Exosat

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Exosat
Credit - ESA

Other Designations: ESRO X-Ray Observatory Satellite. Class: Astronomy. Type: X-ray. Destination: High Earth Orbit. Nation: Europe. Agency: ESA.

EXOSAT was a space research satellite of the European Space Agency. The scientific objectives of the EXOSAT mission were to measure the position, structural features, spectral and temporal characteristics of cosmic X-ray sources in the energy range from less than 0.1 keV to greater than 50 keV.

Typical orbit: 340 km x 191878 km at 73 degrees inclination. Mass: 510 kg (1,120 lb). Associated Launch Vehicle: Delta 3000.

Exosat Chronology

1983 May 26 - Exosat - Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Vehicle: Delta. Mass: 510 kg (1,120 lb). Perigee: 340 km (210 mi). Apogee: 191,878 km (119,227 mi). Inclination: 72.50 deg. Period: 5,442.10 min.
X-ray experiments. Launch time 1518 UT. Launching agency ESA. EXOSAT is a space research satellite of the European Space Agency. The scientific objectives of the EXOSAT mission are to measure the position, structural features, spectral and temporal characteristics of cosmic X-ray sources in the energy range from less than 0.1 keV to greater than 50 keV.

Bibliography:

McDowell, Jonathan, Jonathan's Space Home Page (launch records), Harvard University, 1997-present. Web Address when accessed: http://www.planet4589.org/jsr.html.
JPL Mission and Spacecraft Library, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 1997. Web Address when accessed: http://msl.jpl.nasa.gov/home.html.
McDowell, Jonathan, Launch Log, October 1998. Web Address when accessed: http://hea-www.harvard.edu/~jcm/space/log/launch.html.

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