| ROBUSTA | |
| Mission Type: | Technology |
| Operator: | Centre Spatial Universitaire Montpellier-Nîmes |
| Cospar Id: | 2012–006H |
| Satcat: | 38084 |
| Mission Duration: | 2 years (failed) |
| Spacecraft Type: | 1U CubeSat |
| Launch Mass: | 1kg (02lb) |
| Launch Date: | UTC[1] |
| Launch Rocket: | Vega |
| Launch Site: | Kourou ELV |
| Launch Contractor: | Arianespace |
| Orbit Epoch: | 31 October 2013, 04:52:30 UTC[2] |
| Orbit Reference: | Geocentric |
| Orbit Regime: | Low Earth |
| Orbit Periapsis: | 302km (188miles) |
| Orbit Apoapsis: | 1089km (677miles) |
| Orbit Inclination: | 69.47 degrees |
| Orbit Period: | 98.54 minutes |
| Apsis: | gee |
ROBUSTA (Radiation on Bipolar for University Satellite Test Application) is a nano-satellite scientific experiment developed by the University of Montpellier students as part of a Centre National d'Études Spatiales (CNES) call for student projects in the field of orbital systems.[3]
The satellite is a Cubesat, the name given to a series of nano-satellites developed as part of student projects. The ROBUSTA mission is to check the deterioration of electronic components, based on bipolar transistors, when exposed to in-flight space radiation. The results of the experiment will be used to validate a new radiation test method proposed by the laboratory.[4]
The duration of the ROBUSTA project is 6 years, beginning in 2006. The satellite was launched on 13 February 2012 on the Vega rocket's maiden flight,[5] and reentered in the atmosphere in February 2015. An anomaly within the battery recharge system resulted in the loss of the satellite after a few days.[6]
Teams from several sites, coordinated by the Centre Spatial Universitaire Montpellier-Nîmes worked together.[7] These teams are spread over several sites: