Challenging Minisatellite Payload (CHAMP) was a German satellite launched July 15, 2000 from Plesetsk, Russia, and was used for atmospheric and ionospheric research, as well as other geoscientific applications, such as GPS radio occultation.
CHAMP was managed by GeoForschungsZentrum (GFZ), Potsdam, Germany. The spacecraft was the first application of Astrium's "Flexbus" platform, and it was a cooperative project between Germany and NASA. NASA providing a GPS Blackjack Flight receiver built by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).
CHAMP completed its mission and re-entered the Earth's atmosphere on 19 September 2010 after 10 years (design life: five years).