Charge Composition Explorer

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Explorer 65
Explorer 65
Type: Research satellite
Country: United StatesUnited States United States
Operator: National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationNASA NASA
COSPAR-ID : 1984-088A
Mission dates
Dimensions: 242 kg
Begin: August 16, 1984 at 2:48 p.m. UTC
Starting place: CC LC-17
Launcher: Delta-3924 D-175
Status: In orbit, out of order
Orbit data
Rotation time : 939.2 min
Orbit inclination : 3.5 °
Apogee height :  49,679.7 km
Perigee height :  1,117.3 km

The Charge Composition Explorer , or CCE for short (also known as Explorer 65), was a NASA satellite . It was part of the US Explorer program and was used to study the magnetosphere .

Instruments

The CCE was instrumented to detect lithium and barium tracer ions that were transported into the magnetosphere within its orbit. The spacecraft was spin stabilized with its spin axis in the equatorial plane at 10 rpm and offset from the earth-sun line by about 20 degrees. For position control it put magnetorquer and cold gas thrusters one.

Five instruments were mounted on the CCE spacecraft:

  • The Hot Plasma Composition Experiment (HPCE)
  • The Medium Energy Particle Analyzer (MEPA)
  • The Charge-Energy-Mass Spectrometer (CHEM)
  • The Plasma Wave Experiment (PWE) and
  • The CCE magnetometer (MAG)

The CCE was powered by solar cells and batteries. He had a Star 13 engine available for orbit corrections .

Second satellite

The CCE had two other subsatellites on board that it deployed in space during its mission, namely:

The IRM

The German Ion Release Module , or IRM for short , was just like the CCE a magnetospheric research satellite and was built and operated by the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics . It released ions in the solar wind. The IRM spacecraft was spin stabilized at 15 rpm. Its spin axis was initially in the ecliptic plane, but later it was adjusted with magnetic torque to be perpendicular to the ecliptic. The power grid was a 60 W solar array with redundant batteries. There was also a redundant S-band telemetry and remote control system. Telemetry rates could be chosen between 1 and 8 kb / s. For the entry into the final orbit, the IRM carried its own upper stage. In addition to the ion releases, the instruments on board the satellite monitored the surrounding magnetosphere, but with data acquisition that was limited to the orbits that could be tracked in real time from Germany. The spacecraft was decommissioned on August 14, 1986, had a lifespan of 2 years and a mass of 705 kg.

The UKS

The United Kingdom Subsatellite (German about "Subsatellit des United Kingdom"), UKS for short , was the subsatellite of the IRM. It had the same orbit as the German satellite. His aim was to research between the spatial structure and the temporal changes in the plasma phenomena, which were initiated by ion releases from the IRM and in the natural magnetospheric environment. The measured quantities were similar to those of the IRM and include magnetic fields, positive ions, electrons, plasma waves and modulations in ions and electrons. The spacecraft was spin stabilized at a frequency of 12 / min and was using S-band communication. It carried a cold gas propulsion system and a VHF radar system for orbit control, usually kept a few hundred kilometers from the IRM. The UKS failed on January 15, 1985 because its power supply failed. It was powered by solar cells and batteries. The UKS had a mass of 77 kg.

begin

The CCE with his both subsatellites was on August 16, 1984 a Delta 3924 - rocket into space from Cape Canaveral.

Web links

  • Orbit data according to N2YO
  • CCE on heavens-above.com
  • CCE on jhuapl.edu (English)