of descending node between 10:30 and 11:30 a.m.
The satellite will be capable of a 2.5 meter panchromatic resolution and a 10 meter multispectral resolution. Its mission will have a dual civil and military purpose, with applications on disasters management, emergency situations, environmental control, mapping and planning, landcover survey, geology, coastal zone vigilance, ecosystem monitoring, water resources, etc.
Launch mass of Göktürk-2 is 450 kg and the first images sent by the new satellite are expected to be received between December 25 and 30.
The solar panels and the pyro drive module have been developed by SpaceTech GmbH, Immenstaad – Germany. The solar generator system consists of three solar panels including the photovoltaic assembly, the solar panel deployment mechanisms, and the pyro drive module (PDM) electronics executing the deployment sequence of the mechanism.
The solar panel delivery included three flight models and three qualification model units. One of the QM panels has been equipped with active cells, the remaining two are mass dummies.
Each of the three panels on the spacecraft consists of four arrays each with three strings of 20 cells. In addition to the cells temperature sensors for thermal control, thermistors as input to the satellite’s maximum power point tracker as well as bleed resistors for controlled insulation with the spacecraft body are accommodated on each panel.
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