.jpg) Model of the LISA Pathfinder spacecraft | |
| Mission type | Technology demonstrator |
|---|---|
| Operator | ESA[1] |
| COSPAR ID | 2015-070A |
| SATCAT no. | 41043 |
| Mission duration | 576 days |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Manufacturer | Airbus Defence and Space |
| Launch mass | 1,910 kg (4,210 lb)[1] |
| BOL mass | 480 kg (1,060 lb)[2] |
| Dry mass | 810 kg (1,790 lb) |
| Payload mass | 125 kg (276 lb) |
| Dimensions | 2.9 m × 2.1 m (9.5 ft × 6.9 ft) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 3 December 2015, 04:04:00 UTC[3][4][5] |
| Rocket | Vega (VV06) |
| Launch site | Kourou ELV |
| Contractor | Arianespace |
| End of mission | |
| Disposal | Decommissioned |
| Deactivated | 30 June 2017 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Sun–Earth L1 |
| Regime | Lissajous orbit |
| Periapsis altitude | 500,000 km (310,000 mi) |
| Apoapsis altitude | 800,000 km (500,000 mi) |
| Inclination | 60 degrees |
| Epoch | Planned |
| Transponders | |
| Band | X band |
| Bandwidth | 7 kbit/s |
| Instruments | |
| ~36.7 cm Laser interferometer | |
 ESA astrophysics insignia for LISA Pathfinder | |
LISA Pathfinder, formerly Small Missions for Advanced Research in Technology-2 (SMART-2), was an ESA spacecraft that was launched on 3 December 2015 on board Vega flight VV06.[3][4][5] The mission tested technologies needed for the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA), an ESA gravitational wave observatory planned to be launched in 2035. The scientific phase started on 8 March 2016 and lasted almost sixteen months.[6] In April 2016 ESA announced that LISA Pathfinder demonstrated that the LISA mission is feasible.
The estimated mission cost was €400 million.[7]
- ^ a b "LISA Pathfinder: Operations". ESA. 8 January 2010. Retrieved 5 February 2011.
- ^ "LPF (LISA Pathfinder) Mission". ESA eoPortal. Archived from the original on 2015-10-17. Retrieved 2014-03-28.
- ^ a b "Launch Schedule". SpaceFlight Now. Archived from the original on 2016-12-24. Retrieved 2015-10-16.
- ^ a b "Call for Media: LISA Pathfinder launch". ESA. 23 November 2015.
- ^ a b "LISA Pathfinder enroute to gravitational wave demonstration". European Space Agency. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
- ^ "News: Top News - LISA Gravitational Wave Observatory". Archived from the original on 2016-04-19.
- ^ "LISA Pathfinder To Proceed Despite 100% Cost Growth". Space News. 22 June 2011.