SIMBA (satellite)
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| Mission type | Climatology |
|---|---|
| Operator | ESA |
| COSPAR ID | 2020-061H |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | 3U CubeSat |
| Manufacturer | Innovative Solutions In Space (Delft, Netherlands), KU Leuven, Royal Meteorological Institute of Belgium |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 3 September 2020, 01:51:10 UTC |
| Rocket | Vega, flight VV16 |
| Launch site | Guiana Space Centre |
| End of mission | |
| Declared | 31 December 2022 |
| Decay date | 14 August 2024 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Sun-synchronous |
| Altitude | 530 km |
| Inclination | 97.51 deg |
SIMBA (Sun-earth IMBAlance) was a climatology satellite mission by the European Space Agency (ESA) in the form of a 3U CubeSat.[1][2][3] Its goal was to help quantify how much heat from the Sun is being retained within Earth atmosphere. For this, SIMBA measured Earth's radiation budget and total solar irradiance using a miniaturized radiometer instrument.[4][5] The satellite was launched in September 2020 aboard a Vega rocket and remained operational until December 2022.[6][7][8][9] It deorbited in August 2024.[10][11][12]
