HETE 2

High Energy Transient Explorer 2 (HETE-2; also known as Explorer 79) was a NASA astronomical satellite with international participation (mainly Japan and France). The satellite bus for the first HETE-1 was designed and built by AeroAstro, Inc. of Herndon, Virginia and was lost during launch on 4 November 1996; the replacement satellite, HETE-2 was built by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) based on the original HETE design.

High Energy Transient Explorer 2
HETE-2 satellite
NamesExplorer 79
HETE-2
Mission typeHigh-energy astronomy
OperatorNASA
COSPAR ID2000-061A
SATCAT no.26561
Mission duration18 months (planned)
7.5 years (achieved)
Spacecraft properties
SpacecraftExplorer LXXIX
Spacecraft typeHigh Energy Transient Explorer
BusHETE
ManufacturerMassachusetts Institute of Technology
Launch mass124 kg (273 lb)
Dimensions100 × 50 × 50 cm (39 × 20 × 20 in)
Power168 watts
Start of mission
Launch date9 October 2000, 05:38:18 UTC
RocketPegasus-H (F30)
Launch siteKwajalein Atoll
ContractorOrbital Sciences Corporation
End of mission
DeactivatedMarch 2008
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric orbit
RegimeLow Earth orbit
Perigee altitude590 km (370 mi)
Apogee altitude650 km (400 mi)
Inclination1.95°
Period95.70 minutes
Instruments
French Gamma Telescope (FREGATE)
Soft X-ray Camera (SXC)
Wide Field X-Ray Monitor (WXM)
Explorer program
 
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