Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope
The Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope (FGST, also FGRST), formerly called the Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST), is a space observatory being used to perform gamma-ray astronomy observations from low Earth orbit. Its main instrument is the Large Area Telescope (LAT), with which astronomers mostly intend to perform an all-sky survey studying astrophysical and cosmological phenomena such as active galactic nuclei, pulsars, other high-energy sources and dark matter. Another instrument aboard Fermi, the Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM; formerly GLAST Burst Monitor), is being used to study gamma-ray bursts and solar flares.
| Names | Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mission type | Gamma-ray astronomy | ||||||
| Operator | NASA · U.S. Department of Energy | ||||||
| COSPAR ID | 2008-029A | ||||||
| SATCAT no. | 33053 | ||||||
| Website | Fermi.GSFC.NASA.gov | ||||||
| Mission duration | Planned: 5-10 years Elapsed: 15 years, 7 months, 30 days | ||||||
| Spacecraft properties | |||||||
| Manufacturer | General Dynamics | ||||||
| Launch mass | 4,303 kg (9,487 lb) | ||||||
| Dimensions | Stowed: 2.8 × 2.5 m (9.2 × 8.2 ft) | ||||||
| Power | 1,500 W average | ||||||
| Start of mission | |||||||
| Launch date | 11 June 2008, 16:05 UTC | ||||||
| Rocket | Delta II 7920-H #333 | ||||||
| Launch site | Cape Canaveral SLC-17B | ||||||
| Contractor | United Launch Alliance | ||||||
| Orbital parameters | |||||||
| Reference system | Geocentric | ||||||
| Regime | Low Earth | ||||||
| Semi-major axis | 6,912.9 km (4,295.5 mi) | ||||||
| Eccentricity | 0.001282 | ||||||
| Perigee altitude | 525.9 km (326.8 mi) | ||||||
| Apogee altitude | 543.6 km (337.8 mi) | ||||||
| Inclination | 25.58° | ||||||
| Period | 95.33 min | ||||||
| RAAN | 29.29° | ||||||
| Argument of perigee | 131.16° | ||||||
| Mean anomaly | 229.00° | ||||||
| Mean motion | 15.10 rev/day | ||||||
| Velocity | 7.59 km/s (4.72 mi/s) | ||||||
| Epoch | 23 February 2016, 04:46:22 UTC | ||||||
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Fermi, named for high-energy physics pioneer Enrico Fermi, was launched on 11 June 2008 at 16:05 UTC aboard a Delta II 7920-H rocket. The mission is a joint venture of NASA, the United States Department of Energy, and government agencies in France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Sweden, becoming the most sensitive gamma-ray telescope on orbit, succeeding INTEGRAL. The project is a recognized CERN experiment (RE7).