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February 2001
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Start-1 Successfully Launches Odin
A Start-1 rocket successfully launched the Odin 1 satellite from the Svobodny Cosmodrome at 0848:27 UTC on February 20. The Swedish satellite was placed into a circular, solar-synchronous orbit at an altitude of 625.7 km (338 nmi). Its orbital inclination is 97.83 degrees. Odin is a Swedish-led joint astronomy/aeronomy mission with participation from Canada, Finland and France. The satellite was built by, and is owned and operated by the Swedish Space Corporation.
The 242 kg (533 lbm) satellite will conduct astronomic and atmospheric research, which could shed light on the problem of ozone holes in the Earth's atmosphere. The satellite has an expected service life of two years.
Odin is a dual-mission small satellite for research of both astronomical and atmospheric topics. The scientific goals were set by a group of scientists from the participating countries, called the Odin Science Team. The main part of the project cost is carried by Sweden and SNSB thus has the overall project responsibility, supported by CSA of Canada, TEKES of Finland, and CNES of France. SNSB has entrusted the Swedish
Space Corporation with the implementation of the project.
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