Foresail-1

Foresail-1 is a satellite mission of the Finnish Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Space, and its main payload is the Particle Telescope (PATE), developed by the University of Turku.

PATE is a particle detector capable of measuring electrons and protons, their energies and pitch angles. The electrons are monitored with a range from 80 to 1600 keV with a single channel, while the protons are monitored with a range from 8 to 30 MeV in two energy channels.

The secondary payload is the Electrostatic Plasma Brake, developed by the Finnish Meteorological Institute. The device is designed to lower the orbit altitude of the satellite and finally deorbit the satellite.

Foresail-1 was launched on 26 May 2022. Initially, the satellite communicated normally, but in June, contact was lost after a transmitter reconfiguration. Multiple attempts to restore communication were made, but connection with the satellite has not been reestablished.

Despite the loss of the satellite, the mission contributed to research and education, supporting the training of numerous Master's and doctoral students. A replacement satellite, incorporating improvements to the power systems and error recovery mechanisms, is currently under development at Aalto University.

Contact:

Responsible Leader: Professor Jaan Praks ([email protected])

Chief Engineer: Petri Niemelä ([email protected])