![]() Tenma (Japanese for "Pegasus") | |||||||||
Names | ASTRO-B | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mission type | X-ray astronomy | ||||||||
Operator | ISAS | ||||||||
COSPAR ID | 1983-011A | ||||||||
SATCAT no. | 13829 | ||||||||
Mission duration | 5 years, 9 months, 27 days | ||||||||
Spacecraft properties | |||||||||
Launch mass | 216 kg (476 lb) [1] | ||||||||
Dimensions | 0.94 m × 0.895 m (3.08 ft × 2.94 ft) | ||||||||
Start of mission | |||||||||
Launch date | 20 February 1983, 05:10 UTC | ||||||||
Rocket | M-3S | ||||||||
Launch site | Kagoshima Space Center | ||||||||
End of mission | |||||||||
Disposal | Decommissioned | ||||||||
Last contact | 17 December 1988 [2] | ||||||||
Decay date | 19 January 1989 | ||||||||
Orbital parameters | |||||||||
Reference system | Geocentric [1] | ||||||||
Regime | Low Earth | ||||||||
Perigee altitude | 489 km (304 mi) | ||||||||
Apogee altitude | 503 km (313 mi) | ||||||||
Inclination | 31.5° | ||||||||
Period | 94 minutes | ||||||||
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Tenma, known as ASTRO-B before launch, was a Japanese X-ray astronomy satellite developed by the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science. It was launched on 20 February 1983, using a M-3S rocket on the M-3S-3 mission.
Battery failure in July 1984 caused the operation to become limited, and continuing problems lead to the termination of X-ray observation on 17 December 1988. [2] It reentered the atmosphere on 19 January 1989 (other sources, for example the NORAD catalog of satellites, say decay date (the day it stopped working) was 17 May 1988 [3] ).