# TopSat
*missions*

## Specifications
- **operator**: uksa
- **current status**: ended
- **actual launch**: 2005-10-27
- **actual end of life**: 2008-01-01
- **platform**: sstl-100
- **launch vehicle**: roscosmos-kosmos-3m
- **orbit type**: Sun-synchronous LEO ~682-707 km, 98.18 deg inclination
- **swath km**: 25
- **entity type**: mission
- **last verified date**: 2026-06-21
- **verified by**: agency-doc
- **claim status**: agency-sourced
- **provider**: uksa
- **attributes**: {"operator":"uksa","current_status":"ended","actual_launch":"2005-10-27","actual_end_of_life":"2008-01-01","platform":"sstl-100","launch_vehicle":"roscosmos-kosmos-3m","orbit_type":"Sun-synchronous LEO ~682-707 km, 98.18 deg inclination","swath_km":25}
- **relevance**: in-scope

## Editorial
TopSat was a UK high-resolution optical imaging microsatellite demonstration mission under the Mosaic programme.[^ralspace-topsat][^wikipedia-topsat] It launched on 2005-10-27 UTC from Plesetsk on Kosmos-3M and operated in Sun-synchronous low Earth orbit at about 682-707 km and 98.18 degrees inclination.[^celestrak-2005-043][^wikipedia-topsat] The mission used a small-satellite platform and carried the TopSat high-resolution optical camera.[^ralspace-topsat] The camera provided 2.5 m panchromatic pixels, 5 m colour imagery, and a 25 km swath from a 600 km orbit.[^ralspace-topsat] TopSat produced high-resolution optical imagery before mission end in 2008.[^ralspace-topsat][^wikipedia-topsat]

## Compositional position
- TopSat --[mission_payloads]--> topsat-camera (products)
- TopSat --[mission_buses]--> sstl-100 (products)
- TopSat --[related]--> roscosmos-kosmos-3m (launch_services)
- TopSat --[related-topic]--> disaster-damage-assessment (topics)
- TopSat --[related-topic]--> transport-infrastructure (topics)
- TopSat --[related-topic]--> urban-change (topics)
- TopSat --[related-topic]--> land-cover-change (topics)

## Sources
- [ralspace-topsat] | RAL Space TopSat project page | https://www.ralspace.stfc.ac.uk/Pages/TopSat.aspx | tier=agency-doc | accessed=2026-06-21
- [celestrak-2005-043] | CelesTrak SATCAT 2005-043 launch group | https://celestrak.org/satcat/table-satcat.php?INTDES=2005-043 | tier=agency-doc | accessed=2026-06-21
- [wikipedia-topsat] | TopSat Wikipedia article | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TopSat | tier=community | accessed=2026-06-21

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Source: https://eo-atlas.org/missions/topsat
Maintainer: SpectraWorks B.V. (CC-BY 4.0)