Ohsumi (satellite)

Ohsumi
	Artist's rendition of Ohsumi in orbit.
Mission type	Earth science
Operator	Institute of Space and Aeronautical Science, University of Tokyo (now part of JAXA)
COSPAR ID	1970-011A
SATCAT no.	04330
Mission duration	33 years, 5 months and 21 days
Spacecraft properties
Launch mass	24.0 kilograms (52.9 lb)
Power	10.3 watt
Start of mission
Launch date	February 11, 1970, 04:25 UTC
Rocket	Lambda-4S
Launch site	Kagoshima LA-L
Contractor	ISAS
End of mission
Last contact	February 12, 1970
Decay date	August 2, 2003
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric
Regime	Medium Earth
Eccentricity	0.262379
Perigee altitude	350 kilometres (220 mi)
Apogee altitude	5,140 kilometres (3,190 mi)
Inclination	31.0 degrees
Period	144.0 minutes
Epoch	10 February 1970, 23:25:00 UTC

Ōsumi (or Ohsumi, おおすみ) was the first Japanese satellite put into orbit. It was launched on February 11, 1970 at 04:25 UTC with a Lambda 4S-5 rocket from Uchinoura Space Center by Institute of Space and Aeronautical Science, University of Tokyo, now part of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). Japan became the fourth nation after the USSR, United States and France to release an artificial satellite into successful orbit on its own. The satellite was named after the Ōsumi Peninsula in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan, where the launch site was located.

The only instruments the satellite carried were an accelerometer and thermometer.^[6] It also had a radio transmitter and was powered by batteries.^[6]

The radio transmitter failed after 15 hours while the satellite remained in orbit until August 2003.^[6]

References

^ ^a ^b "Ohsumi". NASA NSSDC Master Catalog. NSSDC, NASA. Retrieved 2008-02-12.
^ "ohsumi". Archived from the original on 11 May 2013. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
^ "SPX-598". SPACEWARN Bulletin. NSSDC, NASA. Archived from the original on 2008-01-05. Retrieved 2008-03-02.
^ ^a ^b "Trajectory Details". NASA NSSDC Master Catalog. NSSDC, NASA. Retrieved 2008-02-12.
^ "Osumi". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Astronautix. Archived from the original on November 17, 2002. Retrieved 2008-03-02.
^ ^a ^b ^c Harvey, Brian (2023-11-21). Japan In Space. Springer. p. 35. ISBN 978-3-031-45571-1.