IMAGE (spacecraft)

For other uses, see Image (disambiguation).

IMAGE
IMAGE (Explorer 78) satellite in preparation
NamesExplorer 78
MIDEX-1
Imager for Magnetopause-to-Aurora Global Exploration
Mission typeMagnetosphere research
OperatorNASA / Goddard
Applied Physics Laboratory
COSPAR ID2000-017A Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.26113
Websitepluto.space.swri.edu/IMAGE/
image.gsfc.nasa.gov
Mission duration2 years (planned)
24 years, 7 months, 29 days
(in orbit)
Spacecraft properties
SpacecraftExplorer LXXVIII
Spacecraft typeImager for Magnetopause-to-Aurora Global Exploration
BusIMAGE
ManufacturerLockheed Martin Missiles and Space Corporation
Launch mass494 kg (1,089 lb)
Dimensions225 × 152 cm (89 × 60 in)
Power286 watts
Start of mission
Launch date25 March 2000, 20:34:43.929 UTC[1]
RocketDelta II 7326-9.5 (Delta 277)
Launch siteVandenberg, SLC-2W
ContractorBoeing Launch Services
End of mission
DeactivatedDecember 18, 2005
Last contactMarch 4, 2018
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric orbit[2]
RegimePolar orbit
Perigee altitude1,000 km (620 mi)
Apogee altitude46,004 km (28,586 mi)
Inclination90.01°
Period856.00 minutes

IMAGE mission patch
Explorer program
← FUSE (Explorer 77)
HETE-2 (Explorer 79) →

IMAGE (Imager for Magnetopause-to-Aurora Global Exploration, Explorer 78 or MIDEX-1) was a NASA Medium Explorer mission that studied the global response of the Earth's magnetosphere to changes in the solar wind. It was believed lost but as of August 2018 might be recoverable. It was launched 25 March 2000, at 20:34:43.929 UTC,[1] by a Delta II launch vehicle from Vandenberg Air Force Base on a two-year mission.[3] Almost six years later, it unexpectedly ceased operations in December 2005 during its extended mission and was declared lost.[4] The spacecraft was part of NASA's Sun-Earth Connections Program, and its data has been used in over 400 research articles published in peer-reviewed journals.[5] It had special cameras that provided various breakthroughs in understanding the dynamics of plasma around the Earth. The principal investigator was Jim Burch of the Southwest Research Institute.

In January 2018, an amateur satellite tracker found it to be transmitting some signals back to Earth.[6][7] NASA made attempts to communicate with the spacecraft and determine its payload status, but has had to track down and adapt old hardware and software to the current systems.[8] On 25 February 2018, contact with IMAGE was again lost only to be reestablished on 4 March 2018. The signal disappeared once again on 5 August 2018. If recovery efforts succeed, NASA may decide to fund a restarted mission.[9]

  1. ^ a b On-Orbit Performance of Autonomous Star Trackers (PDF). Flight Mechanics Symposium, 19–21 June 2001, Goddard Space Flight Center. NASA/CP-2001-209986. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Trajectory was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "The Delta 2 rocket". Spaceflight Now. 25 March 2000. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
  4. ^ "Display: IMAGE (Explorer 78) 2000-017A". NASA. 28 October 2021. Retrieved 30 November 2021. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  5. ^ "NASA Magnetic Field Mission Ends". NASA. 20 January 2006. Retrieved 1 December 2021. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  6. ^ Tilley, Scott (21 January 2018). "NASA's Long Dead 'IMAGE' Satellite is Alive!". Riddles in the Sky. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  7. ^ Chan, Athena (28 January 2018). "Lost NASA Satellite Found After A Decade By Amateur Astronomer". Tech Times. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  8. ^ "Latest Data From IMAGE Indicates Spacecraft's Power Functional". NASA. 2 February 2018. Retrieved 1 December 2021. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  9. ^ "NASA's On-Again, Off-Again Satellite". Air & Space. April 2018. Retrieved 1 December 2021.