Explorer 50

Explorer 50
Explorer 50 (IMP-8) satellite
NamesIMP-J
IMP-8
Interplanetary Monitoring Platform-8
Mission typeSpace physics
OperatorNASA
COSPAR ID1973-078A Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.06893
Mission duration34 years (achieved)
51 years, 29 days (in orbit)
Spacecraft properties
SpacecraftExplorer L
Spacecraft typeInterplanetary Monitoring Platform
BusIMP
ManufacturerGoddard Space Flight Center
Launch mass371 kg (818 lb) [1]
DimensionsPolyhedron of 16 faces:
157.4 cm (62.0 in) height
135.6 cm (53.4 in) diameter
Power150 watts
Start of mission
Launch date26 October 1973, 02:26:03 UTC[2]
RocketThor-Delta 1604
(Thor 582 / Delta 097)
Launch siteCape Canaveral, LC-17B
ContractorDouglas Aircraft Company
Entered service26 October 1972
End of mission
DeactivatedOctober 2001
Last contact7 October 2006
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric orbit[3]
RegimeHigh Earth orbit
Perigee altitude22.11 RE
Apogee altitude45.26 RE
Inclination28.64°
Period11.99 days
Instruments
Charged Particle Measurements Experiment (CPME)
Cosmic Ray Nuclear Composition
Electrons, Hydrogen and Helium Isotopes
Electrostatic Fields
Electrostatic Waves and Radio Noise
Energetic Electrons and Protons
Magnetic Field Experiment
Measurement of Low-Energy Protons and Electrons
Solar and Cosmic-Ray Particles
Solar Plasma Electrostatic Analyzer
Solar Plasma Faraday Cup
← IMP-H

Explorer 50, also known as IMP-J or IMP-8, was a NASA satellite launched to study the magnetosphere. It was the eighth and last in a series of the Interplanetary Monitoring Platform.[4]

  1. ^ "IMP-8". ESA eoPortal Directory. Retrieved 19 June 2018.
  2. ^ "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Report. 21 July 2021. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  3. ^ "Trajectory: Explorer 50 (IMP-J) 1973-078A". NASA. 28 October 2021. Retrieved 17 November 2021. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  4. ^ "IMP H, I, J (Explorer 43, 47, 50)". Gunter's Space Page. 8 April 2020. Retrieved 17 November 2021.