International Sat. n°: |
Germany spacecraft n°: 31 |
A Broadband Imaging X-Ray All-sky Survey Satellite
Launch data:
| Designation |
25721 / 99022A |
| Launch date - time |
28 Apr 1999 - 20:30 UT |
| Launch site |
KY, LC-107 (reopened specially) |
| Launch vehicle |
Cosmos-3M (11K65M) |
| Mission |
Astronomy: X-ray astronomy |
| Earth orbit: |
| Perigee/Apogee |
554 x 603 km |
| Inclination |
48.44° |
| Period |
96.25 |
|
 Abrixas (OHB)
|
Launched together with Megsat 0
DARA satellite developped with the help of the GFZ Postdam, Max-Planck-Institute for
extraterrestrial Physics Garching, and the astronomy and astrophysics institute
of the Tubingen university. Mission cost: $25 million
Mission: Designed to perform the first complete survey of the sky with a imaging telescope in the X-ray energy range from 0.5 to10 keV band with 30 arcsecond resolution.
ABRIXAS was to discover more than 10000 new X-ray sources mainly active galaxies above 2 keV. In the centres of these galaxies, presumably black holes convert gravitational energy into high-energy raiation.
MPE/Garching and the Astrophysical Institute in Potsdam developed the scientific payload, a set of seven hard X-ray imaging telescopes with an X-ray CCD detector.
Specifications:
| Prime contractor |
OHB-System |
| Operator |
DLR (DARA) |
| Mass at launch |
470 kg |
| Mass in orbit |
|
| Dimension |
2.5 x 3 x 1.2 m |
| Equipment |
7 Wolter telescopes with an X-ray CCD detector |
| Stabilization |
|
| DC power |
|
| Design lifetime |
|
End of life
| Out of service | 1 May 1999 |
| Cause | The main battery overheated and failed, causing a contact loss few days later. |
| Re-entered date: | 31 Oct 2017 |
| Lifetime: | |
|
Ref.: #3(SD540), #7, #8, #14, #15 - update: 22.03.18
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