FASat (Fuerza Aerea Satellite)

The FASat program was initially proposed in 1993 by FACh to the government of Chile. In response to an invitation to tender, SSTL offered the most tempting project, including partnership construction of the probe, technological transfer and postgraduate training for FACh technicians, and was awarded the contract in 1994.

FASat-Alfa was built at SSTL and launched on August 31, 1995 (as a secondary payload to SICH-1, a payload of Ukraine) on a Russian Cyclone-3 vehicle. Orbit of FASat-Alfa: Sun-synchronous near-circular orbit, perigee=651 km, apogee=682 km, inclination = 82.5º, period = 98.7 minutes. Unfortunately, the separation mechanism to release the microsatellite from SICH-1 failed to operate. This implied non-operation (or hibernation) for FASat-Alfa. Some time after the launch, FACh and SSTL declared the spacecraft as lost. The SICH-1 S/C was able to perform its observation functions unharmed with the FASat S/C permanently attached to it.

FASAT-B was a microsatellite for the Chilean Air Force, launched from the Baikonur cosmodrome aboard a Zenit rocket. It was launched to replace the ill-fated FASAT-A and was similar in appearance to earlier ones in the series and carried Earth Imaging for Ozone monitoring, digital communications and GPS orbit determination experiments.

FASat-Bravo is the second Chilean experimental microsatellite in orbit, built under a technology transfer program between the Chilean Air Fore (FACh = Fuerza Aerea de Chile) and SSTL (Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd), Guildford, UK. The FASat program included the training of Chilenian engineers with aerospace experience (at SSTL) and to operate the Mission Control Station (ECM-Santiago) in Chile. The program's primary objective is that of acquiring the basic scientific and technological experience required to take more advanced steps.