Official name VESTA-1
Alternative name VESTA
Cospar ID 2018-099Z
Norad ID 43781
Launch date 2018-12-03
Launch site AFWTR
Launch vehicle Falcon-9 v1.2 (Block 5)
Country/Organization Canada
Type application Technology, communication
Operator exactEarth
RCS size SMALL
Decay date ON ORBIT
Period (min) 95.48
Inclination (deg) 97.52
Perigee (km) 536
Apogee (km) 548
Eccentricity 0.011070110701107
Mean motion (revs. per day) 15.0816925010473
Semi-Major axis (km) 6920.135
Raan (deg) 188.4745
Arg of perigee (deg) 111.5869
Shape Box
Mass (kg) 5
Height (m) 0.3
Width (m) 0.1
Depth (m) 0.1
Span (m^2) 0.3
Contractors SSTL (bus); Honeywell (payload
Equipment VDES
Propulsion None
Configuration CubeSat (3U)
Power Solar cells, batteries

Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL) has signed a contract with Honeywell to supply the VESTA satellite platform, a technology demonstration mission that will test a new two-way VHF Data Exchange System (VDES) payload for the exactEarth advanced maritime satellite constellation. The contract was signed as part of an MOU between Honeywell Aerospace and the UK Space Agency.

VESTA is being manufactured in SSTL?s new NanoLab at the Company?s Guildford facility under a rapid-build schedule to meet a 2017 launch date. The VESTA platform will have 3-axis pointing capability, an SEU tolerant on-board computer, VxWorks operating system and an S-Band transmitter and receiver.

VESTA is a flagship project of the National Space Technology Programme, funded by the UK Space Agency and managed by the Centre for EO Instrumentation and Space Technology (CEOI-ST).

The satellite was launched on Spaceflight Industry's SSO-A multi-satellite launch on a Falcon-9 v1.2 (Block 5) rocket.

Satellite COSPAR Date LS Launch Vehicle Remarks
VESTA-1 2018-099Z 2018-12-03 AFWTR Falcon-9 v1.2 (Block 5) with SkySat 14, 15, Eu:CROPIS, STPSat 5, FalconSat 6, NEXTSat 1, KazSTSAT, eXCITe, SeeMe, ICEYE X2, BlackSky 2, ESEO, Hawk A, B, C, Capella 1, AISTECHSAT 2, CSIM-FD, Hiber 2, ITASAT 1, Landmapper-BC 4, ORS 7A, 7B, Al-Farabi 2, Astrocast 0.1, Audacy 0, BRIO, Centauri 1, Eaglet 1, Enoch, Flock-3s 1, 2, 3, K2SAT, KazSciSat 1, MinXSS 2, Orbital Reflector, RAAF M1, SeaHawk 1, SNUSAT 2, THEA, PW-Sat 2, SNUGLITE, VisionCube, RANGE A, B, Elysium-Star 2, ExseedSat 1, Fox 1C, Irvine 02, JY1-Sat, KNACKSAT, MOVE 2, SpaceBEE 5, 6, 7, Suomi-100, WeissSat 1, Sirion Pathfinder 2, OrbWeaver 1, 2, SPAWAR-CAL O, OR, R