ALMASat 1 [University of Bologna]
Official name ALMASAT-1
Alternative name ALMASat
Cospar ID 2012-006B
Norad ID 38078
Launch date 2012-02-13
Launch site FRGUI
Launch vehicle Vega
Country/Organization Italy
Type application Technology
Operator University of Bologna
RCS size MEDIUM
Decay date 2020-04-25
Shape Box + 1 Ant
Mass (kg) 12
Height (m) 0.3
Width (m) 0.3
Depth (m) 0.3
Span (m^2) 0.4
Contractors University of Bologna
Propulsion None
Configuration Cube
Power Solar cells, batteries

ALMASat (ALma MAter SATellite) is an small satellite program of the University of Bologna.

The first ALMASat (ALma MAter SATellite) demonstration mission was due for launch on November 2005 on board a Dnepr rocket, but has been delayed to a launch on the maiden Vega flight in early 2011.

Among the possible future applications, there is the on-orbit experimentation of a passive electro-dynamic de-orbiting system, jointly developed by Alenia Spazio (Turin plant) and the University of Rome “la Sapienza”.

The satellite weighs about 12.5 kg and consists of a cubical prism, 300 mm side, with a modular structure made of six shop-machined Al trays, kept together by eight stainless steel bars. Four Al/Al honeycomb lateral panels, which are the support structure of glued solar panels, complete the satellite structure. This architecture has been selected in order to have a multi-purpose bus, to be used with minor changes for several missions, accommodating payloads with different volume and power requirements.

On 24 April 2020, it reentered the atmosphere.

Satellite COSPAR Date LS Launch Vehicle Remarks
ALMASAT-1 2012-006B 2012-02-13 FRGUI Vega with LARES, e-st@r, Goliat, MaSat 1, PW-Sat 1, ROBUSTA, UniCubeSat-GG, XaTcobeo, LARES-A&H/SS