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Ratsat, or DemoSat, was a 165-kilogram (363-pound) non-functional boilerplate spacecraft used as a mass simulator on the fourth flight of the Falcon 1 rocket. Ratsat was carried to orbit on the first successful orbital launch of any privately funded and developed, liquid-propelled carrier rocket, the SpaceX Falcon 1.〔 The launch, identified as ''Falcon 1 Flight 4'', was conducted by SpaceX, and also marked the first time the Falcon 1 rocket successfully achieved orbit, after three consecutive failures on the three previous launch attempts. Ratsat〔 remained bolted to the second stage of the carrier rocket after reaching low Earth orbit. It has a hexagonal prism shape, 1.5 m (5 ft) long. SpaceX co-founder Elon Musk estimates that Ratsat will remain in orbit for between five and ten years before burning up in the atmosphere. ==Preparations== When the fourth flight was first announced in August 2008, shortly after the third flight failed, it was planned for launch in September.〔 The rocket that was used to conduct the test flight was originally built to launch the RazakSAT satellite. The test flight was introduced into the launch schedule because Astronautic Technology Sdn Bhd (ATSB) required a successful flight to be conducted before RazakSAT could be launched.〔 The schedule left very little time for modifications and testing. The rocket was shipped to the company's testing facilities in Texas where, after less than 24 hours, it was certified for launch. SpaceX chartered a United States Air Force C-17 flight on 3–4 September to carry both stages of the rocket 9,700 km (6,000 mi) to the launch facilities at the Kwajalein Atoll. The Falcon 1 rocket was successfully test-fired on 20 September.〔 Launch preparations on 23 September led the ground crew to replace part of a pipeline supplying liquid oxygen to the second stage ''Kestrel'' engine. This work delayed the launch to 28 September.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Ratsat」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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