Aist 1

Aist 1 (Russian: Аист 1, meaning Stork 1) is a Russian technology demonstration satellite which was launched in December 2013. Aist 1 is operated by the Samara Aerospace University, who constructed it in partnership with TsSKB Progress. It is the second launched Aist satellite, following Aist 2's April 2013 launch.^[3]

Aist 1

Mission type	Technology
Operator	Samara Aerospace University
COSPAR ID	2013-078C
SATCAT no.	39492
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft type	Aist
Manufacturer	Samara Aerospace University TsSKB Progress
Start of mission
Launch date	28 December 2013, 12:30:00 (2013-12-28UTC12:30Z) UTC[1]
Rocket	Soyuz-2-1v/Volga
Launch site	Plesetsk 43/4
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric
Regime	Low Earth
Perigee altitude	600 kilometres (370 mi)[2]
Apogee altitude	631 kilometres (392 mi)[2]
Inclination	82.42 degrees[2]
Period	96.87 minutes[2]
Epoch	25 January 2015, 03:53:46 UTC[2]

Satellite

Aist1's primary technological mission objectives are demonstrating its systems and bus and investigating how to minimize acceleration caused by microgravitational effects.^[4] It will also measure micrometeoroid and microscopic orbital debris impacts, and test new sensors and techniques designed to study Earth's magnetic field.^[3]

Aist 1 was launched aboard the maiden flight of TsSKB Progress' Volga upper stage equipped Soyuz-2-1v carrier rocket, from Plesetsk Cosmodrome Site 43^[5][6] at 12:30 UTC on 28 December 2013,^[7] following a series of delays.^[8] The same rocket also deployed two SKRL-756 radar calibration satellites. Aist separated from the upper stage at 14:10 UTC, 100 minutes after liftoff.^[9]