2023-06-23 16:19:00
The Data Collection Satellite (SCD-1), developed by the National Institute for Space Research (Inpe), set a world operating record. Launched into space on February 9, 1993, the module completed 30 years, 4 months and 4 days in orbitsurpassing the Japanese satellite Geotail, whose operations ended in November last year.
Marking a breakthrough in the Complete Brazilian Space Mission, begun in 1979, the satellite represented a step towards Brazilian autonomy in accessing space. The SCD-1 operating record was reached on June 17, crossing the line of more than three decades of contribution to research and scientific analysis by INPE.
“That launch was a great achievement for Brazil,” said Adenilson Roberto da Silva, general coordinator for Engineering, Technology and Space Sciences at Inpe, a research institute integrated into the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation.
The SCD-1 is the first artificial observation satellite designed, developed, tested and operated by Brazil. To the initial expectations pointed to a useful life of just one year for the equipment, which was clearly surpassed by more than thirty times.
“This record is unlikely to be beaten due to the increase in complexities and functionalities that are now demanded from satellites”, according to Adenilson.
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With advances in technology over the last few decades, satellites have started to adopt a more compact format and perform a variety of functions, something that, according to the researcher, can lead to the occurrence of failures in the devices.
Although current projects are more complex, satellites have a specified “expiration date”, and in most cases, the estimated useful life is fulfilled. Following this reasoning, Adenilson believes it will be difficult to surpass the SCD-1 record.
The possible end of SCD-1
In its context, the SCD-1 was developed with the best technologies available. The satellite has passive guidance control, but no onboard propulsion. This means that it is not possible to perform decommissioning operations if necessary.
“Like this, [o satélite] it should continue operating until a major failure occurs and it ceases to communicate with the antennas on the ground. In the current state, the rotational speed, which is the physical principle that stabilizes it, has decreased a lot and will continue to decrease”, he explains.
Now, it is expected that the SCD-1 will have its useful life ended in the short term, since the reduction of its rotation speed is caused by external agents and are out of control. “A long life is not expected from this moment on,” said the researcher. Soon, Brazil should start the project of a new satellite in partnership with China.
Currently, the Brazilian satellite plays the role of receiving environmental data collected by platforms installed in different regions of the national territory and redirecting them to INPE’s ground stations, located in Cuiabá (MG) and Natal (RN). The data is recorded in a national system and then made available to the public.
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