BeeSat-1 or Berlin Experimental and Educational Satellite 1, is a German

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 satellite

Satellite

In the context of spaceflight, a satellite is an object which has been placed into orbit by human endeavour. Such objects are sometimes called artificial satellites to distinguish them from natural satellites such as the Moon....

 which is operated by the Technical University of Berlin

Technical University of Berlin

The Technische Universität Berlin is a research university located in Berlin, Germany. Translating the name into English is discouraged by the university, however paraphrasing as Berlin Institute of Technology is recommended by the university if necessary .The TU Berlin was founded...

. The spacecraft is a single unit CubeSat

CubeSat

A CubeSat is a type of miniaturized satellite for space research that usually has a volume of exactly one liter , has a mass of no more than 1.33 kilograms, and typically uses commercial off-the-shelf electronics components...

, which was designed to test systems intended for use on future spacecraft, including a new design of reaction wheel. It has also been used for amateur radio

Amateur radio

Amateur radio is the use of designated radio frequency spectrum for purposes of private recreation, non-commercial exchange of messages, wireless experimentation, self-training, and emergency communication...

, and is equipped with a small camera.

BeeSat-1 was launched by a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle

Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle

The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle , commonly known by its abbreviation PSLV, is an expendable launch system developed and operated by the Indian Space Research Organisation . It was developed to allow India to launch its Indian Remote Sensing satellites into sun synchronous orbits, a service that...

, serial number C14, flying in the Core Alone, or PSLV-CA, configuration. The launch took place from the First Launch Pad

Satish Dhawan Space Centre First Launch Pad

The First Launch Pad of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre is a rocket launch site in Sriharikota, India. It is used by Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle and Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle rockets. It is one of two orbital launch pads at the site, the other being the Second Launch Pad, which...

 at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre

Satish Dhawan Space Centre

The Satish Dhawan Space Centre is the launch centre for the Indian Space Research Organisation . It is located in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, India, north of Chennai in South India. It was originally called Sriharikota High Altitude Range , and was sometime known as Sriharikota Launching Range...

, at 06:21 UTC on 23 September 2009. BeeSat-1 was a secondary payload aboard the rocket, which deployed the Oceansat-2

Oceansat-2

Oceansat-2 is an Indian satellite designed to provide service continuity for operational users of the Ocean Colour Monitor instrument on Oceansat-1. It will also enhance the potential of applications in other areas...

 satellite. Five other secondary payloads were flown aboard the rocket; SwissCube-1

SwissCube-1

SwissCube-1 is a Swiss satellite operated by Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne. The spacecraft is a single unit CubeSat, which was designed to conduct research into nightglow within the Earth's atmosphere, and to develop technology for future spacecraft. It has also been used for amateur radio...

, UWE-2

UWE-2

The University Würzburg's Experimental satellite 2 is a CubeSat of a length of 10 cm and a mass of 1 kg. Developed by the University of Würzburg, its scientific objectives are;...

, ITU-pSat1, Rubin 9.1 and Rubin 9.2.

BeeSat-1 is operating in a sun synchronous orbit with an apogee

Apsis

An apsis , plural apsides , is the point of greatest or least distance of a body from one of the foci of its elliptical orbit. In modern celestial mechanics this focus is also the center of attraction, which is usually the center of mass of the system...

 of 723 kilometres (449.3 mi), a perigee

Apsis

An apsis , plural apsides , is the point of greatest or least distance of a body from one of the foci of its elliptical orbit. In modern celestial mechanics this focus is also the center of attraction, which is usually the center of mass of the system...

 of 714 kilometres (443.7 mi) and 98.4 degrees of inclination

Inclination

Inclination in general is the angle between a reference plane and another plane or axis of direction.-Orbits:The inclination is one of the six orbital parameters describing the shape and orientation of a celestial orbit...

 to the equator

Equator

An equator is the intersection of a sphere's surface with the plane perpendicular to the sphere's axis of rotation and containing the sphere's center of mass....

. It has an orbital period

Orbital period

The orbital period is the time taken for a given object to make one complete orbit about another object.When mentioned without further qualification in astronomy this refers to the sidereal period of an astronomical object, which is calculated with respect to the stars.There are several kinds of...

of 99.16 minutes. BeeSat-1 was designed to operate for at least twelve months, and it is still operational.