Ørsted (satellite)

Ørsted
Model of the Ørsted Satellite
in the Tycho Brahe Planetarium
Mission typeEarth observation
OperatorDanish Meteorological Institute
COSPAR ID1999-008B
SATCAT no.25635
Mission duration365 days (planned)
26 years, 3 months and 25 days (elapsed)
Spacecraft properties
ManufacturerComputer Resources International (Terma A/S)
Launch mass60.8 kg
Dimensions34 x 45 x 72 cm
(and an 8 m boom)
Power54 W (nominal)
Start of mission
Launch date23 February 1999, 10:29:55 UTC
RocketDelta II 7920-10
(Delta # 267)
Launch siteVandenberg, SLC-2W
ContractorBoeing
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric
RegimeLow Earth
(near–sun synchronous)
Perigee altitude630.0 km
Apogee altitude850.0 km
Inclination96.1°
Period100.0 minutes
Epoch23 February 1999

Ørsted is an Earth science satellite launched in 1999 to study the Earth's geomagnetic field. It is Denmark's first satellite, named after Hans Christian Ørsted (1777–1851), a Danish physicist and professor at the University of Copenhagen, who discovered electromagnetism in 1820.