Interstellar Boundary Explorer

Interstellar Boundary Explorer
IBEX satellite
NamesExplorer 91
IBEX
SMEX-10
Mission typeAstronomy
OperatorNASA
COSPAR ID2008-051A Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.33401
Websiteibex.swri.edu
Mission duration2 years (planned)
16 years, 1 month, 7 days (in progress)
Spacecraft properties
SpacecraftExplorer XCI
Spacecraft typeInterstellar Boundary Explorer
BusMicroStar-1
ManufacturerOrbital Sciences Corporation
Launch mass107 kg (236 lb) [1]
Dry mass80 kg (180 lb)
Payload mass26 kg (57 lb)
Dimensions58 × 95 cm (23 × 37 in)
Power116 watts
Start of mission
Launch date19 October 2008, 17:47:23 UTC
RocketPegasus XL (F40)
Launch siteBucholz Airfield, Stargazer
ContractorOrbital Sciences Corporation
Entered serviceJanuary 2009
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric orbit[2]
RegimeHigh Earth orbit
Perigee altitude7,000 km (4,300 mi)
Apogee altitude220,886 km (137,252 mi)
Inclination10.99°
Period6604.00 minutes
Instruments
IBEX-Lo
IBEX-Hi

IBEX mission logo
Explorer program
← AIM (Explorer 90)
WISE (Explorer 92) →

Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX or Explorer 91 or SMEX-10) is a NASA satellite in Earth orbit that uses energetic neutral atoms (ENAs) to image the interaction region between the Solar System and interstellar space. The mission is part of NASA's Small Explorer program and was launched with a Pegasus-XL launch vehicle on 19 October 2008.[3]

The mission is led by Dr. David J. McComas (IBEX principal investigator), formerly of the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) and now with Princeton University. The Los Alamos National Laboratory and the Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Center built the IBEX-Hi and IBEX-Lo sensors respectively. The Orbital Sciences Corporation manufactured the satellite bus and was the location for spacecraft environmental testing. The nominal mission baseline duration was two years after commissioning, and the prime ended in early 2011. The spacecraft and sensors are still healthy and the mission is continuing in its extended mission.[4]

IBEX is in a Sun-oriented spin-stabilized orbit around the Earth.[5] In June 2011, IBEX was shifted to a new, more efficient, much more stable orbit.[6] It does not come as close to the Moon in the new orbit, and expends less fuel to maintain its position.[6]

The spacecraft is equipped with two large aperture imagers which detect ENAs with energies from 10 eV to 2 keV (IBEX-Lo) and 300 eV to 6 keV (IBEX-Hi).

The mission was originally planned to be a 24-month operations period. The mission has since been extended, with the spacecraft still in operation as of 2024.

  1. ^ "IBEX". ESA. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
  2. ^ "Trajectory: IBEX (Explorer 91) 2008-051A". NASA. 28 October 2021. Retrieved 9 December 2021. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  3. ^ Ray, Justin (19 October 2008). "Mission Status Center: Pegasus/IBEX". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 27 November 2009.
  4. ^ "Archived Updates". Southwest Research Institute.
  5. ^ "Fact Sheet: IBEX" (PDF). Orbital ATK. FS001_06_3695. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 March 2015. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
  6. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference ibexnews201111 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).