 Wide Field Infrared Explorer spacecraft | |
| Names | Explorer-75 WIRE SMEX-5 |
|---|---|
| Mission type | Infrared astronomy |
| Operator | NASA |
| COSPAR ID | 1999-011A |
| SATCAT no. | 25646 |
| Website | http://www.ipac.caltech.edu/wire/ |
| Mission duration | 4 months (planned) 1 year, 4 months, 10 days (achieved) [1] |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | Explorer LXXV |
| Spacecraft type | Wide-field Infrared Explorer |
| Bus | WIRE |
| Manufacturer | Space Dynamics Laboratory (SDL) |
| Launch mass | 250 kg (550 lb) |
| Power | 160 watts |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 5 March 1999, 02:56 UTC |
| Rocket | Pegasus XL (F26) |
| Launch site | Vandenberg Air Force Base, Stargazer |
| Contractor | Orbital Sciences Corporation |
| Entered service | Failed on orbit |
| End of mission | |
| Deactivated | 30 September 2000 |
| Last contact | 23 October 2006 |
| Decay date | 10 May 2011, 07:00 UTC |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit[2] |
| Regime | Sun-synchronous orbit |
| Perigee altitude | 470 km (290 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 540 km (340 mi) |
| Inclination | 97° |
Wide-field Infrared Explorer (WIRE, also Explorer 75 and SMEX-5) was a NASA satellite launched on 5 March 1999, on the Pegasus XL launch vehicle into polar orbit between 409 and 426 km (254 and 265 mi) above the surface of Earth. WIRE was intended to be a four-month infrared survey of the entire sky at 21-27 μm and 9-15 μm, specifically focusing on starburst galaxies and luminous protogalaxies.
WIRE had problems and was unable to carry out its IR survey, and was deactivated on 30 September 2000, and finally reentered and burned up in 2011.
- ^ Laher, Russ (16 January 2004). "Complete WIRE Star-Camera Observation History". Infrared Processing and Analysis Center (IPAC). Archived from the original on 6 August 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
- ^ "The WIRE Instrument". Infrared Processing and Analysis Center (IPAC). 3 September 1997. Retrieved 3 September 2015.