RatSat
RatSat: 184 or DemoSat was an aluminum mass simulator on the fourth flight of the Falcon 1 rocket, launched on 28 September 2008. Ratsat remained bolted to the second stage of the carrier rocket after reaching low Earth orbit. It is an aluminium alloy chamber in hexagonal prism shape with 1.5 m (5 ft) length.
RatSat, with a SpaceX sticker and its mission logo | |
| Mission type | Launch demonstration |
|---|---|
| Operator | SpaceX |
| COSPAR ID | 2008-048A |
| SATCAT no. | 33393 |
| Mission duration | 15 years, 4 months, 12 days (in orbit) |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Manufacturer | SpaceX |
| Launch mass | 165 kg (364 lb) |
| Dimensions | 1.5 m (4.9 ft) in length |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 28 September 2008, 23:15 UTC |
| Rocket | Falcon 1 |
| Launch site | Omelek Island |
| Contractor | SpaceX |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Regime | Low Earth orbit |
| Perigee altitude | 617 kilometers (383 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 635 kilometers (395 mi) |
| Inclination | 9.35° |
| Period | 97.09 minutes |
| Epoch | 24 January 2015, 18:58:23 UTC |
The Falcon 1 launch that carried Ratsat to orbit was the first successful orbital launch of any privately funded and developed, liquid-propellant carrier rocket, the SpaceX Falcon 1, something only six nations had successfully accomplished previously.
The launch, identified as Falcon 1 Flight 4, was conducted by SpaceX, and also marked the first time the Falcon 1 rocket successfully achieved orbit, after three consecutive failures on the three previous launch attempts.