Raijin-2

Raijin-2
NamesRising-2
SpriteSat
Mission typeEarth observation
OperatorTohoku University
COSPAR ID2014-029D Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.39769
WebsiteAt tohoku.ac.jp
Mission duration10 years, 4 months and 13 days (ongoing)
Spacecraft properties
Launch mass42 kg (93 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date03:05, May 24, 2014 (UTC) (2014-05-24T03:05Z)
RocketH-IIA 202
Launch siteTanegashima Space Center
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric
Eccentricity0.0013
Perigee altitude629.8 km (391.3 mi)
Apogee altitude647.4 km (402.3 mi)
Inclination97.9°
Period97.5 min

Raijin-2 (Rising-2) is a Japanese micro-satellite launched in 2014. The satellite is built around a 10 cm diameter, 1m focal length Cassegrain telescope and features the following instruments:

  • HPT - main telescope with 5m resolution at nadir, operating in visible and near-infrared bands
  • BOL - bolometer array camera for cloud temperature measurement
  • WFC - wide field-of-view CCD camera
  • LSI-N and LSI-W - 2 CMOS medium field-of-view cameras for near-infrared imaging
  • VLF-ANT, R - radio antenna to receive signatures of lighting events

All instruments are powered by GaAs solar cells mounted on the spacecraft body, with estimated electrical power of 47.6W. The spacecraft features an unusual central-pillar bus, inherited from the Sprite-Sat satellite. The attitude control is done by means of reaction wheels and magneto-torquers, and qualified for 0.1 degrees angular accuracy.