Niwaka

Not to be confused with Niwaka (company).

Niwaka or FITSAT-1 is a 1U CubeSat satellite deployed from the International Space Station (ISS) on 4 October 2012. The Niwaka satellite includes high power LEDs which are driven by 200 watts pulses, allowing Morse code style communication from the sky to the ground.^[1] FITSAT-1 (Niwaka) communicates with ground by means of 5.8 GHz high-speed (115200 bit/s) transmitter. It also has a 437 MHz (amateur band) beacon and transmitter with data rate 1200 bit/s for telemetry downlink.

Niwaka

FITSAT-1 satellite in the middle
Names	FITSAT-1
Mission type	Technology demonstration
Operator	Fukuoka Institute of Technology
COSPAR ID	2012-038C (1998-067CP)
SATCAT no.	38853
Mission duration	273 days (achieved) 100 days (planned)
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft type	CubeSat
Launch mass	1.33 kg (2.9 lb)
Dimensions	10 cm x 10 cm x 10 cm (1U)
Start of mission
Launch date	21 July 2012, 02:06:18 UTC
Rocket	H-IIB F3
Launch site	Tanegashima, Yoshinobu LC-Y2
Contractor	Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
Deployed from	ISS Kibō Delivered by Kounotori 3
Deployment date	4 October 2012, 15:44:15.297 UTC
End of mission
Decay date	4 July 2013
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric orbit
Regime	Low Earth orbit
Perigee altitude	413 km (257 mi)
Apogee altitude	418 km (260 mi)
Inclination	51.65°
Period	93.00 minutes

The name Niwaka derives from "Hakata Niwaka", which is traditional impromptu comical talking with masks. It is also the old name of the city Fukuoka, site of the Fukuoka Institute of Technology in Japan which created the satellite.^[2]

WE WISH, RAIKO, FITSAT-1, F-1, and TechEdSat-1 travelled to orbit aboard Kounotori 3 (HTV-3).^[3]

It reentered in the atmosphere of Earth on 4 July 2013.^[4]

Launch

CubeSats deployed to orbit from the International Space Station on 4 October 2012 (from left: TechEdSat-1, F-1 and FITSAT-1).

See also

• Spaceflight portal

• 2012 in spaceflight
• Ginrei - another LED satellite (2014)