 Solar Maximum Mission. | |
| Mission type | Solar physics |
|---|---|
| Operator | NASA |
| COSPAR ID | 1980-014A |
| SATCAT no. | 11703 |
| Mission duration | Final: 9 years, 9 months, 17 days |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Bus | Multimission Modular Spacecraft |
| Manufacturer | Fairchild Industries |
| Launch mass | 2,315.0 kilograms (5,103.7 lb) |
| Dimensions | 4 by 2.3 metres (13.1 by 7.5 ft) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | February 14, 1980, 15:57:00 UTC |
| Rocket | Delta 3910 |
| Launch site | Cape Canaveral LC-17A |
| End of mission | |
| Decay date | December 2, 1989 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Eccentricity | 0.00029 |
| Perigee altitude | 508.0 kilometers (315.7 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 512.0 kilometers (318.1 mi) |
| Inclination | 28.5 degrees |
| Period | 94.80 minutes |
| Mean motion | 15.19 |
The Solar Maximum Mission satellite (or SolarMax) was designed to investigate Solar phenomena, particularly solar flares. It was launched on February 14, 1980. The SMM was the first satellite based on the Multimission Modular Spacecraft bus manufactured by Fairchild Industries, a platform which was later used for Landsats 4 and 5[1] as well as the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite.
After an attitude control failure in November 1980 it was put in standby mode until April 1984 when it was repaired by a Shuttle mission.
The Solar Maximum Mission ended on December 2, 1989, when the spacecraft re-entered the atmosphere and burned up over the Indian Ocean.[2]
- ^ Suzuki, Masaharu (11 February 1999). "TOPEX/Poseidon – Description of Mission". University of Texas. Archived from the original on 20 November 2013. Retrieved 9 July 2013.
The satellite bus was taken from the Multimission Modular Spacecraft (MMS), which has been proven on previous MMS-based missions: the Solar Maximum Mission and Landsat 4 and 5.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
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