Submillimeter Wave Astronomy Satellite
Submillimeter Wave Astronomy Satellite (SWAS, also Explorer 74 and SMEX-3) is a NASA submillimetre astronomy satellite, and is the fourth spacecraft in the Small Explorer program (SMEX). It was launched on 6 December 1998, at 00:57:54 UTC, from Vandenberg Air Force Base aboard a Pegasus XL launch vehicle. The telescope was designed by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) and integrated by Ball Aerospace, while the spacecraft was built by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). The mission's principal investigator is Gary J. Melnick.
SWAS satellite | |
Names | Explorer-74 SWAS SMEX-3 |
---|---|
Mission type | Submillimetre astronomy |
Operator | NASA / Goddard |
COSPAR ID | 1998-071A |
SATCAT no. | 25560 |
Website | https://www.cfa.harvard.edu/swas/ |
Mission duration | 2 years (planned) 6 years, 8 months and 26 days (achieved) |
Spacecraft properties | |
Spacecraft | Explorer LXXIV |
Spacecraft type | Submillimeter Wave Astronomy Satellite |
Bus | SWAS |
Manufacturer | Goddard Space Flight Center |
Launch mass | 288 kg (635 lb) |
Payload mass | 102 kg (225 lb) |
Dimensions | 1.63 × 1.02 m (5 ft 4 in × 3 ft 4 in) |
Power | 230 watts |
Start of mission | |
Launch date | 6 December 1998, 00:57:54 UTC |
Rocket | Pegasus XL (F25) |
Launch site | Vandenberg, Stargazer |
Contractor | Orbital Sciences Corporation |
Entered service | 19 December 1998 |
Orbital parameters | |
Reference system | Geocentric orbit |
Regime | Low Earth orbit |
Perigee altitude | 638 km (396 mi) |
Apogee altitude | 651 km (405 mi) |
Inclination | 69.90° |
Period | 97.60 minutes |
Instruments | |
Submillimeter Wave Telescope | |
Submillimeter Wave Astronomy Satellite mission patch Explorer program |
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