Hinotori (satellite)

Updated on Oct 21, 2023

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Names Astro-A Operator ISAS SATCAT no. 12307 Launch date 21 February 1981 Inclination 31.3° Apogee 644,000 m		Mission type Astronomy COSPAR ID 1981-017A BOL mass 185 kilograms (408 lb) Inclination 31.3° Period 1.5 hours Launch site Uchinoura Space Center
Similar Tenma, Hakucho, Nano‑JASMINE, Ginga, Akebono

Hinotori, also known as ASTRO-A before launch, was Japan's first X-ray astronomy satellite. It was developed by the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS). Its primary mission was to study of solar flares emanating from the Sun during the solar maximum. It was launched successfully on February 21, 1981 using a M-3S rocket as the vehicle from Uchinoura Space Center (known at the time as Kagoshima). After the start of normal operation, it observed a large solar flare and, a month later, succeeded in observing 41 flares of many sizes from the Sun. It reentered the atmosphere on July 11, 1991.

Instruments

Solar flare X-ray imager (SXT)

Solar soft X-ray bright line spectrum analyzer (SOX)

Solar soft X-ray monitor (HXM)

Solar flare monitor (FLM)

Solar gamma ray monitor (SGR)

Particle ray monitor (PXM)

Plasma electron density measurement instrument (IMP)

Plasma electron temperature measurement instrument (TEL)

Highlights

Observational data of the maximum period of solar activity

Discovery of high-temperature phenomena reaching up to 50 million °C and clouds of light-speed electrons floating in the corona of the Sun

References

Hinotori (satellite) Wikipedia

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Contents

Instruments

Highlights

References