First-ever private spacecraft from Saint Petersburg that was sent into orbit
Geoscan-Edelveis
| Spacecraft‘s name | Geoscan-Edelveis |
| NORAD ID | 53385 |
| Number in Russian Register | 3605-2022-012 |
| Call sign | RS20S |
| Frequency | 436.200 MHz 9600/19200 bps GFSK; 10492.000 MHz DATA |
| Standard size | 3U |
| Weight | 2,909 kg |
| Payload | Gas engine |
| Function | Platform and gas engine test |
| Design | LLC Geoscan |
| Launch vehicle | Soyuz-2.1b with the Fregat upper stage |
| Launch | 09.08.22, Baikonur Cosmodrome |
| Deorbiting | 18.02.24 |
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The first ever private satellite designed in Saint Petersburg to enter the orbit. Geoscan-Edelveis is the first private small satellite (SS) designed in Saint Petersburg to be launched into the orbit. After a year and a half in development, it was designed to test the Geoscan-3U satellite platform, namely a part of the satellite responsible for power, communications and payload control, and to create the conditions for instruments to operate during spaceflight.
On August 9, the SS was launched into the orbit from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. For the first time in Russia, a silicon wafer was installed on it with 22,772 names of people from all over the world, collected publicly from everyone interested, inscribed by ion beam lithography (you can see the distribution of our satellite's “passengers” by Russian regions and other countries on the map).
The payload included an Elvis GNSS receiver and a gas propulsion system with nitrogen-filled cylinders. The engine was developed specifically for the CubeSat standard in the Fakel experimental design bureau, and in spring-summer 2023 it passed a full cycle of tests in space, proving its efficiency as part of the small spacecraft.
On February 18, 2024, 558 days after launch, Geoscan-Edelveis successfully completed its mission and deorbited, burning up in the Earth's dense atmosphere. Over its operational period, not only did it achieve all the principal objectives, it also became one of the most celebrated amateur radio satellites, transmitting photographs of our planet, and entered the top-25 ranking in terms of data packets received by the global SatNOGS network.
The CubeSat was sent into space as part of the Space-π educational project of the Foundation for Assistance to Innovations with the support of Roscosmos State Corporation. The launch was organized by Glavkosmos (a member of Roscosmos). The launch containers for the project's satellite injection into the orbit were provided by Aerospace Capital.
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