LISA Pathfinder
LISA Pathfinder, formerly Small Missions for Advanced Research in Technology-2 (SMART-2), was an ESA spacecraft that was launched on 3 December 2015 on board Vega flight VV06. The mission tested technologies needed for the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA), an ESA gravitational wave observatory planned to be launched in 2035. The scientific phase started on 8 March 2016 and lasted almost sixteen months. In April 2016 ESA announced that LISA Pathfinder demonstrated that the LISA mission is feasible.
Model of the LISA Pathfinder spacecraft | |
| Mission type | Technology demonstrator |
|---|---|
| Operator | ESA |
| COSPAR ID | 2015-070A |
| SATCAT no. | 41043 |
| Mission duration | 576 days |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Manufacturer | Airbus Defence and Space |
| Launch mass | 1,910 kg (4,210 lb) |
| BOL mass | 480 kg (1,060 lb) |
| Dry mass | 810 kg (1,790 lb) |
| Payload mass | 125 kg (276 lb) |
| Dimensions | 2.9 m × 2.1 m (9.5 ft × 6.9 ft) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 3 December 2015, 04:04:00 UTC |
| Rocket | Vega (VV06) |
| Launch site | Kourou ELV |
| Contractor | Arianespace |
| End of mission | |
| Disposal | Decommissioned |
| Deactivated | 30 June 2017 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Sun–Earth L1 |
| Regime | Lissajous orbit |
| Periapsis altitude | 500,000 km (310,000 mi) |
| Apoapsis altitude | 800,000 km (500,000 mi) |
| Inclination | 60 degrees |
| Epoch | Planned |
| Transponders | |
| Band | X band |
| Bandwidth | 7 kbit/s |
| Instruments | |
| ~36.7 cm Laser interferometer | |
ESA astrophysics insignia for LISA Pathfinder | |
The estimated mission cost was €400 million.
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