Danish Ørsted Mission In-Orbit Experiences and Status of The Danish Small Satellite Programme

The Danish Ørsted Satellite was successfully launched 23. February 1999 and is now operating nominally in orbit. The 61 kg satellite carries four science experiments with the objectives of mapping the Earth\u27s magnetic field, measure the charged panicle environment and collect GPS occultation data. The science data from the 14- month mission will improve geomagnetic models, study auroral phenomena and obtain atmospheric profiles. The {iJrsted satellite has, since the completion of the Flight Model in 1997, raised a considerable interest for small scientific satellites within Denmark and has caused the initiation of the Danish Small Satellite Programme. The first mission, which is carried out in this context, is the Danish contribution to the Argentine SAC-C mission. A Magnetic Mapping Payload similar to the primary payload flown on the {iJrsted satellite, is integrated into the SAC-C Earth observation mission and will continue the measurements obtained by the {iJrsted mission. Further, four new satellite proposals are under evaluation, where Denmark proposes to continue its line of small scientific satellites. Right now the four competing proposals are in the middle of the evaluation process, and it is planned to start a systems design phase in September or October this year