The Ørsted satellitte

A full-scale, 1:1, model of the Ørsted satellite has been hanging in the DTU Library in Lyngby since the late 1990s.

The model is one of three models built by a technician at DMI, the Danish Meteorological Institute. The other two models are exhibited at DMI and DTU Space respectively.

On 23 February 1999, the Danish-build Ørsted satellite was sent into orbit around the earth. The purpose of the satellite was to measure the Earth's magnetic field, and therefore it was named after DTU's and the father of electromagnetism, H.C. Ørsted.

DTU contributed two pieces of advanced technology to the Ørsted satellite: a star camera for navigation and a magnetometer for measuring the magnetic field.

The Ørsted satellite consists of a box with outer dimensions of 72x45x34 cm, equipped with an 8-meter-long mast. The actual satellite, including instruments and mast, weighs 60.7 kg. It is powered by solar panels covering 5 of its sides - simulated with printed foil on the model.

There are numerous of sources of information about the Ørsted satellite on the internet.