HETE 2

High Energy Transient Explorer 2
HETE-2 satellite
NamesExplorer 79
HETE-2
Mission typeHigh-energy astronomy
OperatorNASA
COSPAR ID2000-061A Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.26561
Mission duration18 months (planned)
7.5 years (achieved)
Spacecraft properties
SpacecraftExplorer LXXIX
Spacecraft typeHigh Energy Transient Explorer
BusHETE
ManufacturerMassachusetts Institute of Technology
Launch mass124 kg (273 lb)
Dimensions100 × 50 × 50 cm (39 × 20 × 20 in)
Power168 watts
Start of mission
Launch date9 October 2000, 05:38:18 UTC
RocketPegasus-H (F30)
Launch siteKwajalein Atoll
ContractorOrbital Sciences Corporation
End of mission
DeactivatedMarch 2008
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric orbit[1]
RegimeLow Earth orbit
Perigee altitude590 km (370 mi)
Apogee altitude650 km (400 mi)
Inclination1.95°
Period95.70 minutes
Instruments
French Gamma Telescope (FREGATE)
Soft X-ray Camera (SXC)
Wide Field X-Ray Monitor (WXM)
Explorer program
← IMAGE (Explorer 78)
WMAP (Explorer 80) →

High Energy Transient Explorer 2 (HETE-2; also known as Explorer 79) was a NASA astronomical satellite with international participation (mainly Japan and France). The satellite bus for the first HETE-1 was designed and built by AeroAstro, Inc. of Herndon, Virginia and was lost during launch on 4 November 1996; the replacement satellite, HETE-2 was built by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) based on the original HETE design.

  1. ^ "Trajectory: HETE 2 (Explorer 79) 2000-061A". NASA. 28 October 2021. Retrieved 2 December 2021. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.