astronomy

Super Low Altitude Test Satellite

Super Low Altitude Test Satellite is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Super Low Altitude Test Satellite rather than just read about it. In short: Super Low Altitude Test Satellite (SLATS) or Tsubame was a JAXA satellite intended to demonstrate operations in very low Earth orbit (VLEO, below 200 km), using ion engines to counteract aerodynamic drag from the Earth's atmosphere which is substantial at such lower orbital altitudes. It was launched on 23 December 2017, and decommissioned on 1 October 2019.

Key takeaways

Super Low Altitude Test Satellite belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Super Low Altitude Test Satellite to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Super Low Altitude Test Satellite from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Super Low Altitude Test Satellite (SLATS) or Tsubame was a JAXA satellite intended to demonstrate operations in very low Earth orbit (VLEO, below 200 km), using ion engines to counteract aerodynamic drag from the Earth's atmosphere which is substantial at such lower orbital altitudes. It was launched on 23 December 2017, and decommissioned on 1 October 2019. The spacecraft was equipped with sensors to determine atomic oxygen density, an exposure facility to measure material degradation in the 200 km orbit, and a small camera. Initial designs had conventional, though slightly canted, solar panels (compare to the aerodynamic shape and on-body solar panels of GOCE, which flew in a 255 km orbit). SLATS was equipped with the high resolution optical camera SHIROP (Small and HIgh Resolution Optical Sensor) for conducting Earth observation from VLEO. SLATS's nickname Tsubame is Japanese for barn swallow. According to JAXA the name was chosen because the thin, elongated satellite in super low orbit with its set of solar array wings was reminiscent of a swallow flying low to the ground. SLATS was launched 23 December 2017 on a H-IIA rocket alongside the GCOM-C (Shikisai) satellite to a 630 km orbit, followed by orbit-lowering manoeuvres by a combination of chemical propulsion and aerobraking, with final operation at an altitude below 180 km. SLATS was operated at 7 altitudes: 271.5 and 216.8 km each for 38 days, and 250, 240, 230, 181.1 and 167.4 km each for 7 days. At 167.4 km the RCS thrusters were used in addition to the ion thruster to maintain altitude. The operation of the satellite was finished on 30 September 2019, and it was decommissioned in orbit on 1 October 2019 by terminating the communication radio and power. The satellite deorbited 1 October 2019. On 30 December 2019, Guinness World Records recognized Tsubame's achievement, which reached the lowest altitude ever among Earth observation satellites.

References

External links JAXA SLATS page Archived 2018-03-28 at the Wayback Machine, has images and more details JAXA Space Technology Directorate I SLATS page (in Japanese)

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Super Low Altitude Test Satellite

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Super Low Altitude Test Satellite claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Super Low Altitude Test Satellite before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Super Low Altitude Test Satellite ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Super Low Altitude Test Satellite

In research: Super Low Altitude Test Satellite appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Super Low Altitude Test Satellite in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Super Low Altitude Test Satellite is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2017 in Japan, Asian spacecraft stubs, Earth observation satellites of Japan, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Super Low Altitude Test Satellite outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Super Low Altitude Test Satellite in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Super Low Altitude Test Satellite means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Super Low Altitude Test Satellite out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Super Low Altitude Test Satellite in simple terms?

Why does Super Low Altitude Test Satellite matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Super Low Altitude Test Satellite?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Super Low Altitude Test Satellite.