ISIS (satellite)

ISIS I and II (International Satellites for Ionospheric Studies) were Canadian research satellites, whose job it was to investigate the ionosphere, a region of the upper atmosphere, where many future satellites would be placed. The ISIS satellites were followers of satellite missions Alouette I and II satellites were built by RCA Victor of Montreal.

ISIS I

ISIS I started on 30 January 1969 on a Delta rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California into space. Canada used the satellite until 13 March 1984. Due to license agreements between Japan and Canada, the Japanese use the satellites until 1990.

As the Alouette - ISIS satellite possessed a complex navigation system and a data memory, were cached on the important research results when the satellite was on the opposite globe. These data were then retrieved from ground stations in Canada, whenever the satellite was back across Canada. Some experiment results were not recorded, but this was compensated for to the extent that the data was sent directly to other stations. The satellite conducted ten scientific experiments.

ISIS II

ISIS II started on 1 April 1971 with a Delta rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California into space. Due to budget limitations, the equipment of the satellite was exactly the ISIS I. The main difference between the satellites was that ISIS could make II photographs. Thus, it could be observed for the first time the formation of auroras from space.