The Small Demonstration Satellite (SDS), nicknamed the "Sun Devil Satellite", is a spacecraft or 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 built as part of a JAXA programme to develop and demonstrate technology for and through small satellites. One of the mid-term goals is also to demonstrate formation flying. SDS-1 launched aboard an H-IIA

H-IIA

H-IIA is an active expendable launch system operated by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency . The liquid-fueled H-IIA rockets have been used to launch satellites into geostationary orbit, to launch a lunar orbiting spacecraft, and to launch an interplanetary...

 rocket on 23 January 2009, as a secondary payload to GOSAT. The operation finished successfully on September 8, 2010.

The programme started in spring 2006, and continues on from the MicroLabSat spacecraft, which was launched on 14 December 2002, and ceased operations on 27 September 2006.

The following experiments were aboard:

• MTP (Multi-mode integrated Transponder)
• SWIM (SpaceWire demonstration Module)
• AMI (Advanced Micro processing In-orbit experiment equipment)
• TFC (Thin Film Solar Cell)
• DOS (Small Dosimeter)
• Small satellite bus technology experiment.

Total weight of the satellite is 100 kg.

External links

• eoPortal Directory - SDS-1