Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager information
NASA satellite of the Explorer program
Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager
RHESSI spacecraft observing the Sun
Names
Explorer 81 HESSI High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager RHESSI SMEX-6
Mission type
Solar observatory
Operator
NASA / Space Sciences Laboratory
COSPAR ID
2002-004A
SATCAT no.
27370
Website
RHESSI
Mission duration
2 years (planned) [1] 16 years, 6 months, 10 days (achieved)
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft
Explorer LXXXI
Spacecraft type
Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager
Bus
RHESSI
Manufacturer
Spectrum Astro Inc.[1]
Launch mass
293 kg (646 lb) [2]
Dimensions
2.16 × 5.76 m (7 ft 1 in × 18 ft 11 in)
Power
414 watts
Start of mission
Launch date
5 February 2002, 20:58:12 UTC[3]
Rocket
Pegasus XL (F31)
Launch site
Cape Canaveral, Stargazer
Contractor
Orbital Sciences Corporation
Entered service
2002
End of mission
Deactivated
16 August 2018 [4]
Last contact
11 April 2018
Decay date
20 April 2023 (UTC)[5]
Orbital parameters
Reference system
Geocentric orbit[6]
Regime
Low Earth orbit
Perigee altitude
579 km (360 mi)
Apogee altitude
607 km (377 mi)
Inclination
38.04°
Period
96.50 minutes
Main telescope
Type
Coded aperture mask
Focal length
1.55 m (5 ft 1 in)
Collecting area
150 cm2 (23 sq in)
Wavelengths
X-ray / gamma ray (γ-ray)
Resolution
2 arcseconds up to 100 keV 7 arcseconds up to 400 keV 36 arcseconds above 1 MeV [2]
Instruments
Reuven Ramaty High-Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI)
HESSI mission patch
Explorer program
← WMAP (Explorer 80)
INTEGRAL →
Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI, originally High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager or HESSI or Explorer 81) was a NASA solar flare observatory. It was the sixth mission in the Small Explorer program (SMEX), selected in October 1997 [1][7] and launched on 5 February 2002, at 20:58:12 UTC. Its primary mission was to explore the physics of particle acceleration and energy release in solar flares.
The spacecraft re-entered Earth's atmosphere at 00:21 UTC on 20 April 2023, 21 years after its launch.[5]
^ abc"RHESSI (Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager)". eoPortal Directory. European Space Agency (ESA). Retrieved 16 March 2021.
^ ab"RHESSI Mission Facts". NASA. Retrieved 3 September 2015. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
^"Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Report. 28 November 2021. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
^Cite error: The named reference nasa20181120 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ ab"NASA Retired Solar Energy Imager Spacecraft Reenters Atmosphere". 24 April 2023.
^"Trajectory: RHESSI (Explorer 81) 2002-004A". 28 October 2021. Retrieved 3 December 2021. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
^Dennis, Brian (30 April 2009). "RHESSI - Concept to Fruition". Space Sciences Laboratory. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
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